Mary Abby van Kleeck (1883 – 1972) — Settlement Worker, Researcher, Educator and Labor Reform Advocate on Behalf of Women and Children By Kara M. McClurken for the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College Mary Abby van Kleeck was born on June 26, 1883 in Glenham, New York, to Eliza Mayer and Episcopalian minister Robert…
Continue Reading »Ellen Black Winston (1903-1985) — Teacher, Professor, State Welfare Director and First U.S. Commissioner of Welfare (DHEW) By Wilma Peebles-Wilkins, Dean Emerita, Boston University Introduction: I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Ellen Winston in the late seventies and early eighties when she was an Adjunct Faculty member in the Social Work Program…
Continue Reading »Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) became aware of the barriers women faced while working with other women on other social justice issues. Although she did work in a settlement house and joined the National Consumers League before she married, ER’s great introduction to the women’s network occurred in the immediate post World War I period when she worked with the International Congress of Working Women and the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) to address the causes of poverty and war.
Continue Reading »As headworker at Madison House during The Great Depression, Schiff, like so many other settlement house workers, tried to cope with the immediate problems of relief, unemployment, and evictions. He established a day care center, introduced venereal disease and tuberculosis control programs, and started a vocational training program for unemployed youth. he was also was a community organizer and helped create a network of Lower East Side social service agencies to advocate for social welfare policies, especially unemployment and housing. In 1936, Philip Schiff ran unsuccessfully on the American Labor Party’s ticket for First Assembly representative to the New York State legislature.
Continue Reading »Political bosses and their “machine organizations” operating in large American cities at the turn of the century enjoyed strong support among the poor and immigrants, who returned the favor by voting for the bosses’ preferred candidates. Many immigrants saw bosses and political machines as a means to greater enfranchisement. For immigrants and the poor in many large U.S. cities, the political boss represented a source of patronage jobs.
Continue Reading »Harry Greenstein (October 31, 1896 — July 30, 1971): Social Worker, Public Administrator and Leader of Jewish Social Welfare Organizations By Harris Chaiklin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland School of Social Work In his lifespan, Harry Greenstein crammed three lives into one. His early family history followed a familiar immigrant path. His father’s family…
Continue Reading »Jacob Billikopf (1882—1950): Social Worker, Labor Arbitrator and Leader in American Jewish Philanthropies By John E. Hansan, Ph.D. Jacob Billikopf was born in Vilna, Russia, on June 1, 1882, to Louis and Glika (Katzenelenbogen) Billikopf. He emigrated to the United States in 1895, and lived in Richmond, Virginia with an older sister, Rebecca Billikopf Tatarsky….
Continue Reading »Savel Zimand (1891-1967 ) Journalist and Administrator of Health Services Savel Zimand was born in Iasi, Romania, on May 14, 1891. After studying at the University of Berlin’s Seminar of Oriental Languages and the Höhere Webeschule from 1909 to 1912, he emigrated to the United States in 1913 and became a naturalized citizen in 1919. …
Continue Reading »Gertrude Folks Zimand (1894-1966): Child Welfare Advocate and Reformer Gertrude Folks Zimand was born September 28, 1894 in New York City, the second of three daughters. Her mother was Maud (nee Beard) Folks, a champion of woman suffrage. Her father was the noted social worker and reformer Homer Folks . As an undergraduate at Vassar…
Continue Reading »Benjamin Emmanual Youngdahl (1897-1970) Public Welfare Administrator and Educator Introduction: Benjamin Youngdahl was a public welfare administrator, educator and lecturer. At various times he served as president of the American Association of Social Work (1951-53), Career: Benjamin E. Youngdahl was born in 1897 and became a distinguished public welfare administrator and social work educator….
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