LILLIAN WALD (A)
LILLIAN WALD (A)
Wald was one of the most prominent female tenement reformers. Originally a nurse, Wald taught a home nursing and hygiene class to immigrant women on the Lower East Side. While in that area, she took notice of the horrid living conditions that the Lower East Side tenants had.
"Over broken asphalt, over dirty mattresses and heaps of
refuse we went... There were two rooms and a family of seven
not only lived here but shared their quarters with boarders... [I
felt] ashamed of being a part of society that permitted such
conditions to exist... What I had seen had shown me where my
path lay." (1)
Wald later had a personal encounter with a small girl who asked her
if she could help take care of her sick mother. Wald’s meeting with
the little girl’s family as well as her existing knowledge of the terrible
living environment that was the Lower East Side prompted Wald to dedicate
her life to improving the lives of tenement dwellers.
Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement (1895), a settlement
house, to help improve the lifestyle of the people of the Lower East Side
and bring people together "through their human and spiritual interests."
The Settlement provided services and employment for all racial and ethnic
groups. She later turned the backyard of the settlement into a playground
and founded the Outdoor Recreation League, which preached the need for
public parks and playgrounds.