The Triangle Factory Fire was the worst industrial disaster in New York City until September 11, 2001. The tidal wave of public outrage spurred an immediate, effective reform movement that spread across the country and greatly improved workers' rights and safety.
This quilt grew out of a desire to keep the memory of The Triangle Factory Fire vivid and to emphasize the terrible human loss--a loss heightened by the youth of the victims and the hopes the never had a chance to realize. The quilt shares the collaborative ethos of the labor movement it celebrates: quilters, artists, and students have contributed their vision and skill. The quilt comments on one specific, avoidable tragedy and on the current global struggles to protect workers and assure them dignity and a living wage.