Module 5: Legacy
Did the collective action of New York City Chinatown’s Chinese American garment workers positively change their working conditions and their lives?
How often do we think about the people who make our clothes? Garment workers are complex people who are often women with strength and skills that are invisible in the larger society. Despite the decline of the garment industry in New York City’s Chinatown, the experiences and skills for collective action that the garment workers learned carry through to today. Remembering their stories can influence today’s decisions—about when and why to get involved and even how to shop. In this module we will learn about the lasting legacy of the New York Chinatown garment workers in spite of the decline of the US garment industry.
How has the memory of these events shaped the lives of the garment workers and their families? Why is the legacy significant today?
How has Manhattan’s Chinatown evolved and changed through the decades?
How has the garment industry and the union changed since the 1980s?
