Nrholm, Sara. 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. Experiences, organizations, & how she spent her time. and you'll be alerted when others do the same. Reading or replaying the story in its And in 1975 four women walked into the Eveleth Mines Forbes Fairlane Plant for the first time. 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. "Watching it, there were certain things that felt familiar," Jenson says. One of the original plaintiffs, Pat Kosmach, died partway through the case, on November 7, 1994. North Country is beautifully shot, with a soundtrack from Bob Dylan, who himself was raised in a Minnesota mining town. "The whole thing probably took 15 minutes, but it felt much longer. In which she liked a boy and whose name we will update soon. 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. These were small compensations for almost daily indignities suffered by the women. We will update the name of Louise Jensons Brother soon. Jensen, Louis, Gorm Rasmussen og Torben Schultz: Three Square Stories. Because Louise Jenson has not mentioned her family and Relationships in any of her interviews yet. He died in Aarhus on March 4, 2021, after suffering a heart attack while bicycling with friends. They settled for modest amounts and they never received what Lois wanted all along; an apology. "[23], The Square Stories appeal to a wide audience and readership. Northern Minnesotas Mesabi Iron Range is home to the largest Iron ore deposit in the world. Script adaptation and directed by Robert Larson. We have published this article with full information on our website, but you can feel free to contact us and correct this mistake if there is mistake. Your email address will not be published. Jensen, Louis. Clint Austin/Forum News Service Jenson v Eveleth Mines In 1975, as a 27-year-old single mother, Lois Jenson began working at Eveleth Mines in Forbes. Statens Kunstfond Livsvarig ydelse (Danish National Art Foundation Lifelong Stipend), 2002present. Some are like fairy tales, with familiar characters like kings, queens, and dragons. Her female colleagues at the mines sought employment there for much of the same reasons, many were family breadwinners and some were single women trying to support themselves. archived form does not constitute a republication of the story. This work was presented for display at Ellis Island. Biography ID: 68638328 . "I don't like to take liberties and speak for the other women, but they had concerns as well, and, from what I've seen, I think (the movie people) listened," Jenson says. 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. Then she visited the set of "North Country" and began to change her mind. A liability trial began on December 17, 1992, in front of Judge Richard Kyle in St. Paul, Minnesota, and six months later, he ruled that the company should have prevented the misconduct. Lois Jenson's life story is the inspiration behind the hit film, North Country, starring Charlize Theron. "Louis Jensen's Square Stories.". In 1983, in the year of Lois Jenson's passing, physicist Sally K. Ride, 32, became the first US woman astronaut in space as a crew member aboard space shuttle Challenger on June 18th. AncientFaces is a place where our memories live. "Talking to her gave me so much in terms of figuring out the complexities of the character. Well never share your email with anyone else, American Association of University WomenChapter and National Women's History MuseumHonor the Real Women of North Country, In April 2006, the Hibbing, Minnesota, chapter of the American Association of University Women held a ceremony honoring the women workers at Eveleth Mines who filed the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit. Suzanne Goldenberg meets her, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. only for your personal, non-commercial use. Jenson became one of the first four women ever hired at Eveleth Mines in 1975. Lois E Jenson are some of the alias or nicknames that Lois has used. ", Jenson says it may take awhile for the movie to sink in. Then she visited the set of "North Country" and began to change her mind. Lois Jenson of Florida was born on June 25, 1934, and died at age 48 years old in January 1983. Toilet breaks were timed, just for a laugh. He described his mother's childhood in the biographically based book, "En historie om seks sstre" ("A story of six sisters," Gyldendal, 2009). 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. In the boxes of memorabilia that Lois Jenson keeps of her life as a miner there is a photograph showing a slim blonde woman almost completely obscured by grimy coveralls, hard hat, goggles and an innovation all her own: a bulky waistcoat. Other stories feature human characters, animals, or animated natural beings such as trees, bushes, or grass. They all came looking for financial independence, but what they found would cost them so much more. But most importantly by certifying the case as a class action, the court put the principles of collective bargaining to work in the courtroom and it gave once powerless, voiceless workingwomen a platform to demand change and the leverage to achieve it. (c) 2005, St. Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.). Rasmussen, Line Beck. They all came looking for financial independence, but what they found would cost them so much more. "Lois was extremely helpful to me and Niki," Theron says. The company refused to install womens bathrooms and provide safety equipment sized for womens smaller bodies. The harassment continued and intensified. He waited to speak until he was close to Jenson. The parents were overjoyed at the birth and invited all their relatives to the feast. BY ANCESTRY.COM. Skyggebjerg, Anna Karlskov (2016). In 1934, in the year that Lois Jenson was born, on November 11th 1933, an extremely strong dust storm hit South Dakota, stripping topsoil. However, a special magistrate appointed to determine damages awarded only nominal sums to Jenson and the other women. Among these women was a 27-year-old single mother named Lois Jenson. Even now, Jenson is still not sure why she became the first woman to take on Eveleth Mines. Gyldendals Store Brnebogspris (Gyldendal's Major Children's Book Prize), 2009. The reader simultaneously grasps the 1001 story project in its grand ambition and the individual iteration of a single story in all its local particularity."[22]. [4] The company was ordered to educate all employees about sexual harassment. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. ", Screenwriter Michael Seitzman says the story is largely fictional and the characters are composites, but he followed one rule when he was writing scenes that took place in the mine: "All of the abuse in the movie had to have happened in real life for me to put it in the script. [2] In retaliation, her car tires were slashed a week later. Lois Jensen was born on February 15, 1947, and died at age 50 years old on December 22, 1997. The guards have also been given one vehicle each. 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. 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. she says. By the time she was 27, she was back in the Iron Range, a single mother working for minimum wage at a credit union. After school, Jenson took a secretarial job in what people here call "the cities" - Minneapolis and St Paul - 200 miles away. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Lois R Jensen. In this brutal workplace, female miners were relentlessly threatened with pornographic graffiti, denigrating language, stalking, and physical assaults. Here are Louise Jensons professions and social accounts. We t you about Louise Jensons birth in the paragraph above. The eleventh and final book in the series, illustrated by Lilian Brgger and Maria Lundn, includes 134 pages of drawings, most of them in color. Among these women was a 27-year-old single mother named Lois Jenson. We will update the name of Louise Jensons sister soon. Lois Jenson didn't want a movie to be made of her life. Her voice cracks. Kolar, Bob. Who is Louise Jenson? The harassment was reported repeatedly to supervisors, management, and the union but nothing changed. Lois Jenson is 74 years old and was born on 02/25/1948. Jenson quit working at the mine on January 25, 1992, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder a short time later. She was racked by guilt for accepting a settlement rather than fight a highly public trial. "I observed a scene at the Hippodrome (ice arena), a hockey scene, and I liked what I saw. [10][11], In Jensen's many literary works for children and for adults, the reader encounters an imaginative landscape where anything can happen. There she was surrounded by lush green farmland to the east and the majestic pacific coast on the west. The damage was done and it was irreparable. The move was painful for Jensen; he missed his friends and he longed for the woods and waters of his childhood home. One of the earliest and largest incidents of workplace activism occurred in 1836 when nearly 2,000 Lowell mill factory workers in Massachusetts went on strike, demanding better working conditions. Taking a chance, she became one of the first four women to work in the iron mines of Minnesota. However, the judgment was appealed and reversed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 5, 1997. Louise Jenson has a total net worth of $60 billion. We will try to update this article about Louise Jensons family soon. "New Versions of the Fantastic: Children's Books by the Danish Author Louis Jensen. 27 birth, 8 death, 4 marriage, 1 divorce, View [4] His work is characterized by wordplay and playful experiments in form and structure, which have led critics to draw comparisons to Borges, Calvino, Gogol, and the poetry of the Oulipo movement. The interaction between the illustrations and the stories that come after them adds to the quirky charm of the books. In Danish. She also felt a sense of loss. Help paint a picture of Lois so that she is always remembered. I hope you liked it. On March 28, 1996, McNulty released a 416-page report that called the women "histrionic," made public details about their private lives, and awarded them an average of $10,000 each. Jenson is not in the movie, but she spent time on the set in Eveleth. Jenson is believed to have been awarded close to $1m before taxes. The case also drew very clear lines regarding who has the burden of proving that a hostile work environment is the cause of a plaintiffs mental anguish or emotional distress, these two decisions have made both the workplace and the courtroom safer for sexual harassment victims. One woman found herself working at the top of a conveyor that was 6 blocks long and high above a pile of taconite. "That was my armour," she says. Required fields are marked *. She was also the youngest (32) astronaut to go into space. "[26], Lilian Brgger was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustrators in 2020. Today, Louise Jenson has millions of fans all over the world who are longing to meet her. Translated by Lise Kildegaard. "En Mrkelig Have" ("A Remarkable Garden"). [20] He published his first poem in 1970 in the literary magazine "Hvedekorn," and his first book of poetry in 1972. The first half of the trial for damages began in Duluth on January 17, 1995 and lasted until February 10. minutes. You must know that as soon as a person gains fame, many people become her friends and enemies. She joined a college to pursue her education. He was kneeling over me. you already know what she does, Check out where your favorite celebrity Louise Jenson is hanging out. In 1988, Lois Jenson and other women sued Eveleth Taconite Co. for the treatment they endured at a Minnesota mine. She loved the film. 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). when she died at the age of 48. the average Jenson family member The company eventually settled for $3.5 million. "Every time a woman came in she would be tested in the same way, and then if she went along with any of it, they would come back and re-test us," Jenson says. When 2 or more people share their unique perspectives, Women that complained about the behavior would find themselves threatened or exiled to work in isolated parts of the plant. Jenson's father, two brothers and a brother-in-law all worked in the mines. Two years later, another judge found the mine liable for a work environment that was hostile to women. I get the chance to remember the Share yesterday to connect today & preserve tomorrow, Copyright 1999-2023 AncientFaces, Inc. All Rights Reserved, ADVERTISEMENT "Playing with Language and Literature: Louis Jensen's 1001 Stories. "Fantastic Tales and Poetic Square Stories: Important Features in the Danish Author Louis Jensen's Literature for Children." Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Lois' lifetime. The union still refused to help her and management promised to transfer him but it never happened. Her parents warmly invited all the guests to celebrate Louise Jenson's birth. Lois Jenson of Florida was born on June 25, 1934, and died at age 48 years old in January 1983. All she wanted was a good job with good wages. We will update the name of Louise Jensons Husband. "It really was like they had never seen a woman before." Skyggebjerg remarks that Brgger's illustrations are "quite at the same innovative level as the texts. 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. Like the women before them, they were not out to change society but were motivated by a desire to earn higher wages and obtain benefits to support themselves or their families. Lois Jensons first request was for just that, an educational sexual harassment policy, compensation for her stress related health problems and job security, but they flatly refused. As a young adult she moved to the Southwest U. S. where, for the next twenty-seven years, she lived, studied and worked as an artist. In the first ten volumes, every ten stories are preceded by a two-page illustration. The case was also the subject of . Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. With the eleventh and final book in the series, which includes 100 pictures and one story, Jensen reached his goal of producing 1001 stories. Her mother now lives at home and is very happy with her family. She was also unhappy with the book that was written about the miners, called Class Action. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space in 1963. Several metafictional square stories make characters out of the alphabet letters, the words, and the stories themselves. "Rejsen til Gud" ("The Journey to God"). Why don't you go home? What schools or universities did Lois attend? Details of the settlement are secret, but it is believed to have cost the company more than $15m including legal costs. These courageous women initially had very modest goals, but their struggle ultimately improved the working conditions of women nationwide. The stories that follow each have their own number: a second time there was, a third time, and so on, all the way up to "a one thousand and first time there was." "Og de nominerede er" Kristeligt Dagblad October 21, 2014. "At Home in an Astonishing World: The Square Stories of Louis Jensen. Former miner Lois Jenson was the first woman to win a sex discrimination case in the US. What is Lois' ethnicity and where did her parents, grandparents & great-grandparents come from? The male miners vocally opposed integration, and a handful of them acted out their frustration in a jaw-droppingly crude manner. But in this paragraph, we will share with you some information about Louise Jensons family. Biography ID: 66352010 . Louise Jenson had a very sharp mind in Her studies. Her curiosity has led her to use many techniques and visual forms and her work spans a wide range of expression. ", Jenson says that's evident from Theron's performance. ", Skyggebjerg, Anna Karlskov. 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. Almost from the beginning, according to court documents, Ms. Jenson and other women were subjected to sexual. When, in 1975, she heard the Eveleth Mines were hiring, Jenson applied. Sister Margaret Traxler was a Catholic feminist nun and a civil rights activist who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the famous march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. 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