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Join LaborArts and Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition at The New York Society for Ethical Culture for the fifteenth annual Clara Lemlich Awards, honoring unsung activists–women who have been working for the larger good all their lives, in the tradition of those who sparked so many reforms in the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

About The Clara Lemlich Awards

The Clara Lemlich Awards for social activism celebrate the lives of incredible women whose many decades of brilliant activism have made real and lasting change in the world.

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About Clara Lemlich

“I’ve got something to say!” shouted the 23-year old Clara Lemlich in her native Yiddish during a tense, crowded meeting of garment workers in Cooper Union’s Great Hall in 1909. Rising from the audience, she interrupted Samuel Gompers and the other union leaders on stage. Her speech inspired the crowd, leading to an unexpected vote to strike, and to what would become known as the Uprising of 20,000.

Born to a Jewish family in the Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), Lemlich migrated to the U.S. in 1903, found work in the garment industry, and soon became active in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union. The 1909 strike led to reforms, but the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a hold-out, and refused to implement safety improvements.

The fire that took 146 lives on March 25, 1911 was seen across the country as a tragedy that could have been avoided, and it sparked a movement that pushed politicians to accept a new notion about the responsibilities of government. Lemlich continued to be active in the labor movement until she was pushed out for her leftist politics. She continued to work for women’s suffrage, led a boycott of butcher shops to protest meat prices, campaigned for unemployment relief, and fought for tenants’ rights.

One hundred and twelve years later we are proud to honor her legacy and to honor those who follow proudly in her footsteps.

About LaborArts

LaborArts presents powerful images to further understanding of the past and present lives of working people. We gather, identify and display images of these cultural artifacts in order to encourage more people in this country and around the world to appreciate the history of work and working people. The labor movement is a critical part of the story – although not the whole story.

About the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition

The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition educates the public about the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire through its on-going arts projects, educational outreach, and social media sites. The Coalition works with Workers United, the New York City Central Labor Council, the FDNY, New York University, and various community groups to plan and implement the annual remembrance activities on the anniversary of the fire each March 25. Throughout the year, the Coalition offers programming to raise public awareness about the fire and explore its continuing relevance for worker rights and workplace safety.

About The New York Society for Ethical Culture

The New York Society for Ethical Culture is a Humanist community dedicated to ethical relationships, social justice, and democracy since 1876. The Society’s members put deed before creed and ethics into action to educate, advocate, and organize to end racism, poverty, and war; abolish the death penalty and mass incarceration; welcome refugees and immigrants; fight climate change and pollution; and more.