Alice Salomon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Salomon
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Alice Salomon
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| Born | 19 April 1872 Berlin, Germany
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| Died | 30 August 1948 New York, US
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| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Social reformer and pioneer of social work |
Alice Salomon (born 19 April 1872 in Berlin, Germany – died 30 August 1948 in New York City, USA) was a German social reformer. She was a very important person in starting social work as a proper subject to study at universities.
Her work was so important that the German post office even made a special stamp about her in 1989. Also, a university, a park, and a square in Berlin are named after her.
Life and Work
Early Life and Education
Alice Salomon was the third of eight children in her family. She was the second daughter of Albert and Anna Salomon. Like many girls from rich families back then, she was not allowed to go to college. This was even though she really wanted to become a teacher.
This changed in 1893 when she was 21 years old. She later wrote in her book that this was "when her life began."
From 1902 to 1906, Alice studied economics at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. She did not have the usual school papers to get into university. But her published writings were good enough for her to be accepted.
In 1908, she earned her special university degree, called a doctorate. Her study was about why men and women were paid differently for their work.
Helping Others
In 1900, Alice joined the Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine. This means "Federation of German Women's Associations." She later became the deputy leader of this group and stayed in that role until 1920.
This group helped mothers who were poor, alone, or had been left by their partners. They also worked to make sure these mothers' children were cared for.
In 1908, Alice started a school in Berlin called Soziale Frauenschule. This means "Social Women's School." In 1932, the school was renamed the "Alice Salomon School." Today, it is known as the Alice-Salomon-Fachhochschule für Sozialarbeit und Sozialpädagogik Berlin. This is a college for social work and social sciences.
In 1909, she became a leader in the Internationalen Frauenbund, which is the International Council of Women. In 1914, she changed her religion from Judaism to the Lutheran Church.
In 1917, she became the head of the "Conference of German Women's Social Schools." She had started this group herself. By 1919, sixteen different schools were part of it.
In 1920, she left the "Federation of German Women's Associations." She did this because of unfair attacks against Jewish people.
Five years later, she started the "German Academy for Women's Social and Educational Work." Many famous people gave talks at this academy. These included Albert Einstein and Carl Gustav Jung.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, her organization wrote many books. These books described the difficult lives of poor people in Germany. For her 60th birthday, Alice Salomon received a special degree from Berlin University. She also got a special medal from the government.
Facing Challenges
In 1933, the Nazi party came to power in Germany. They took away all of Alice Salomon's important jobs. Six years later, when she was 65, the Gestapo (the secret police) questioned her.
The Nazis did not like Alice Salomon because she was from a Jewish family. They also disliked her Christian ideas about helping people, her belief in peace, and her international fame. She was forced to leave Germany. Before leaving, she had been helping Jewish people who were trying to leave the country.
She moved to New York City. Her German citizenship and her two university degrees were taken away from her. In 1944, she became a citizen of the United States. A year later, she was made an honorary leader of two big international groups: the International Women's Federation and the International Association of Schools of Social Work.
Alice Salomon died in New York on August 30, 1948.
Legacy
On April 19, 2018, Google Doodle made a special drawing to celebrate her 146th birthday.
See Also
In Spanish: Alice Salomon para niños
