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), also known as Cathy Wilkerson, is an American activist. She was part of a group in the 1970s called the Weather Underground Organization. Police became aware of her after an explosion at her father's house on March 6, 1970. Members of the Weather Underground had been making explosives in the basement. They planned to use these explosives in an attack. Wilkerson avoided being caught for 10 years. She later turned herself in during 1980. She admitted to having explosives illegally. She served 11 months in prison.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson was born on January 14, 1945. Her father, James Platt Wilkerson, worked in advertising. He also owned part of a radio station. Her mother, Audrey Olena Wilkerson, became a teacher in Manhattan. Cathy Wilkerson grew up in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She attended several schools, including Abbot Academy. She finished high school in June 1962.
Becoming an Activist
After high school, Wilkerson went to Swarthmore College. She became interested in politics during her first year. In 1962, she joined a group working for civil rights. This group helped organize anti-segregation efforts. Her activism continued throughout college. In 1963, she attended a meeting for Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). She wrote a pamphlet about community organizing.
After graduating in 1966, she worked for a politician. In 1967, Wilkerson worked for the national SDS office in Chicago. She became the editor of New Left Notes, an SDS newspaper. She was later elected to the SDS National Interim Council. She moved to Washington, D.C. to open a regional office.
Wilkerson and other SDS members visited Cambodia. 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 Weathermen in 1969. She also traveled to Cuba to see the results of the Cuban Revolution. She was active in civil rights and anti-war efforts.
Protests and Arrests
Wilkerson was involved in many protests. In 1963, she was arrested in Chester, Pennsylvania. She was giving out flyers for a school boycott meeting. In August 1968, she was arrested during the Democratic National Convention. She was charged with disorderly conduct. In May 1969, Wilkerson was arrested for entering and damaging property. This happened during a protest at George Washington University.
In September 1969, she was arrested in Chicago for disorderly conduct. Later that month, she was arrested in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was with other SDS members trying to recruit students. They were part of a "high school jailbreak" protest. She faced charges related to inciting a riot. In October 1969, Wilkerson was arrested again. She was charged with mob action and resisting arrest.
Joining the Weather Underground
Wilkerson joined the Chicago Weatherman Collective in the summer of 1969. She took part in protests during the Days of Rage in Chicago. These events happened from October 8–11, 1969. She was arrested for hitting a Chicago policeman. After spending time in jail, she was released on bail.
Wilkerson attended a meeting of the Weather Underground Organization (WUO) in December 1969. In January 1970, she went to Seattle, Washington. She then went to New York. After some unsuccessful actions, the New York group decided to use dynamite. They set up a place to make explosives in a townhouse. This house belonged to Wilkerson's father.
The Greenwich Village Explosion
On March 6, 1970, an explosion happened. It was in the basement of a townhouse at 18 West 11th Street in Greenwich Village. This house belonged to Wilkerson's father. The blast killed three people. Wilkerson and Kathy Boudin were helped out of the damaged building. They immediately went into hiding.
The Weather Underground was using the townhouse to make explosives. They planned to use these against soldiers at a dance. That evening, police found a man's body in the basement. A woman's body was found on the first floor. Police also found stolen identification cards. Over the next few days, police found many sticks of dynamite. They also found other explosive devices.
Three WUO members died in the explosion. They were Theodore Gold, Diana Oughton, and Terry Robbins. Wilkerson and Boudin stayed at Boudin's parents' house nearby. Then they both went into hiding. Wilkerson's father was on vacation. She was charged with having explosives illegally. She was also charged with causing deaths through carelessness. She avoided capture for 10 years.
Surrendering to Authorities
On July 23, 1970, Wilkerson and twelve other WUO members were charged. They 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.
Wilkerson stayed in hiding 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 was released after serving 11 months. The judge noted that her behavior in jail was very good.
Life After Prison
Today, Wilkerson lives in Brooklyn, New York. She lives with her partner, Susan Tipograph. She has an adult daughter named Bess. Bess was born in California while Wilkerson was in hiding.
Wilkerson spent 20 years teaching mathematics. She taught in high schools and adult education programs. In 2003, she gave her first telephone interview in about 20 years. Wilkerson agreed that mistakes were made. However, she still believed in many of the ideas she supported in the 1960s.
In 2007, Wilkerson wrote a book. It is about her experiences in the Weather Underground. The book is called Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times As a Weatherman. She also shared her thoughts on a book by another former Weatherman member, Bill Ayers. She felt his book made their struggles seem like a "glorious carnival."
Books
- Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times As a Weatherman (2007)
