Vera Buch facts for kids

Vera Wilhelmine Buch Weisbord (born August 19, 1895, in Forestville, Connecticut – died September 6, 1987, in Chicago) was an American woman who worked hard for social change. She was a political activist and a union organizer. This means she helped workers come together to ask for better pay and working conditions.

Vera Buch Weisbord's Early Life

Vera Buch was born on August 19, 1895, in Forestville, Connecticut. Her parents were John Casper Buch and Nellie Amelia Louisa Crawford. When she was young, her family moved to the Bronx, New York.

Education and Health

Vera went to Hunter High School. She then graduated from Hunter College in 1916. Soon after, she became sick with tuberculosis. She spent a year recovering in a special hospital called a sanatorium. While there, she met a woman who inspired her. This woman encouraged Vera to study ideas about how money and society work, known as socialist economic theory.

Political Work and Helping Workers

In 1918, Vera Buch moved to Caldwell, New Jersey. There, she became involved with a group called the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party. She later joined other important groups like the Industrial Workers of the World and the Communist Party USA. These groups aimed to improve life for working people.

Organizing Textile Workers

Vera used the name Leona Smith to help organize workers. She played a key role during the 1926 Passaic textile strike. This was a big strike where textile workers stopped working to demand better conditions. It was one of the first large strikes in the United States led by communists. In Passaic, she met Albert Weisbord, who would later become her husband. They moved to Detroit, where Vera helped create factory newsletters for workers.

Supporting Coal Miners

In 1928, Vera traveled to Pennsylvania. She worked to help women who were part of the United Mine Workers. These women were involved in a coal miner's strike. Vera helped them organize and fight for their rights.

The Loray Mill Strike

Vera was also a union organizer during the Loray Mill strike in 1929. This strike happened in Gastonia, North Carolina. During the strike, the National Guard got involved. A local police chief was killed during a conflict. Vera and 15 other people faced serious charges related to the event. However, she was released when the trial was stopped.

Forming a New Group

The Loray Mill Strike was the last time Vera worked with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). Her future husband, Albert Weisbord, was removed from the CPUSA. In 1931, Vera and Albert started their own group. They called it the Communist League of Struggle. They wanted to offer a different way of thinking about social change.

Continuing Activism in Chicago

In 1935, Vera and Albert moved to Chicago. They continued their work helping workers organize. They got married in 1938. In the 1940s, Vera worked with the Congress of Racial Equality. In the years that followed, she was also active in the Civil Rights Movement. This movement worked to gain equal rights for all people, especially African Americans.

Later Life and Art

In 1952, Vera Buch studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. Over the next twenty years, she created more than 200 paintings. She also wrote a book about her life. It was called A radical life and was published in 1977. Vera Weisbord passed away on September 6, 1987.