International Women's Day
When I was 15 years old and sitting in my American history classroom in Texas, I heard a horrible story I would never forget. It was a true story about the working conditions of “factory girls” (or girls who worked in factories) as they were then called. These were mostly teenage girls who spent almost every waking minute of their lives bent over a machine, with almost no breaks -- even to talk or walk or to use the restroom -- each girl’s job to do a repetitive task, over and over again. Ceaselessly. That wasn’t the part I was talking about though. That was just how things were, to begin with.
But one day, in that story, something very much worse happened at one of those factories.
Late in the afternoon of March 25, 1911, something unforgettable and unforgiveable occured. It began in the shirtwaist (or women’s-blouse-making) factory. It became a terrible, long moment when many of the factory girls who worked there's only choice was between being engulfed by flames or leaping off the factory's window ledges to their own certain death. But the most horrifying thing about the event is that it never should have happened in the first place. It was a preventable story of help and understanding arriving far too late.
Most of the girls who worked at the factory knew what was going on: they knew working conditions around them were potentially dangerous, that certain exits and doors were locked for reasons they could not understand. But they were not able to communicate these facts to anyone. If they did, they would most likely be fired on the spot. And the girls desperately needed to hold onto their jobs simply to survive in the first place.
The complication that led directly to the deaths of so many working girls that day was linked to a piece of information known by almost everyone associated with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory -- meaning both the girls and the people who were in charge of paying them. It was simply that certain doors and exits were locked, or inaccessible, which meant -- in the event that something unexpected occurred -- it would make it virtually impossible for them to escape from the building or quickly vacate.
On the day of the event, which was remembered as being a gray and gloomy day for the city, a fire broke out on floor 8 of the shirtwaist factory, most likely caused by a lit match or possibly by faulty electrical wiring combined with running machinery. Once it sparked, the flames jumped instantly throughout floor 8 and then to the other floors, leaping from flammable textiles to fabric scraps to garments to paper patterns hung above the sewing machines. Within minutes the hot hot flames had spread all over the place.
Some people tried to use the elevator to get out, but there was only one, and it quit working from too many people leaping into the elevator shaft. Meanwhile, students and members of New York University Law School, who were in an adjacent building twelve feet away, noticed through the windows of their school that some of the girls were standing on the nearby rooftop as the factory itself was being engulfed in flames. They quickly lowered a ladder to these girls so they could climb to safety. 150 factory girls survived that way that day. Meanwhile, a man walking by noticed something going terribly wrong at the factory too and tried to alert a policeman who was standing nearby and the policeman for some unknown reason, did nothing. But soon girls had already started jumping from the factory windows. They landed on the cement below in a heap. Some of them tossed their purses or hats before jumping. Their bodies quickly piled up on the sidewalk, lifeless. Many of the girls who chose to stay inside ended up being burned alive. 146 factory girls lost their own lives that day.
As the tragic event of the girls’ extreme leap to death was witnessed by so many passersby and observers, many of who fainted simply from witnessing it, eventually a trial was held to investigate the working conditions of the factory in relation to the culpability of the two men who both owned and ran it. During this trial some of the girls who had survived finally spoke of how they knew some doors on the ninth floor were locked, or otherwise inaccessible, but they could not speak about it until that day.
The trial initially did not end up holding the owners responsible for anything, as many of the girls’ testimonies, for no real reason, were discredited. Eventually, though, in time, the owners had to pay a fine of $20 for their “mistake” and $75 per body, even though their insurance covered that and much more.
Up until the tragic events of September 11, the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire was the worst major workplace tragic event ever in New York City.
The factory girls' own lives could not be saved. But because of the incident, and largely due to women’s protests that followed it, and the creation of womens’ groups addressing the issues involved in it, America eventually began to sit up and notice, and things such as rights for factory or working girls, inspection of the workplace, and issues regarding equality finally began to change.
Women in many countries began to organize things together, as a new tradition on March 8, March being the first month of Spring in many countries,a time for growth, celebration and change. In 1977 The United Nations made a resolution proclaiming March 8 as an official day for womens rights and international peace and today it is officially called International Womens Day. Since March 8, 1975, the day has been marked with a message from the Secretary General, enforcing the fact that, in order to attain international peace, women’s participation and the equality of all people, is greatly needed in order to work together as a society and societies.
Today there are still poor working conditions or lack of complete social or workplace equality in many places, and IWD reminds people -- along with its more celebratory aspect -- to recognize this important reality and to instill in people the hope of changing it. IWD is vital to our own awareness and constant vigilance. Not only does IWD honor the rights that women throughout history have gained, but it reinforces the idea that we should never take these rights for granted. It is a day for women to unite with a common goal of always being able to provide ourselves with meaningful futures. It's also an occasion for celebrating the progress we’ ve made and will continue to make. Mostly, though, it is about equality and about the hope for continuing positive social change.
Today this includes the right of Girls of all ages everywhere to pursue their goals without discrimination or limits on their dreams.
What this means to me is the vitalness of equality for all people…and the ability to exist within society with the right to my own voice. On March 8, one of the things I am going to do is to draw a flower in my notebook. Though it might seem like a simple thing to do, it is a powerful symbol to me. It signifies IWD and the idea of a new Spring in my country. In certain countries, IWD is celebrated by the act of men giving flowers to the women they know. I will draw a flower in my notebook for similar reasons: so that, no matter what is happening or happens in the future, I will remember: never to forget. Anything.
But one day, in that story, something very much worse happened at one of those factories.
Late in the afternoon of March 25, 1911, something unforgettable and unforgiveable occured. It began in the shirtwaist (or women’s-blouse-making) factory. It became a terrible, long moment when many of the factory girls who worked there's only choice was between being engulfed by flames or leaping off the factory's window ledges to their own certain death. But the most horrifying thing about the event is that it never should have happened in the first place. It was a preventable story of help and understanding arriving far too late.
Most of the girls who worked at the factory knew what was going on: they knew working conditions around them were potentially dangerous, that certain exits and doors were locked for reasons they could not understand. But they were not able to communicate these facts to anyone. If they did, they would most likely be fired on the spot. And the girls desperately needed to hold onto their jobs simply to survive in the first place.
The complication that led directly to the deaths of so many working girls that day was linked to a piece of information known by almost everyone associated with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory -- meaning both the girls and the people who were in charge of paying them. It was simply that certain doors and exits were locked, or inaccessible, which meant -- in the event that something unexpected occurred -- it would make it virtually impossible for them to escape from the building or quickly vacate.
On the day of the event, which was remembered as being a gray and gloomy day for the city, a fire broke out on floor 8 of the shirtwaist factory, most likely caused by a lit match or possibly by faulty electrical wiring combined with running machinery. Once it sparked, the flames jumped instantly throughout floor 8 and then to the other floors, leaping from flammable textiles to fabric scraps to garments to paper patterns hung above the sewing machines. Within minutes the hot hot flames had spread all over the place.
Some people tried to use the elevator to get out, but there was only one, and it quit working from too many people leaping into the elevator shaft. Meanwhile, students and members of New York University Law School, who were in an adjacent building twelve feet away, noticed through the windows of their school that some of the girls were standing on the nearby rooftop as the factory itself was being engulfed in flames. They quickly lowered a ladder to these girls so they could climb to safety. 150 factory girls survived that way that day. Meanwhile, a man walking by noticed something going terribly wrong at the factory too and tried to alert a policeman who was standing nearby and the policeman for some unknown reason, did nothing. But soon girls had already started jumping from the factory windows. They landed on the cement below in a heap. Some of them tossed their purses or hats before jumping. Their bodies quickly piled up on the sidewalk, lifeless. Many of the girls who chose to stay inside ended up being burned alive. 146 factory girls lost their own lives that day.
As the tragic event of the girls’ extreme leap to death was witnessed by so many passersby and observers, many of who fainted simply from witnessing it, eventually a trial was held to investigate the working conditions of the factory in relation to the culpability of the two men who both owned and ran it. During this trial some of the girls who had survived finally spoke of how they knew some doors on the ninth floor were locked, or otherwise inaccessible, but they could not speak about it until that day.
The trial initially did not end up holding the owners responsible for anything, as many of the girls’ testimonies, for no real reason, were discredited. Eventually, though, in time, the owners had to pay a fine of $20 for their “mistake” and $75 per body, even though their insurance covered that and much more.
Up until the tragic events of September 11, the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire was the worst major workplace tragic event ever in New York City.
The factory girls' own lives could not be saved. But because of the incident, and largely due to women’s protests that followed it, and the creation of womens’ groups addressing the issues involved in it, America eventually began to sit up and notice, and things such as rights for factory or working girls, inspection of the workplace, and issues regarding equality finally began to change.
Women in many countries began to organize things together, as a new tradition on March 8, March being the first month of Spring in many countries,a time for growth, celebration and change. In 1977 The United Nations made a resolution proclaiming March 8 as an official day for womens rights and international peace and today it is officially called International Womens Day. Since March 8, 1975, the day has been marked with a message from the Secretary General, enforcing the fact that, in order to attain international peace, women’s participation and the equality of all people, is greatly needed in order to work together as a society and societies.
Today there are still poor working conditions or lack of complete social or workplace equality in many places, and IWD reminds people -- along with its more celebratory aspect -- to recognize this important reality and to instill in people the hope of changing it. IWD is vital to our own awareness and constant vigilance. Not only does IWD honor the rights that women throughout history have gained, but it reinforces the idea that we should never take these rights for granted. It is a day for women to unite with a common goal of always being able to provide ourselves with meaningful futures. It's also an occasion for celebrating the progress we’ ve made and will continue to make. Mostly, though, it is about equality and about the hope for continuing positive social change.
Today this includes the right of Girls of all ages everywhere to pursue their goals without discrimination or limits on their dreams.
What this means to me is the vitalness of equality for all people…and the ability to exist within society with the right to my own voice. On March 8, one of the things I am going to do is to draw a flower in my notebook. Though it might seem like a simple thing to do, it is a powerful symbol to me. It signifies IWD and the idea of a new Spring in my country. In certain countries, IWD is celebrated by the act of men giving flowers to the women they know. I will draw a flower in my notebook for similar reasons: so that, no matter what is happening or happens in the future, I will remember: never to forget. Anything.
posted by ashley rice at
11:12 AM
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