Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) commemorated the historic impact of the Lowell mill girls with Mattie Kahn, the author of Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America's Revolutions. Mattie Kahn’s book opens with the remarkable story of the Lowell mill girls’ impact on the Industrial Revolution and explores movements led by young women and girls throughout history. Together, they discussed this movement of girls in the Merrimack Valley and the lessons that apply to young women and girls today.

Footage of the conversation can be accessed by clicking HERE or the image below.

“The story of the Lowell mill girls encapsulates the first instances of women’s education, women’s financial freedom, and women’s collective action in America – and when those freedoms were threatened, they banned together to form the Lowell Factory Girls Association, a de facto union. Now, this story is one many folks learned growing up in the Merrimack Valley, but it’s deeply personal for me. That’s because when my grandmother immigrated from Brazil to the United States, she worked in a textile mill in Lowell — in the same factories where these historic movements were born,” said Congresswoman Lori Trahan. “In fact, my grandmother’s citizenship certificate is proudly displayed above my desk as a reminder of what she did for our family and how many families today want to build a legacy for future generations. I think looking back on our history and reflecting on all we have to learn from the women who came before us is instrumental as we work toward fulfilling our community’s potential – particularly for women – moving forward.”

Trahan has a deep personal connection to the Lowell mill girls. Her grandmother worked in a Lowell textile factory after immigrating from Brazil to Lowell, and her current office is located in the building of a former mill on the Merrimack River. Trahan grew up in Lowell with three sisters, and she now raises her two teenage daughters in the Merrimack Valley. This rich history and her personal story guide her work in the women’s and workers’ rights movements across Massachusetts and the nation.

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