A horrible fire that took the lives of 146 young garment workers a century ago in New York is the backdrop for a remarkable connection between some Port Coquitlam high school students and children from an impoverished New York City neighbourhood.
For the past few weeks, students in Chris Seppelt's Social Justice 12 class at Archbishop Carney regional secondary school have been reading up on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and chatting via webcam with elementary school students from PS 65 Mother Hale Academy in the South Bronx in preparation for a spring break trip to visit the NYC students.
March 21, the Tri-City students fly to the Big Apple, where they will stay in a youth hostel and hang out with their "little buddies," Grade 4 and 5 students from Mother Hale. Carney kids will also read to the students about the Triangle fire, watch a documentary with them about it and then visit a memorial event on March 25 with the elementary school kids.
The commemoration (rememberthetrianglefire.org) is expected to draw a large crowd of labour, government, business and social activists, including members of U.S. President Barack Obama's cabinet, who will listen to a reading of the victims' names. Many of the women who died in the fire were young immigrants the same age as Carney students who will be on the trip.
Seppelt said previous New York service trips have been about making connections and fellowship with the students and an after-school group but this year's trip has more of a social justice focus.
He said he hopes students from both countries will learn about the tragic fire and come to understand why it's still necessary to prevent exploitation of workers, especially children.
"It's inspiring. It gives them an historical understanding of New York, an appreciation of the struggles that people went through," he said.
Seppelt said his mother was a German immigrant who sewed for a living and the Triangle fire has always been of interest to him. On each trip to NYC, he points out the building, the shell of which remains, and says, "There but for the grace of God..."
Carney students will also give books about the fire to the school and take their little buddies to The Lion King Broadway musical.
