**March 25th in History**
“In large American cities, during the early 1900s, Italian immigrants competed with other immigrant groups for jobs and housing, and faced considerable hostility. Their lack of formal education and limited English proficiency restricted many to manual labor and other low-paying jobs. Industrial tragedies such as New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25th, 1911, which claimed the lives of 146 garment workers—largely Italian and Jewish women and girls—illustrate the dangerous working conditions the immigrants endured.
Experiences such as these inspired many Italian Americans to become activists. Angela Bambace cofounded and became one of the first female leaders of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers. The I.L.G.W.U. was once one of the largest labor unions in the United States, one of the first U.S. unions to have a primarily female membership, and a key player in the labor history of the 1920s and 1930s. #ThisDayInHistory
To learn more you may view our permanent exhibition online here.”
Click here to learn more about IAMLA.