Clementina Black facts for kids

Clementina Maria Black (born July 27, 1853 – died December 19, 1922) was an English writer and a strong supporter of women's rights. She was a pioneer in helping workers form groups called trade unions. Clementina worked hard to improve conditions for women at work and to help women get the right to vote. She was connected with groups that wanted to change society, like the Fabian socialists.

Early Life and Family

Clementina Black was born in Brighton, England. Her father, David Black, was a lawyer and worked for the town. Her mother, Clara Maria Patten, was the daughter of a famous portrait painter. Clementina was one of eight children. She was taught at home, mostly by her mother, and learned to speak French and German very well.

In 1875, Clementina's mother passed away. Clementina, being the oldest daughter, took on a lot of responsibility. She had to care for her father, who was unwell, and her seven younger brothers and sisters. She also worked as a teacher. Her siblings included Arthur Black, who was a mathematician, and Constance Garnett, who became a well-known translator. In the 1880s, Clementina and her sisters moved to London. There, she spent her time learning about social problems, writing, and giving talks about old literature.

Fighting for Change

Clementina Black met many people who wanted to improve society, including Eleanor Marx, the daughter of Karl Marx. Clementina cared deeply about the problems faced by working-class women. She became very involved in the growing movement to form trade unions, which are groups that protect workers' rights.

In 1886, she became a leader in the Women's Trade Union League. This group worked to improve conditions for women in factories and other workplaces. In 1888, she pushed for equal pay for men and women at a big meeting called the Trades Union Congress. The next year, she helped start the Women's Trade Union Association, which later became the Women's Industrial Council.

Clementina was also one of the main organizers of the Bryant and May strike in 1888. This was a famous strike where women working at a match factory protested against their unfair working conditions. She also worked with the Fabian Society, a group that wanted to make society fairer through gradual changes.

In 1895, Clementina became the editor of Women's Industrial News. This magazine encouraged women from wealthier families to study and report on the working conditions of poorer women. By 1914, they had looked into almost 120 different jobs. In 1896, she started campaigning for a legal minimum wage. This meant that there should be a lowest amount of money workers could be paid, so they wouldn't be exploited.

By the early 1900s, Clementina was very active in the campaign for women's right to vote. She helped gather a huge petition with 257,000 signatures. She joined important groups like the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). From 1912 to 1913, she was the acting editor of The Common Cause, a newspaper for the women's movement. She used her writing to influence change, rather than taking part in direct protests like some other suffragettes.

Her Books

Clementina Black wrote several novels. Her first novel, A Sussex Idyl, was published in 1877. One of her books, An Agitator (1894), was about a socialist strike leader. Eleanor Marx said it was a very real story about the British working-class movement. Her other novels were not about politics, and her last one, The Linleys of Bath (1911), was quite successful.

Clementina also wrote two important political books. These were Sweated Industry and the Minimum Wage (1907) and Makers of our Clothes: a Case for Trade Boards (1909), which she wrote with C. Meyer. These books were powerful in showing why changes were needed to help workers.

Later Life

Clementina Black never married. She took in her niece, Gertrude Speedwell, after a difficult family event. Clementina passed away at her home in Barnes, on December 19, 1922. She was buried in East Sheen Cemetery in London.