Happy Birthday to activist and medical professional Lillian Wald (b. March 10, 1867, in Cincinnati, OH), a second-generation Jewish immigrant to the United States who took a bridge building approach to Progressive reform. Historian Marjorie N. Weld describes Wald’s own brand and interpretation of Progressivism. She writes: “Because her Progressivism was tied to the American strivings of a previous generation of immigrants, because her interpretive work was tied to her balancing commitments to particularist and universalist communities, Wald was indeed an ethnic Progressive.” She continues: “In the Progressive moment, at the intersection of currents moving toward modern feminism and modern Jewish identity, Wald’s early career found her in the center of debates over what was possible—for women, for American Jews, for Americans, and, eventually, for world citizens.” Her involvement with nursing especially contributed to her personal meaning and purpose. She also became very involved with settlement houses, working to establish a social safety net for struggling people.
Recommended reading to learn more:
Citations: Harris & Ewing, “[Lillian Wald],” photograph (location unknown, c. 1920), https://lccn.loc.gov/2017647294; Marjorie N. Feld, Lillian Wald: A Biography (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008), 2, 55-59, https://archive.org/details/lillianwaldbiogr0000feld.
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