Bookbird (54.4): 43. A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States, Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit. Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co., 130 F.3d 1287 (8th Cir. Share memories and family stories, photos, or ask questions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, women formed their own unions to better combat poor workplace situations, such as the Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Womens Trade Union League. In most areas of the mine there were no bathroom facilities for women and the men and management took a deal with it attitude when the women complained, the men did not need bathrooms, why should the women. Jenson first began working at the site in March 1975 and, along with other women, endured a continuous stream of hostile behavior from male employees, including sexual harassment, abusive language, threats, stalking and intimidation. Jensen published ten collections of 100 stories. [1][2][3] While he published more than 90 books for both adults and children, he was best known for his children's books, which include picture books, short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction and novels. We will update the name of Louise Jensons Brother soon. On her first real day on the job, she was working alone sweeping up dirt in an isolated section when a miner passed by. "It really was like they had never seen a woman before." ", Kildegaard, Lise. Lois Jenson is 74 years old and was born on 02/25/1948. Jenson took a job at the mines because it paid 3 times as much as she could earn anywhere else and she needed a job that would pay enough to support herself and her young son and provide benefits such as health care. And because of that, the settlement and the lasting emotional scars, closure was never really achieved for any of the women. Jenson first began working at the site in March 1975 and, along with other women, endured a continuous stream of hostile behavior from male employees, including sexual harassment, abusive language, threats, stalking and intimidation. Her real name is Louise Jenson. Her parents warmly invited all the guests to celebrate Louise Jensons birth. Jenson is believed to have been awarded close to $1m before taxes. In the end, the suit set many very important precedents. In Danish. She was racked by guilt for accepting a settlement rather than fight a highly public trial. Jenson took a job at the mines because it paid 3 times as much as she could earn anywhere else and she needed a job that would pay enough to support herself and her young son and provide benefits such as health care. He died in Aarhus on March 4, 2021, after suffering a heart attack while bicycling with friends. "Og de nominerede er" Kristeligt Dagblad October 21, 2014. Translated by Lise Kildegaard. I get the chance to remember the Share yesterday to connect today & preserve tomorrow, Copyright 1999-2023 AncientFaces, Inc. All Rights Reserved, ADVERTISEMENT The Biography piece is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. Theater Corona la Balance, Copenhagen. Lois Jenson of Florida was born on June 25, 1934, and died at age 48 years old in January 1983. ZeBU Theatre, Copenhagen. The first books in the series were illustrated in black and white drawings. Then in 1986, a few years before Lois Jenson (who inspired Charlize Theron's character in "North Country") brought her suit, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of a bank employee who. Photos, memories, family stories & discoveries are unique to you, and only you can control. "I'm not sure how to say it.". Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Lois Jensen. What she ended up with was a work environment stricken with relentless sexual harassment, discrimination, and even violent abuse at the hands of both the unions and management. Today, many of us in the workplace may take for granted this policy just as we may take for granted the 40-hour workweek, and while this attests to the success in changing law and social attitudes, it is important to remember those who made it all possible. The true story of Lois Jenson, a petite single mother, who was among the first women hired by a northern Minnesota iron mine in 1975. The Square Stories are Louis Jensen's invented literary form: very short microfictions, formatted in the shape of a square block of text, and printed one to a page. We will update the name of Louise Jensons boyfriend. [20] He lived in Aarhus, Denmark, with his wife, the painter Elisabeth Wegger. Lois Jenson Lois Jenson (1934 - 1983) Jump to: Biography Memories . "Fantastic Tales and Poetic Square Stories: Important Features in the Danish Author Louis Jensen's Literature for Children. Lois Jensen was born on June 20, 1931, and died at age 41 years old in April 1973. When the women of Eveleth Mines decided they would no longer stand for the abuse and demanded a sexual harassment policy, they could not have known the impact that long and tedious struggle would have on their personal lives. See What AncientFaces Does to discover more about the community. "1001 Firkanter--om Louis Jensens firkantede historier.". When Louise Jenson was born, the conditions in her home were not special. In 1964, when she was 30 years old, on June 11th, activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa for conspiring to overthrow the state (because of his numerous anti-apartheid activities). Script adaptation and directed by Robert Larson. But complaints to management and their union only contributed to a more actively hostile environment. [18] His family moved from Nibe to Beder, south of Aarhus, when he was 12. She studied with many highly respected artists including; Donald Puttman, Wilson Hurley, Bettina Steinke, Charles Movalli, John Sanden, George Carlson, Richard Goetz and Gregg Kreutz of Art Students League, N. Y., and above all Clair Fry and Ben Stahl, who were considered masters of the generation of Norman Rockwell, N.C Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish. In 1975, Lois Jenson, a single mother on welfare, heard that the local iron mine was now hiring women. "At Home in an Astonishing World: The Square Stories of Louis Jensen. On August 15, 1988, attorney Paul Sprenger filed Lois E. Jenson and Patricia S. Kosmach v. Eveleth Taconite Co. in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. Sample illustrations for square stories (in English). Learn how and when to remove this template message, Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36x040bw, https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/iowareview/article/id/16142/, Kulturministeriets Brnebogspris (Danish Ministry of Culture's Children's Book Prize), "Prisbelnnet brnebogsforfatter rammer efter plet", "1001 firkanter--om Louis Jensens firkantede historier", "It's hip to be square: Louis Jensen 100 Meget Firkantede Historier", "2010 Hans Christian Andersen Awards Shortlist", "Louis Jensen: En historie om seks sstre (2009)", https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/kultur/2014-10-21/og-de-nominerede-er-, https://ibbycongress2020.org/en/electives/hans-christian-andersen-award-nominees-2020/266-hans-christian-andersen-award-2020-nominees-illustrators-part-3, "Nordic Council Children's and Young People's Literature Prize 2014", https://www.youtube.com/user/365tekster/feed, http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/passage/article/view/1413/1296, https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7123&context=iowareview, https://hopscotchtranslation.com/2022/05/08/keep-danish-weird/, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol37/iss2/11/, https://issuu.com/kunststyrelsen/docs/dlm_caya_spring_2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgoX9EadRw&t=332s, http://whoop-dee-do.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=13, https://www.ibby.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Louis_Jensen.pdf, http://politikenbogfolk.podbean.com/e/uge-9-frit-flet-prisvinder-louis-jensen/, http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/bkb/summary/v5046/46.3.rasmussen.html, http://bostontranslation.blogspot.com/2012/07/spectacular-square-stories-from-louis.html, https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/conversations-conversations/id407054074?mt=10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q10Ld_8nP2w, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis_Jensen&oldid=1136173022, Bl kong serie (The blue king series): Dansklrerforeningen Forlag 2001, Drengen og kufferten serie [The boy and the suitcase series]: Dansklrerforeningen Forlag 2001, Engang var der serie (Once upon a time series): Dansklrerforeningen Forlag, 2002, Danskfidusen serie (Danish easy readers series): Dansklrerforeningen Forlag 2002. "I observed a scene at the Hippodrome (ice arena), a hockey scene, and I liked what I saw. [18] His family moved from Nibe to Beder, south of Aarhus, when he was 12. It's individuals trying to figure it out. "Lois was extremely helpful to me and Niki," Theron says. becomes full You know, good people are good people, but they do bad things, and bad people do good things.". In 1975, Lois Jenson, a single mother on welfare, heard that the local iron mine was now hiring women. He had three grown children, and several grandchildren. In theme, style, and content, the stories are diverse. ", Kildegaard, Lise. In real life, some male miners sexually assaulted and abused female co-workers, but others were supportive of them and tried to help, something the book didn't address and the women worried the movie wouldn't show. 2008. Lois A Jensen of Mabank, Kaufman County, Texas was born on September 6, 1910, and died at age 92 years old on February 18, 2003. She quit the mine in 1992, too exhausted to work. Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Lois' lifetime. "Five Square Stories." "A World of Fantastic Surprises and Quirky Fairy Tale Logic. "I was very impressed by the movie, but I want to see it again before I make any final comments on it. According to Lise Kildegaard, these "ludic and lyrical" stories reveal Jensen's close observation of nature and his poetic appreciation of a world that combines in equal measure "familiarity and strangeness, commonplace reality and ecstatic vision. In 1987, the state ordered the mining company to pay her $11,000 in damages and institute a sexual harassment policy. [2] In retaliation, her car tires were slashed a week later. When, in 1975, she heard the Eveleth Mines were hiring, Jenson applied. Louise Jenson is very beautiful and cute. The Roosevelt administration and scientists eventually determined that farming practices had caused the conditions that led to the dust storms and the changes they implemented in farming stopped the Dust Bowl. Estimated read time: 5-6 Caro and her cast met with several women involved in the suit, some of whom ended up in the movie. Even now, Jenson is still not sure why she became the first woman to take on Eveleth Mines. In this brutal workplace, female miners were relentlessly threatened with pornographic graffiti, denigrating language, stalking, and physical assaults. The behavior of the men escalated into stalking, assault, and threats of rape. Jenson became one of the first four women ever hired at Eveleth Mines in 1975. She had lost friends, worn out her family. Actually, that's probably the best way to say it. "It really was about getting a better paying job with benefits. In 1975, she was a single mother working to support her family. She contributed to the more poetic and fairytale-like imagery of the 1980s, and has held her own in the postmodern and deconstructionist revival that has characterized the 1990s and the turn of the century. She was born in a beautiful village in England, United Kingdom. Research resources. It took more than 14 years for Jenson to win her case. On that point, Jenson found a sympathetic ear in Caro. This work was presented for display at Ellis Island. [7], In 1992, Jensen published the first volume of 100 stories in his "Square Story" project. The defense delved into every painful detail of the womens lives. "Talking to her gave me so much in terms of figuring out the complexities of the character. Based on the novel. Sexual harassment has by no means disappeared, but without the bravery, determination, and commitment of the Eveleth Mines women and others like them who challenged their treatment, the problem would undoubtedly be worse. The moment she stepped foot in the processing plant, she sensed the hostility. Among these women was a 27-year-old single mother named Lois Jenson. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Lois Jensen. You know you've seen something important, and you know you've seen something that's going to be around a long time.". Almost from the beginning, according to court documents, Ms. Jenson and other women were subjected to sexual. Pat Kosmach, who originally had her name on the suit with Jenson, developed ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease) during the course of the trial. Bernice Johnson Reagon is a renowned composer, historian, musician, and activist. At that time, the plaintiffs were willing to settle the case, but Oglebay Norton, owners of Eveleth Mines, refused the terms and the case continued for 10 more years. An extra, she can be seen behind Theron at a hockey game. Jenson woke up one night in the house she shared with her young son to find a miner had broken in. BY ANCESTRY.COM. One woman was threatened with being thrown into the pit when she refused a co-worker's sexual advances. "I was not interested in doing a movie that said women are good and men are bad, because I know that not to be true," the director says. Following enactment of civil rights legislation, they seized the opportunity to be employed in jobs and industries that had traditionally been regarded as male occupations. "Drengen Der Fik En Hunds Hjerte" ("The Boy Who Got the Heart of a Dog"). Help paint a picture of Lois so that she is always remembered. The extra layer was meant to provide protection not from industrial accident - but from her fellow miners. As for the mine, litigation and negative publicity could have been avoided and millions of dollars saved if Oglebay Norton, Eveleth Mines, and the union would have addressed the womens complaints and taken steps to effectively rectify the situation and protect them. Each woman was presented with a NWHM button with the quote, Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.. If you are also a big fan of Louise Jenson and are wandering around to find out about Her life, then you have come to the right place on our site. [21] His first novel for young readers, "Krystalmanden" (The Crystal Man), was published in 1986. I met all the stars and actually had a chance to speak with Charlize Theron," she says. United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story, U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals case documents, Class Action: What Happens When Employers Refuse To Remedy Sexual Harassment, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jenson_v._Eveleth_Taconite_Co.&oldid=1142311149, Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law (2003), This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 18:18. "It was like a retraining process. "New Versions of the Fantastic: Children's Books by the Danish Author Louis Jensen. There were 600 men and four women in the mine, and I knew no one. Sexual harassment is no longer something that women can be told to deal with or ignore. Companies now have sexual harassment policy procedures to combat sexual harassment. Script adaptation and directed by Marc van der Velden. If you see something in this article that you think is incorrect, you can contact us to correct it. The National Womens History Museum is pleased to join with the Hibbing, Minnesota, branch of the American Association of University Women in honoring Lois Jenson and her fellow plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit that established important legal precedents on sexual harassment in the workplace. Louise Jensons father started Her own business after completing Her education and got married after working hard in it. And now, more than two decades after she first went to work in Eveleth Mines, Jenson can lay claim to her life. Beginning in 1992, he worked full-time as an author. The company agreed to adopt a sexual harassment policy but refused to pay any money. "Mak-vrk" ("Botch-Up"). "En Mrkelig Have" ("A Remarkable Garden"). She was born on January 12, 1981, in England, United Kingdom. Theron's character, Josey Aimes, is similar to Jenson: Both are single mothers; both have been sexually assaulted; both find work in the male-dominated taconite mines of Minnesota's Iron Range; both file lawsuits that establish precedents in U.S. courts' treatment of sexual harassment. In 1972, at the age of 38 years old, Lois was alive when on June 17th, 5 men were arrested by police in an attempt to bug the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C.s Watergate hotel. Five Square Stories. Before filming began on Minnesota's Iron Range in February, she opposed the movie because she's not a fan of "Class Action," the nonfiction book that inspired the "North Country" script. Select the next to any field to update. The women at the Eveleth Mines were trailblazers. The women were caught between management and the union. Other strong dust storms had occurred during 1933. Louis Jensen was born in Nibe, Denmark close to the Limfjord in northern Jutland. 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Jensons Brother soon the hostility she refused a co-worker 's sexual advances in lois jenson biography she can be seen Theron! 11,000 in damages and institute a sexual harassment is no longer something that can... From her fellow miners father started her own business after completing her education Got... ) Jump to: biography memories only contributed to a more actively hostile environment painter! The Boy Who Got the heart of a Dog '' ) in home! Was threatened with pornographic graffiti, denigrating language, stalking, assault and!
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