Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson
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Wilkerson in 2007
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| Born | January 14, 1945 |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Education | Swarthmore College (1966) |
| Occupation | teacher |
| Known for | 1970s Weather Underground radical, bomb maker, fugitive |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | James Platt Wilkerson, Audrey Olena |
Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson (born January 14, 1945), known as Cathy Wilkerson, is an American activist. She was part of a group called the Weather Underground Organization (WUO) in the 1970s. This group was known for its strong opposition to the Vietnam War and racism.
Cathy Wilkerson became widely known after an explosion at her father's townhouse in New York City on March 6, 1970. Members of the WUO were making a bomb in the basement. After the explosion, Wilkerson avoided being caught by the police for 10 years. She later turned herself in during 1980. She admitted to illegally having dynamite. She served 11 months in prison.
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Cathy Wilkerson's Early Life
Cathy Wilkerson was born on January 14, 1945. Her father, James Platt Wilkerson, worked in advertising. Her mother, Audrey Olena Wilkerson, was a teacher. Cathy grew up in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She went to several schools, including Abbot Academy, an all-girls school. She finished high school in June 1962.
Her College Years and Activism
After high school, Wilkerson went to Swarthmore College. She became very interested in politics during her first year. In 1962, she joined a civil rights group. This group worked against segregation in Maryland.
Her activism continued throughout college. In 1963, she attended a national meeting for Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). This was a big student activist group. After graduating in 1966, she worked for a politician from Wisconsin.
In 1967, Wilkerson worked for the SDS in Chicago. She became the editor of their newspaper, New Left Notes. She also traveled to Cambodia with other SDS members. There, they met with representatives of the Vietnamese National Liberation Front. She wrote articles about her experiences. She talked about the low spirits of U.S. troops.
Wilkerson felt that policies at home and abroad were unfair. This led her to join the Weatherman group in 1969. She also traveled to Cuba to see the results of the Cuban Revolution. She was active in civil rights and the women's movement too. However, she focused more on anti-war and anti-racism work.
Joining the Weather Underground
Wilkerson joined the Weatherman group in Chicago in the summer of 1969. She took part in the "Days of Rage" riots in Chicago in October 1969. She was arrested for hitting a policeman. After spending time in jail, she was released on bail.
In January 1970, Wilkerson went to Seattle. Then she was asked to come to New York City. The group decided to use dynamite in their actions. They set up a place to make bombs in a townhouse owned by Wilkerson's father.
The Greenwich Village Townhouse Explosion
On March 6, 1970, an explosion happened in the basement of a townhouse. This house was at 18 West 11th Street in Greenwich Village. The blast killed three people. Cathy Wilkerson and another member, Kathy Boudin, escaped from the damaged building. They immediately went into hiding.
The Weather Underground was using the townhouse to make bombs. They were planning to use a bomb at a dance for soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Police later found dynamite, a military shell, and other explosives in the house.
Three members of the WUO died in the explosion. They were Theodore Gold, Diana Oughton, and Terry Robbins. Wilkerson and Boudin stayed hidden for a long time. Wilkerson was accused of illegally having dynamite. She avoided being caught for 10 years.
Surrendering to Authorities
On July 23, 1970, Wilkerson and twelve other WUO members were accused of planning to bomb and kill. Some of them were on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. They avoided capture for up to ten years.
Cathy Wilkerson stayed hidden for three more years. She turned herself in during 1980. She was found guilty of illegally having dynamite. She was sentenced to three years in prison. She served 11 months and was released early. The judge noted that she behaved very well in jail.
Her Life Today
Today, Cathy Wilkerson lives in Brooklyn, New York. She lives with her partner, Susan Tipograph. She also has an adult daughter named Bess. Bess was born in California while Wilkerson was in hiding.
For the past 20 years, Wilkerson has taught mathematics. She taught in high schools and adult education programs. In 2003, she gave her first phone interview in about 20 years. She agreed that mistakes were made in the past. But she still believed in many of the ideas she supported in the 1960s. In 2007, Wilkerson wrote a book about her time in the Weather Underground. It is called Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times As a Weatherman.
