– “Reading of the Names” by workers, actors, writers, artists from around the world –

New York, NY, March 10, 2021 - Help us build the world we need!  On March 25, 2021, join us for the virtual commemoration of the 110th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This tragic event took the lives of 146 mostly young, immigrant women workers in 1911. Outrage over the incident was the impetus for changes in labor and fire safety laws that continue to protect us today. We will remember the Triangle dead and honor their memories with workers from all over the world demanding workplace safety, fair wages and decent working conditions.

Uniting in honor of the Triangle workers are family members with essential workers at the frontlines of the pandemic, Clara Lemlich’s daughter, women breaking barriers in the trades, and a few surprise faces that will be familiar to people in involved in the fight for social and economic justice. The program will include music, poetry, video presentations, and end with a unique “reading of the names” by 146 essential workers, family members, organizers, actors, artists, writers, labor leaders, teachers, students, and activists from around the world holding the names of the Triangle workers. Every victim will be honored by someone special in our world today demanding #WeRemember the #TriangleFire.

What:       Virtual Triangle Fire Commemoration

Where:     http://rememberthetrianglefire.org/

When:      March 25, 2021 6:00 – 7:00 PM (note the new time)

Who:        Essential workers in health care, nail salons, at Amazon
                 Edgar Romney, Secretary Treasurer, Workers United/SEIU
                 Roberta Reardon, NYS Commissioner of Labor
                 Family members of the Triangle fire victims
                 Music by the Resistance Revival Chorus, Rachel Perez and Rosanne Cash

The Commemoration is disability positive + will be ASL (American Sign Language) interpreted. For additional accommodations, please contact us up to 72 hours before the event at: ruth@streetpictures.org.

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Contacts:  Kate Whalen, 347-453-7131, kwhalen@nycclc.org  (NYC Central Labor Council)
                 Sherry Kane, 718-730-2269, skane@cwe.org  (Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition)

Workers United/SEIU
Workers United is a labor union representing 80,000 members across the United States and Canada working in private and government agencies in hospitality, food service, laundry, manufacturing, distribution, apparel and textile industries, as well as in non-profit organizations.  Workers United grew out of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Organizers for Local 25 of the ILGWU were attempting to organize the Triangle Shirtwaist factory at the time of the fire in 1911.
 
Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition
The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition connects individuals and organizations with the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire — one of the pivotal events in US history and a turning point in labor’s struggle to achieve fair wages, dignity at work and safe working conditions.  The Coalition is currently spearheading the building of a permanent memorial to the Triangle Fire victims at the site of the original fire. Go to www.rememberthetrianglefire.org to find out more.

The Workers Circle
The Workers Circle is a nonprofit organization that powers progressive Jewish identity through Jewish cultural engagement, Yiddish language learning, multigenerational education, and social justice activism. For more than a century we have provided this 360-degree approach to building Jewish identity in hopes of creating a better and more beautiful world for all.

New York City Central Labor Council
The New York City Central Labor Council (NYCCLC) is a non-profit labor membership organization devoted to supporting, advancing and advocating for the working people of New York City. As the nation’s largest regional labor federation, the NYCCLC brings together 300 local unions from every trade, occupation, public and private sector of the New York City economy. It represents 1.3 million workers, including teachers, truck drivers, operating engineers, nurses, construction workers, electricians, firefighters, retail workers, janitors, train operators, bakers, and many more who are the backbone of today’s workforce.

LaborArts
LaborArts presents powerful images to further understanding of the past and present lives of working people. Our events and contests expand on this effort. Our site – www.laborarts.org – includes  curated Exhibits on particular subjects, the Collection, where one can search images from exhibits and other sources, and Events, a place for updates on talks in the “Art and Activism” series, the “Making Work Visible” writing contest for CUNY students, and the Clara Lemlich Awards held every spring.

The Tamiment Library
The Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, a special collection in New York University’s Bobst Library with a focus on left politics and labor history, holds rich collections of books, serials, pamphlets, archives, photographs, oral histories, and more.