Neighbor News
Perkiomen Valley High School To Perform Radium Girls!
Tickets Available for November 8th, 9th, and 10th
Perkiomen Valley High School to Perform Radium Girls November 8th, 9th, and 10th
They thought they were lucky. They thought they were safe. They thought they were valued. The young girls at the Radium Dial Corporation could not have been more wrong.
It happened just around the corner, in Orange, New Jersey, at the dawn of the 20th century. Teenage girls were hired to paint watches to be used by the military in WWI. The girls were trained to paint watchfaces using the newest discovery: glowing radium! Radium was the new miracle cure-all at the time.
Radium was used in soft drinks, cosmetics, and vitamins. They claimed it would make you energized, healthy, and strong. It was the 20th century version of CBD! However, it was untested, and no one could predict how detrimental it could be. .
Radium Dial Corporation taught the girls to dip their brushes into the radium paint and then point their brushes with their lips to make a fine point before painting the delicate watch faces. Hundreds of times per day, the girls were ingesting the radio-active poison
Find out what's happening in Perkiomen Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As they started to get sick, the watch company denied responsibility, claiming the illnesses were unrelated. They even spread rumors the girls were dying of syphilis. Meanwhile, the girls were “glowing” as their bones absorbed the radium.
After years of denial, one dial painter, Grace Fryer, took on the corporate giant and demanded justice. Despite her own deteriorating body, Grace fought for her rights and for hundreds of thousands of workers to come after her. It is because of the radium girls that we have institutions such as the Occupational Health and Safety Association today.
Find out what's happening in Perkiomen Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Their story is the subject of the Perkiomen Valley High School Fall Play. Our talented students tell the story of the Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory with humor, compassion, and drama. Come see Radium Girls and be inspired!
Tickets may be purchased at the door or through ticketleap:
https://perkiomen-valley-school-district.ticketleap.com/pvhsradium-girls/