Elizabeth Warren Honors Working Women Killed In 1911 Fire During NYC Rally

[BeyondGeography]

NEW YORK ― Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) drew thousands of New Yorkers to her presidential campaign rally Monday in Washington Square Park, where she discussed her plans to fight corruption and support workers nationwide.

The Democratic presidential hopeful honored the scores of mostly immigrant women who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 — which occurred about a block from where Warren spoke Monday — and praised the women’s trade unions that fought for change in the wake of the tragedy.

“We’re not here today because of famous arches or famous men,” Warren said, referring to the park’s iconic arch looming behind her, which is named for President George Washington. “In fact, we’re not here because of men at all. We’re here because of some hard-working women. Women who, more than a hundred years ago, worked long hours in a brown, 10-story building a block that way.”

...“It was one of the worst industrial disasters in American history,” Warren said. “One of the worst, but it should not have been a surprise.” Working conditions at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were infamous, but the company’s owners were wealthy, politically connected and corrupt, she said.

“They made campaign contributions and talked with their friends in the legislature,” Warren said. “They greased the state government so thoroughly that nothing changed. Business owners got richer, politicians got more powerful, and working people paid the price.”

“Does any of this sound familiar?” she asked the crowd, which responded with an affirmative cheer. “Take any big problem we have in America today and you don’t have to dig very deep to see the same system at work.”

More at https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5d7ff77de4b077dcbd62cf5e/amp

[First Speaker]

1. Wow. What a great thing to do...

...still undecided...but getting more impressed with her every day.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Good crowd shot here; NYT estimated 8-10k people

Very enthusiastic whatever the number; watched it on Cspan. Warren was in great form.

Link to tweet

[The empressof all]

3. Her speech today in Washington Square Park in NYC was brilliant!

And yes it made me weep with hope for the future with President Warren.

If you didn't watch it live give it a look. You won't be disappointed.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?464314-1/senator-elizabeth-warren-campaigns-york-city

[SMC22307]

4. I just switched from Undecided to Warren.

The horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is something very few Americans are even aware of and I applaud Ms. Warren for calling attention to it. I've often said Americans need a history lesson and/or reminder of the struggles of those who came before us and I'm glad to see one of our candidates providing that lesson.

[BeyondGeography]

5. She ended the speech with a tribute to Frances Perkins

A clear role model:

Warren spoke of Frances Perkins, a workers-rights advocate who became the first woman to serve in a presidential candidate under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Perkins witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and it was a pivotal moment for the course the rest of her life would take. While she was already an activist at the time, the tragedy propelled her to throw herself full-force into politics, first at the state level in New York, and then at the national level.

“What did one woman — one very persistent woman — backed up by millions of people across this country get done?” Warren asked the crowd. “Social Security. Unemployment insurance. Abolition of child labor. Minimum wage. The right to join a union. Even the very existence of the weekend. Big, structural change. One woman, and millions of people to back her up.”

It’s not hard to see the parallel between Perkins and herself Warren was trying to draw here.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2019/9/16/20869157/elizabeth-warren-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-corruption-speech

[SMC22307]

7. That would make one hell of a campaign ad.

Too many Americans are clueless about labor struggles and they need a reminder of who got us to where we are today. Not that the struggle is over, but just offer a history lesson and an understanding of who is working for them. Factor in coal and steel workers as well.

[burrowowl]

9. Yes they are and we owe a lot to

to FDR's better half too and she also was a major writer of the human rights act which hasn't been ratified by the US yet!

[SMC22307]

14. Americans need that history lesson and another example of a Democratic First Lady...

who was truly engaged, not offering up anything but bullshit #BeBest tweets, kidney enhancement, and questionable fashion choices.

[Bradshaw3]

6. She has run a brilliant campaign

The best by far of any of the candidates.

Oh, and for those who say she can't win the rust belt (ahem, some Biden supporters, ahem) that last line is exactly why she will prevail in those states that have lost so many jobs to shipping jobs overseas.

[zentrum]

8. Best speech of any politician

......I've ever heard. She'd even better in person than on TV.

[DrFunkenstein]

10. My Thoughts Exactly

I can't believe there is a major Dem candidate who speaks like that.

An amazing speech!

[AllaN01Bear]

11. had to school myself about this incident.

really ruffles my feathers that things like this isnt taught in schools . rufffles my feathers also that a sole school district is allowed to choose textbooks for the whole country. gah. thank you ms . warren about mentioning these poor folk who had to die so tragicly on the hands of greedy so and sos.

[BeyondGeography]

12. Selfies until midnight

Link to tweet

[CousinIT]

13. She's absolutely right to tie this to history

When people don't learn or remember history, they are doomed to repeat it and are stuck in a groundhog day hell. Tying the shit that goes on today to fairly recent history is a great way to make people see how they got into this mess and what it's going to take to get out.