Tomorrow night we’ll tell the story again:
111 years ago there was a fire
that lasted 18 minutes in a factory
in the Asch Building
near Washington Square Park
where NYU is now.
Doors to the stairwells
and exits were locked to prevent
the workers, mostly women,
Jewish and Italian immigrants,
from taking breaks
from stealing things.
Many could not escape
from the burning building.
They jumped out the window
and 146 people died. Most were
young girls from 14 to 23 years old.
Their deaths helped spur
the growth of the International
Ladies Garment Workers Union
and health and safety laws and we
tell the story again and again
to know the story to hear what happened
to remember what we have to remember
and to help workers now still struggling
with telling their stories so we
can help those stories change.
PS: Please join us this year on zoom.
Friday March 25th
5:30 PM
Translation will be provided in Spanish, Chinese and American Sign Language.
Here is the Zoom link for your convenience.
Mar 25, 2022 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85818760921?pwd=b0lYb2V6L0Jsc0dvRnNQbTd4RXhIUT09
Passcode: 099420
Thank you, Esther. It's a powerful story, one that needs to be told and retold.
We retell the Exodus every year too