Theresa Malkiel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theresa Malkiel
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Malkiel circa 1910
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Theresa Serber
May 1, 1874 Bar, Vinnytsia Oblast
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| Died | November 17, 1949 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Labor activist, author |
| Spouse(s) | Leon Malkiel |
| Children | Henrietta |
Theresa Serber Malkiel (born May 1, 1874 – died November 17, 1949) was an American champion for workers' rights, a supporter of women's right to vote, and a teacher. She made history as the first woman to go from working in a factory to becoming a leader in the Socialist Party. Her book from 1910, The Diary of a Shirtwaist Striker, helped change labor laws in New York state.
As the head of the Woman's National Committee of the Socialist Party of America (SPA), she started an annual National Woman's Day. This special day later became what we now know as International Women's Day. In 1911, while traveling and speaking in the Southern U.S., she spoke out against racial unfairness within the party. In her later years, she focused on helping adult women workers get an education.
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Early Life and Moving to America
Theresa Serber was born in Bar, which was part of the Russian Empire (now Ukraine), on May 1, 1874. She was one of seven sisters. Her family was Jewish and faced difficulties in Russia, so they moved to the United States in 1891. They settled in the Lower East Side of New York City. At seventeen, Theresa started working as a cloakmaker (someone who makes coats) in a clothing factory.
Becoming an Activist
Soon after arriving in New York, Theresa joined the Russian Workingmen's Club. In 1892, she helped create the Infant Cloakmaker's Union of New York. This group was mostly made up of Jewish women, and Theresa became its first president. Over the next few years, she represented her union in important labor groups like the Knights of Labor and the United Hebrew Trades. Being part of these groups strengthened her belief in socialism, which is a political idea about fairness and equality for all. In 1893, she joined the Socialist Labor Party (SLP). She was an active member for six years.
In 1899, she left the SLP and joined the Socialist Party of America (SPA). Malkiel strongly believed that only socialism could truly free women. She also felt that socialism needed women's full involvement to succeed. The Socialist Party officially supported equal rights for men and women. However, in reality, they didn't do much to specifically reach out to women workers or care about their problems. Malkiel realized that socialist women would have to fight their own battle for equality.
In 1905, Malkiel started the Women's Progressive Society of Yonkers. This group became a part of the Socialist Women's Society of New York. Even though the Socialist Party was against groups that separated people, Malkiel thought a women's organization was needed. She believed it would help attract more women to the party and give women activists a place to practice their skills. She said women were tired of only being "official cake-bakers and money-collectors" in the party. Meanwhile, she wrote many articles about socialism and women's issues for journals like Progressive Woman and the International Socialist Review. She also wrote for the New York Call, a socialist newspaper she started with her husband.
Leading the Woman's National Committee
Malkiel was chosen to be on the Woman's National Committee of the Socialist Party in 1909. She attended many meetings, campaigned, and wrote helpful guides. Like Rose Pastor Stokes, she helped people understand the concerns of immigrant women. She created clubs to encourage working women to join the party and support women's right to vote.
She also started an annual National Woman's Day, which began on February 28, 1909. This day was celebrated by several socialist parties in Europe and by the SPA. Woman's Day was the first step toward International Women's Day, which is now celebrated every year on March 8.
In 1909, she worked closely with the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL). They supported the New York shirtwaist strike by getting the word out and raising money.
The Diary of a Shirtwaist Striker
In 1910, Malkiel published The Diary of a Shirtwaist Striker. This book was a made-up story about the shirtwaist strike. It told the story from the point of view of an American-born worker. At first, this worker was unsure about her immigrant co-workers. But over time, she became friends with them. She also realized how important it was to win the right to vote and to have more teamwork between male and female workers.
After the terrible Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire the next year, many people paid attention to the book. It helped lead to new laws to protect workers. In 1990, the book was printed again by Cornell University Press. Historians Alice Kessler-Harris and Mari Jo Buhle gave it good reviews.
Speaking Out in the American South
In 1911, Theresa Malkiel went on a speaking tour in the American South. She was very upset to learn that white socialists there were practicing racial segregation. In one town in Arkansas, she was invited to speak to over a thousand African Americans, but party organizers would not let her. In another town, the local Socialist group refused to let African Americans join. At one event in Mississippi, she gave a speech in the pouring rain to a group of African-American socialists who had paid their dues but were not allowed inside the meeting hall. Her strong report in the New York Call caused a big discussion. She wrote:
- "We must not preach Socialism to the negroes because the white workingmen are foolish enough to allow their masters to arouse their prejudices against their fellow workers in order to keep them divided so as to play off one against the other."
Other Important Work
In 1914, Malkiel led the Socialist Suffrage Campaign of New York. She organized a large meeting at Carnegie Hall. In 1916, she was one of three women chosen by the National Executive Committee to travel across the country. They campaigned for women's right to vote. The Socialist Party was officially against working with other women's suffrage groups like the National Woman Suffrage Association. However, Malkiel supported the idea, as long as socialists always shared their socialist views. She was careful about wealthy women who supported suffrage, like Alva Belmont. She warned against being sidetracked by the ideas of rich feminists.
Malkiel went on two national tours for the Socialist Party during World War I. She spoke about women's rights and against the United States joining the war. In 1920, she ran for the New York State Assembly as a Socialist but lost by a small number of votes.
Helping Adults Learn
Theresa Malkiel spent the last twenty years of her life helping immigrant women get an education and become U.S. citizens. She started the Brooklyn Adult Students Association and managed its classes and summer camp.
Personal Life
In 1900, she married Leon A. Malkiel, who was a lawyer and also a socialist. They moved to Yonkers. In 1903, she gave birth to their daughter, Henrietta. Even though she no longer worked in a factory herself, she remained dedicated to making life better for working women. She passed away on November 17, 1949.
