I was casting about the googles looking for free knitting patterns when I happened across a very cool project. There's still enough time to sign up and knit your contribution.
To commemorate the young women who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire 100 years ago, microRevolt is asking for knitted armbands, to be worn at the march on March 25 in NYC. Cast on 20 stitches and knit 60 rows to join in below the fold.
Ernest Fiene, History of the Needlecraft Industry (1938)
The project is called 146+, because they want to not only remember the young women of the Shirtwaist fire, but draw attention to the fact that here and now, 100 years later, women are still dying in fires to make cheap clothes for America. Dozens of women were killed in Bangledesh this past December while making clothing for WalMart, H&M, & J.C. Penny.
About:
"146+ is a craft action to commemorate the 146 victims of the 1911 Triangle Waist Factory fire in New York City and to connect that history to the contemporary crisis in the global garment industry. Participate by crafting a numbered armband and standing with Workers United as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tragedy that catalyzed an international labor movement."
There are still -15- 6 armbands that need to be knitted (click the +), and if you are able to attend the march in person, you can wear an armband. The Fashion Institute of Technology will be holding a 3 day Seminar, Not One More Fire.
On March 25th, 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City killed 146 workers, most of them young immigrant women.
"One hundred years later, America still struggles with the lessons of the fire. Recent industrial disasters like the Deepwater explosion, the Massey mine collapse, and fires in overseas garment factories that produce for American companies show that we still do not know how to ensure safe workplaces. We also continue to struggle with other issues that the victims of the Triangle fire faced: sexual harassment, crowded and unsanitary housing, powerlessness at work, and invisibility in public debate.
In February and March, 2011, join the United College Employees of FIT and FIT in commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the Triangle fire and discussing the problems that still have not been resolved. Five panel discussions, all free and open to the general public, will look back on various aspects of work in the last century, discuss what has improved and what has not, and offer hope for change in the next hundred years."
I'm knitting for Lena Goldstein (22 years old when she died, she had lived in America for 4 years.) and Md. Al-Amin Shekh. I wanted to find out more about Lena as I knitted for her. She leaped to her death, and fractured her skull. She was identified by her brother, Jacob on March 27th. Her sister Mary survived the fire. The workers had been paid about $6 a week, and the factory owners paid the victim's families $75 for compensation.
Garment makers had been striking for better wages and hours prior to the fire, with mixed success. The 20,000 union members soon swelled to 350,000 who marched in the funeral procession one week later. Suffragettes and activists maintained the pressure and within the next year 25 more laws were passed and a State Department of Labor was established to enforce the laws.
The tragedy of the Shirtwaist Fire focused attention on the issues and brought about important workplace safety rules. Sadly, much of the danger of working in a sewing factory has been out-sourced to China and other countries, such Bangladesh. I wasn't able to track down much information about the victims of this past December. I'm grateful 146+ and so many others are keeping the spotlight on sweatshop conditions which allow American shoppers to put the issue out of sight and out of mind.
For more information on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, watch this PBS video
Watch the full episode. See more American Experience.