With all the talk the last week or two about what
statues say about the nature of heroism, it helps to shift perspective a
little. For years, it seemed, you had to be in a position of authority—and,
better yet, on top of a horse—to rate public representation and honor..
That’s one of the reasons why I was so startled—and determined
immediately that I needed to take this picture—when I happened upon the statue The Garment Worker last October. At
eight feet tall, this permanent sculpture at 555 Seventh Avenue between 39th
and 40th Streets is larger than life, just like the figures of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall
Jackson and Jefferson Davis that dot so much of the South.
'
But Tel Aviv-born sculptor Judith Weller did
something revolutionary, I’d argue, with this work. She could have honored
someone famous associated with the Fashion or Garment District where this bronze
statue stands, such as David Dubinsky, the longtime president of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Instead, she brought to the surface the heroism of an ordinary
worker, a man sitting at a sewing machine, putting together a garment.
The worker is intent on his task, but we know there
is so much more to him. He is a stand-in for all the fathers who endured all so
that their children and grandchildren could have a better shot at life than the
one he had. (Indeed, Weller drew on her own memories of her father in
fashioning this, including the sign of his faith: a yarmulke.) His fingers and strong, not unlike those of Abraham Lincoln in DC's Lincoln Memorial.
That strength implies that this worker can be depended on not just by a family, but by a community, is the labor movement, a force badly weakened now but one which did so much once to increase solidarity, to protect workers from hazardous conditions, and to narrow the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
That strength implies that this worker can be depended on not just by a family, but by a community, is the labor movement, a force badly weakened now but one which did so much once to increase solidarity, to protect workers from hazardous conditions, and to narrow the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
One of the things I enjoy about large cities such as
New York and Washington is the chance to come across something unexpected when
you are on your way to seeing something else. That is how I stumbled across
this image. I’m grateful I had that unexpected opportunity—though not have as
grateful as I am to Weller’s father, my own, and the millions of others across
the years who demonstrated the strength and dignity of work.
Happy Labor Day.
Happy Labor Day.
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