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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 3 sepTember 2024
Christa McAuliffe, still pioneering, is first woman with a statue on

New Hampshire capitol grounds

By KATHY McCORMACK community normally.
Associated Press But there are other memori-
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — De- als, dozens of schools and a
cades after she was picked library named for McAuliffe,
to be America’s first teacher as well as scholarships and
in space, Christa McAuliffe is a commemorative coin. A
still a pioneer — this time as science museum in Concord
the first woman to be me- is dedicated to her and to
morialized on the grounds native son Alan Shepard,
of New Hampshire’s State- the first American in space.
house, in the city where she The auditorium is named
taught high school. for her at Concord High
McAuliffe was 37 when she School, where she taught
was killed, one of the seven American history, law, eco-
crew members aboard the nomics and a self-designed
Challenger when the space course called “The Ameri-
shuttle broke apart on live TV can Woman.” Students rush
on Jan. 28, 1986. She didn’t past a painting of her in her
have the chance to give the astronaut uniform.
lessons she had planned to In 2017-2018, two educators-
teach from space. But peo- turned-astronauts at the In-
ple are still learning from her. ternational Space Station re-
Benjamin Victor, the sculp- corded some of the lessons
tor from Boise, Idaho, whose This Sept. 26, 1985 photo made available by NASA shows astronaut Christa McAuliffe. that McAuliffe had planned
work was unveiled on Mon- Associated Press to teach, on Newton’s laws
day on what would have of motion, liquids in micro-
been McAuliffe’s 76th birth- cators across this country,” ture, I teach.” yond a public memorial at gravity, effervescence and
day, said McAuliffe’s “inspi- he said. “I hope teachers Gov. Chris Sununu’s ex- the Statehouse plaza on Jan. chromatography. NASA
ration hasn’t been lost in the everywhere will come and ecutive order enabled the 31, 1986, the Concord school then posted “Christa McAu-
disaster and her memory will see it. I hope they take pride McAuliffe statue to join stat- district and the city, popula- liffe’s Lost Lessons” online, a
go on forever.” in their noble work. I hope ues of leaders such as Dan- tion 44,500, have observed resource for students every-
Steven McAuliffe, her for- that students will come and iel Webster, John Stark and the Challenger anniversary where.
mer husband, said Christa see. And I hope that they will President Franklin Pierce. He quietly through the years, Victor, the sculptor, comes
McAuliffe was proud to rep- be inspired to pursue their said Monday that he’s eager partly to respect the priva- from a family of educators,
resent teachers and would dreams,” he said. for schoolchildren who visit cy of her family. Christa and including his mother, with
be enthusiastic about being The 8-foot-tall (2.4-meter) the Statehouse each year to Steven McAuliffe’s son and whom he’s shared a number
honored “as long as it was bronze, depicting McAuliffe see the statue honoring “our daughter were very young of discussions about McAu-
shared with all teachers and walking in stride in a NASA hero teacher” and reflect on at the time she died and was liffe as he’s worked on the
educators.” flight suit, is believed to be all that’s possible. buried in a local cemetery. statue — including his rec-
“It is a great honor for Chris- the first full statue of McAu- McAuliffe was picked from Steven McAuliffe, who was ollection of watching the
ta. And at the same time liffe, known for her openness among 11,000 candidates then a lawyer and now is a Challenger disaster on tele-
it is a great and deserving to experimental learning. Her to be the first teacher and federal judge, wanted the vision as a second-grader in
honor for teachers and edu- motto was: “I touch the fu- private citizen in space. Be- children to grow up in the Bakersfield, California. q

Labor Day hotel strikes reflect the frustrations of a workforce

largely made up of women of color

By DEE-ANN DURBIN could soon spread to other cities, includ-
AP Business Writer ing New Haven, Connecticut; Oakland,
More than 10,000 workers at 25 U.S. ho- California; and Providence, Rhode Island.
tels were on strike Monday after choos- Union President Gwen Mills says the strikes
ing Labor Day weekend to amplify their are part of long-standing battle to secure
demands for higher pay, fairer workloads family-sustaining compensation for ser-
and the reversal of COVID-era cuts. vice workers on par with more traditionally
The UNITE HERE union, which represents the male-dominated industries.
striking housekeepers and other hospitality “Hospitality work overall is undervalued,
workers, said 200 workers at the Hilton Bal- and it’s not a coincidence that it’s dispro-
timore Inner Harbor were the latest to walk portionately women and people of color
off the job. doing the work,” Mills said.
Nearly half of the striking workers or 5,000 Unionized housekeepers want to reinstate
– are in Honolulu. Thousands of workers are automatic daily room cleaning at major
also on strike in Boston, San Francisco, Se- hotel chains, saying they have been sad-
attle, San Diego and San Jose, California. dled with unmanageable workloads, or in
The strikes targeting Marriott, Hilton and many cases, fewer hours and a decline in
Hyatt hotels were set to last one to three income. Many hotels cut services during Hotel workers picket outside the Westin St. Francis Monday,
days. the coronavirus pandemic and never re- Sept. 2, 2024, in San Francisco.
UNITE HERE said a total of 15,000 work- stored them.q Associated Press
ers have voted to authorize strikes, which