On the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the The American Labor Museum/Botto House National Landmark, the museum distributed 30 thousand copies of “The 1913 Paterson Silk Strike: The Children’s Story” to fourth grade public school classrooms across New Jersey.
“This valuable gift will inspire students, as they learn about the courage, activism and contributions of workers and immigrants”, says Angelica Santomauro, Ed.D., NJEA/NJREA member and the museum’s executive director. “It will also enhance the teaching of New Jersey history for fourth grade teachers, with the inclusion of such an integral event that took place in their own state.”
In 2019, the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC), a division of the Department of State, awarded a grant to the museum that enabled Santomauro and the museum’s education director, Evelyn Hershey, to collaborate with artist Thomas Germano of SUNY Farmingdale, editor Mark Torres, and historian Steve Golin, Ph.D.
Together, they wrote the story of the silk strike through the eyes of four children.
The NJHC was awarded a second Project Grant to the Museum, which provided funding to print 30,000 copies of the book for statewide distribution throughout New Jersey.
To learn more about the American Labor Museum, please visit labormuseum.net.
