Six Degrees of Separation

Every person gets one biggie.... this is mine..... or, more correctly, my family's..... I got interested in this movie last week after watching the promos. The film is set in a taconite (think iron ore's poor cousin) processing plant on the Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. This area is home for my dad's family. It's about a woman who brings a class action suit against the Eveleth mine for sexual harassment in the workplace. I did a little research on the time-line and got to thinking that maybe some of my relatives (many of whom worked in one mine or another) had worked with or knew of this woman, or at least had an insiders view of the case. I wrote to my cousin the other day and she wrote back today.... I'm looking at 4 degrees of separation... Lois Jenson (the woman at the mine) graduated from high school with D who married my cousin.

She says Lois lives in her town and she sees her around occasionally, although, not much since the movie was filmed. There is also the possibility that another cousin's wife was one of the original group that was involved in the suit. My sister is looking into that. All this time, I was totally unaware what the family was going through.... where have I been??

"Class Action" is the book on which the movie is based. BB checked it out of the library for me... I just got started, but it looks interesting so far.... My cousin also sent a link to an article that was in the DuluthNewsTribune online newspaper today.

In 1997, thirteen years after Lois filed suit, "the Eighth Circuit reversed the trial court's award of nominal awards to the women with a seminal opinion that establishes the standard courts should follow in assessing damages in sexual harassment cases, as well as setting boundaries for the conduct of defense lawyers in these cases." (http://www.sprengerlang.com/cases/2-1-20.asp) In December of 1998, a settlement was reached between Eveleth Mines and 15 women in the suit.

Unfortunately, sexual harassment still exists in the workplace. But we have the opportunity to stand up, speak out and help end sexual harassment and domestic violence. In your community, be active, be vocal and stand up for women's rights and equality. And if that doesn't work, just punch the guy in the nose. ;-)

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Show you care. Be aware.