Reverie Open- Bread and Roses

From Marietta, GA, Reverie Open 2021 is proud to present our program “Bread and Roses.”

In 1912, labor organizer and women’s rights activist Rose Schneiderman told an audience that workers, and especially female workers, deserved not only bread, or the ability to feed their families from a hard day’s work, but roses too. Roses included access to art, music, sun, relaxation; the ability to live a well-rounded life while working for a living wage. The Bread & Roses Strike of textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts followed, and her speech inspired a hymn that became an anthem for unionists and labor organizers.

Female activists from all walks of life have followed her, leading the charge against workplace oppression in all of its forms, and working to bring dignity to workers. No matter your profession, we celebrate the strength and diversity of all working people in America. As Dolly quipped, “There’s a better life, and you dream about it, don’t you?”

We all deserve roses.