Every Day Search

A quick Google search on “every day terror” brings several articles about the street vendor in New York City who brought up the suspicious SUV left in Times Square to the cops’ attention. The search on “every day human rights” results in a series of websites demanding action against violations suffered by children and women in developing countries around the world. When searching for “every day genocide,” one can expect a variety of books on how genocide affected the every day lives of those involved in such cases. What surprised me the most was the lack of sources looking to prevent terror, genocide and human rights violations. All search results were based on events that are happening or have already happened. Have we not learned to identify these issues until it’s too late? Or, are we just not looking carefully enough?

I recently heard a story on the radio about Fred Harvey, an Englishman who changed the way the restaurant business was done in the U.S. west in the 1880s. According to a new book on the businessman, "in New Mexico, all waiters at that time were African-American men, and there was an incredible amount of racism." Harvey wanted to change not only the quality of food but also of service. His solution: bring single white women from the Midwest to serve tables.

The Harvey Girls were to become the first female work force in the U.S. Allowing women to earn their own money, came at a high price though. Every girl was to sign a contract restricting her from getting married in the following six months. Furthermore, all Harvey Girls were to live to together in barracks for the duration of their employment.

I understand the context in which this occurred is different from today’s; however, how did the decisions made by Harvey in the 1880s affected women’s right for the years to come? My main concern is expectations of women in the labor market. Marriage and pregnancy have always been a concern for employers hiring women, in Harvey’s case to the point of legally prohibiting the first. It was over 100 years later, in 1993, that The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) made it legally okay for women in the labor force to get pregnant and give birth without having to leave their job. Men were fast to catch up since the Act applies to both male and female.

So, what is my point? My point is that in the 1880s few may have noticed how the Harvey Girls were shaping women’s rights in the labor force. Today, there are many issues we must closely observe AND speak out against before it’s too late. Whether it’s exploitation at Chipotle or a national coffee shop, a flawed education system focused on standardized testing and pleasing teacher unions, the denial of health care for all residents of a world power, or racial profiling in Arizona, we must keep our eyes open wide to avoid terror, genocide and human rights violations.