March 25, 2011, marks the centennial of the Triangle Waist Company factory fire where 149 workers, most of them young Jewish immigrant women, jumped to their death from a ten-story building. The fire doors were locked to keep the women from stealing a bit of cloth or thread; the building had no fire escapes, and fire ladders at the time only reached to the third story.

What makes this anniversary vital to remember is that women are still dying in burning sweatshops around the world, including the U.S. The latest is Bangladesh, where over 20 died, some of whom, like the Triangle girls, jumped ten stories to their death.