Clara Lemlich Shavelson

Clara Lemlich (1886-1982) in a shirtwaist circa 1910. Kheel Center, Cornell University. Submitted by Morley, Barb

"If I turn traitor to the cause I now pledge, may this hand wither from the arm I now raise." Clara's moving words reached about 20,000 people in the crowd gathered at Cooper Union"

Clara Lemlich Shavelson is recognized as one of the most significant social reformers in the history of women's labor rights. She was an immigrant, a worker activist, and a courageous advocate of change. Discover how her struggle for better working conditions and women's rights altered the history of America and the Progressive era.