Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Nearly 113 years after the tragedy, the long-awaited public memorial to the victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was dedicated at the site of the historic fire in New York City. The event was co-sponsored by the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition and the New York City Central Labor Council. The Triangle Fire Memorial will be a permanent element on the very building that housed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place in Greenwich Village. This fire took the lives of 146 mostly young, immigrant women workers, and outrage over the incident was the impetus for changes in labor and fire safety laws that continue to protect us today. The Triangle Fire Memorial tells the story of the fire in the languages spoken by the victims—English, Yiddish and Italian.
“I’m grateful to the [Remember the] Triangle Fire Coalition for bringing us together today to honor the important legacy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire,” said acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su. “Over a century later, the impact of the Triangle fire still reverberates—not only due to the measure of its tragedy, but also because of its powerful role in galvanizing the American labor movement, and inspiring workers to stand up and demand the right to have their voices heard. As we honor all those who lost their lives on that day, we here at the Labor Department and across the country also recommit ourselves to the never-ending fight for workers’ rights.”