When you think about the important people who helped shape the Lower East Side, do mostly men come to mind such as Forward editor Abraham Cahan, reformer Jacob Riis, AFL president Samuel Gompers, entertainers George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and even gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky?
What about the women? They had just as much influence (both good and bad) as their more famous male counterparts and were just as important in shaping political attitudes, fighting for rights, and giving the neighborhood a better feeling about their place in the world.
Join historian and urban archeologist Brad Shaw for a stroll around the Lower East Side as he introduces you to some of these women, both famous and infamous, who were ingrained in the attitudes and social reforms of this immigrant neighborhood.
Some of the women you will meet:
The editor of an important Yiddish newspaper
Labor leaders who were instrumental in upgrading working conditions
Social reformers who fought for better care and living conditions
One of the most famous criminals of the 19th century
The most famous political activist of all time
