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News & Photos
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: A Journey of Remembrance
Last Friday, New Yorkers remembered one of the worst tragedies that every occurred in their city. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 men and women, mostly immigrants, on March 25, 1911. It led to critical safety and labor reforms, following the discovery that factory owners had chained the doors during the work day. Victims jumped or fell to their deaths as Greenwich Village shoppers watched in horror.
Bridget Collins and some of her American history students stood among thousands at the corner of Washington Place to remember the tragedy. The lessons they had learned in class about industrialization in America and the struggle of immigrants became much more real.
As Collins reports: “My students were so compelled by the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that we decided to journey to New York City to help commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Fire. On Friday, March 25, we drove to Jersey City and took the ferry across the Hudson River to Manhattan so that we could see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance--the same view that the immigrants working in the Triangle Factory would have seen upon entering the United States in the early 1900s.”
“We then traveled to the campus of NYU--the Ashe Building is now a part of the NYU campus. We joined a mass of people who had processed carrying shirtwaists (blouses) with sashes containing the names of the fire victims. We listened to compelling speeches by the U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Senator Chuck Schumer, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other local labor leaders.”
Said Rachel P. "The environment of the memorial was inspirational. Everyone gathered to pay their respects for the women in the fire, but also to continue the fight ..."
Students heard that labor laws do not always protect workers, even today. As Paul D. observed: "The immigrant speaker's experience with the construction company proved that workers still have a way to go to protect their rights. It was especially relevant because he described how he was padlocked in for the day, with no escape in case of fire, just like the Triangle Shirt workers were."
For Collins, the trip turned out even better than she could have imagined. “What started as a journey of remembrance ended as a lesson in civics and the workings of democracy. In the wake of the ruling in Wisconsin to limit the collective bargaining rights of union members in the public sector, this ceremony became a rally for union workers in the United States.”
“Days before our trip, we discussed and debated the positives and negatives of unions and collective bargaining in the United States today. The Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, asserted in her speech, that better working conditions rose like a ‘phoenix out of the ashes of the Triangle fire.’”
“My hope as a teacher is that this experience awakened in my students an awareness of the relevance of history in their lives today and a desire to be involved in the workings of government in the United States.”
Last Friday, New Yorkers remembered one of the worst tragedies that every occurred in their city. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 men and women, mostly immigrants, on March 25, 1911. It led to critical safety and labor reforms, following the discovery that factory owners had chained the doors during the work day. Victims jumped or fell to their deaths as Greenwich Village shoppers watched in horror.
Bridget Collins and some of her American history students stood among thousands at the corner of Washington Place to remember the tragedy. The lessons they had learned in class about industrialization in America and the struggle of immigrants became much more real.
As Collins reports: “My students were so compelled by the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that we decided to journey to New York City to help commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Fire. On Friday, March 25, we drove to Jersey City and took the ferry across the Hudson River to Manhattan so that we could see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance--the same view that the immigrants working in the Triangle Factory would have seen upon entering the United States in the early 1900s.”
“We then traveled to the campus of NYU--the Ashe Building is now a part of the NYU campus. We joined a mass of people who had processed carrying shirtwaists (blouses) with sashes containing the names of the fire victims. We listened to compelling speeches by the U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Senator Chuck Schumer, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other local labor leaders.”
Said Rachel P. "The environment of the memorial was inspirational. Everyone gathered to pay their respects for the women in the fire, but also to continue the fight ..."
Students heard that labor laws do not always protect workers, even today. As Paul D. observed: "The immigrant speaker's experience with the construction company proved that workers still have a way to go to protect their rights. It was especially relevant because he described how he was padlocked in for the day, with no escape in case of fire, just like the Triangle Shirt workers were."
For Collins, the trip turned out even better than she could have imagined. “What started as a journey of remembrance ended as a lesson in civics and the workings of democracy. In the wake of the ruling in Wisconsin to limit the collective bargaining rights of union members in the public sector, this ceremony became a rally for union workers in the United States.”
“Days before our trip, we discussed and debated the positives and negatives of unions and collective bargaining in the United States today. The Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, asserted in her speech, that better working conditions rose like a ‘phoenix out of the ashes of the Triangle fire.’”
“My hope as a teacher is that this experience awakened in my students an awareness of the relevance of history in their lives today and a desire to be involved in the workings of government in the United States.”