Question

Twenty-four halls were rented all over the Lower East Side. Each shop was to have its own meeting room, with separate rooms for Yiddish, Italian, and English groups wherever possible.

Delegates would be elected from each of the shops, to bring the workers’ demands to a central strike committee. Speakers would have to be found to report the progress of the strike back to the workers, those speakers fluent in Yiddish, English, or Italian.

—We Shall Not Be Moved,
Joan Dash

Based on the passage, why is it important that different ethnic groups worked together on the strike?

The groups needed to avoid speaking to one another because they wouldn’t understand.
The different ethnic groups believed in being separate.
The groups needed to trick the owners.
They needed to be able to unite even though they spoke different languages.

Answer 1

They needed to be able to unite even though they spoke different languages. The passage shows they provided separate-language meetings and multilingual speakers so everyone could participate and coordinate.