Brave Girl

Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909

Media Type:Video
Genre(s):Biographies & Memoirs
History
ISBN:9781629238319
Director(s):Andy T. Jones
Illustrator(s):Melissa Sweet
Run Time:13 Minutes
Language:English

Video

When Clara arrived in America, she couldn’t speak English. She didn’t know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast. But that didn’t stop Clara. She went to night school, spent hours studying English, and helped support her family by sewing in a shirtwaist factory. Clara never quit, and she never accepted that girls should be treated poorly and paid little. Fed up with the mistreatment of her fellow laborers, Clara led the largest walkout of women workers the country had seen. From her short time in America, Clara learned that everyone deserved a fair chance. That you had to stand together and fight for what you wanted. And, most importantly, that you could do anything you put your mind to.