May 1, 2011 – An American Holiday

Today is May Day. When International Worker’s Day comes to mind, few think of the United States. For most Americans, May Day conjures up images of Cold War era Soviet Tanks parading in Red Square. We even have a government sanctioned Labor Day to distract us from the “other” day for working people. Most of us have forgotten that May Day got its start here in the United States.

In 1884, May 1 was chose as the day worker’s were to carry out general strikes and campaign for the 8-hour workday. American workers, both immigrant and American born fought and died for rights we take for granted today. On May 4,1886 a bomb exploded at a peaceful labor rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square. It was never determined who threw the bomb (it may have been an agent provocateur or it may have been an anarchist revolutionary). In the ensuing chaos hundreds were injured and at least twelve died including eight police officers. Many of the police deaths and injuries were caused by “friendly fire.” The number of dead and injured workers has never been determined. Many feared going to hospitals for fear they would be arrested. In the aftermath seven innocent, anarchists were charged, tried and executed in trials that were widely recognized as unjust.

From this tragedy grew a day of resistance that evolved into a day to celebrate workers around the world. Over a century later May Day is an important holiday in many parts of the world, except the country where it started. America has always been a country where good ideas have originated and spread around the world. And at times it is a country where we do not know our own history.

March 31, 2011 – Cesar Chávez

Back in college, I had the privilege of seeing Cesar Chávez speak. It’s a moment that, years later, remains with me. If ever I was in the presence of a saint, it was that moment. Today we celebrate Cesar Chávez Day in California. It’s a holiday that is now celebrated in eight states and destined to become a national holiday — deservedly so. The best way to celebrate is to learn more about Cesar Chávez’s life, his work and the non-violent, struggle for social justice.

¡Sí, se puede! Yes, we can!

March 25, 2011 – Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Today is the 100^th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. 146 people died in the flames or by jumping to their deaths to escape the flames. Most of the victims were young, immigrant women. The tragedy was worsened by inadequate fire safety and locked doors that prevented escape by many. The NY Times ran a good piece today with the history. There is plenty of information online. At an early age I knew this history, only due to a 12 year old’s fascination with books about disasters, manmade and natural. There is also an organization helping to memorialize the event called Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition.

Ironically the building itself was “fire proof” and survived the fire. It still stands in New York today. But the best memorial to those 146 lives lost may be the legacy of workplace safety laws and fire codes that protect us all today. The horror that happened 100 years ago helped energize the union movement and the growth of the International Ladies Garment Worker’s Union. Even if we don’t work in a factory or have never belonged to a union, many of the protections we take for granted were fought for a century ago. And on this day, 146 lives were lost.

March 10, 2011 – Resources and Products

I spend a lot of time looking through and cutting up old maps. Even maps that are 40 or 50 years old can show a great deal of change. I have 40 year old road maps that show small towns that are now large suburban cities. For example, Walnut Creek, California was a small town on maps from the 1960’s. Then there are the small towns that have disappeared from many current maps. Small towns that were on maps because of a now disused railroad depot can be hard to find on a newer map. Comparing maps from different eras can be a history lesson.

Yesterday I was paging through an old atlas where each state also had a separate, black and white map titled Resources and Products. Those old-fashioned maps that had little symbols of miner’s pick axes, factories, corncobs, shoes, autos, etc. It harkens back to playing Game of the States and learning what was made in different places. In a modern atlas, I can’t imagine creating a map for each state to show what is manufactured in Massachusetts, Michigan, etc. As a country, the United States makes less and less.

It’s become a challenge to find locally made products, or even domestic ones, in the United States. It’s the same in many of the world’s wealthy nations. We have lost thousands of good paying, manufacturing jobs. We have cities and towns where moving away has been the only option to find work. The trade off is access to tons of cheap, imported consumer goods, often of dubious quality. Relatively speaking, stuff is cheap. We no longer repair things — we replace them. If it breaks, it goes to a landfill. The recent popularity of the television show Hoarders is something we might want worry about.

A few years ago I was running short of everyday glasses. They gradually break as you’re washing dishes, etc. I went to my neighborhood hardware store and bought a reasonably priced, decent quality set of new glasses for the kitchen. I opened the package and was surprised to see they were made in New Jersey. If we want to buy domestic products we’re going to have to look hard for them. The more of us who do, the more demand there will be. It could be like the way consumers drove up the demand for organic food. 20 years ago, organic produce was a challenge to find in many places. Today Walmart is the largest purveyor of organic food in the world. That is the same Walmart full of cheap, imported stuff.

People in China and India need those jobs making stuff (and they could keep quite busy making stuff for local markets). We need to start making stuff here again too. If we want to put those little symbols of products back on our map, we have to start seeking our products made in our own country.