The victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial.
Fine artist Cushla Naegele visits the Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial, a day before its official ceremonial opening, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, in New York. The memorial features the engraved names of 146 people, mostly immigrant girls and women, who were killed in a 1911 clothing factory fire."I have always read about this terrible event," said Naegele, whose latest drawings and paintings honor the spirit of"young women who leap to their deaths and burned," in that event.
It’s the story of desperate immigrant women, mostly Jewish and Italian, who were trapped by a door that was locked because there were no workplace safety rules that said it couldn’t be. Some jumped to their deaths from the windows to avoid the flames. Frantic workers tried to get out as the flames spread to the ninth and 10th floors, some scrambling to get into an elevator, others heading for the roof. But others who tried to get past a door to escape found it locked, trapping them inside. At a trial of the factory’s owners afterward, some said the door had been kept locked on purpose, over theft concerns.Horrified witnesses in the crowd watched as workers leapt from the windows.
Perkins would be part of a state commission that put a series of safety rules in place in New York that were emulated elsewhere, and later became an integral part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s cabinet as his secretary of labor. She pushed for policies like minimum wage, workers compensation, and old age pensions.
Growing up, Bass knew her great-aunt had lived through the fire, but it wasn’t until years later that she heard about Rosie. Memorial designers Richard Joon Yoo and Uri Wegman wanted to find a way for modern-day people to connect with the fire and its legacy, they said. The public was invited a few years ago to contribute pieces of fabric that were joined together in a 300-foot “Collective Ribbon." That ribbon’s design was then etched onto the memorial steel that rises up toward the top of the building.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial. A structure of steel is being dedicated Wednesday at the Manhattan building where the tragedy took place. It will have the names of the 146 people, mostly immigrant girls and women, who were killed when a fire started at the clothing company. In the aftermath, it became a catalyst for the rise of the labor movement. The memorial is coming to fruition during a time of increased labor acti
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial.
Read more »
The only answer on Israel and Gaza seems terribly far offPlus: The Triangle Shirtwaist memorial. Republicans for the working class?
Read more »
Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Is Leaning Into the Ed/Stede/Izzy TriangleCreator and showrunner David Jenkins says the relationships between the three main pirates will take center stage this season.
Read more »