June Croll (1901-1967) was a U.S. labor organizer most active during the interwar years.

Biography

June Croll was born Sonia Croll in 1901 in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

in Ukraine, at the time part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. During her girlhood, she emigrated illegally to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and then to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where by the age of 12 she was working in the garment industry in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It is not certain when she changed her name from Sonia to June. Croll became involved in trade unionism, organizing textile and millinery workers and leading strikes. She joined the Communist Party and by 1935 was secretary of the Anti-Nazi Federation. She later became the executive director of the Emma Lazarus Federation of Jewish Women's Clubs (ELF). The ELF was a progressive organization formed by Clara Lemlich and others to provide relief to victims of World War 2, to combat antisemitism, and to provide educational programs on Jewish identity and women's rights. Croll still held this job at the time of her death in 1967. Her communist beliefs and labor activism made her a target of

McCarthyism McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a Fear mongering, campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage i ...

. An attempt was made to deport her, and she was called to testify before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

. She died in 1967.

Personal life

Croll married Carl Reeve, the executive chairman of the Communist Party of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Reeve was the son of labor organizer Ella Reeve Bloor. Croll later divorced him and had a long relationship with African-American journalist Eugene Gordon, starting in the 1930s. She traveled to the Soviet Union with Gordon in 1937-38. She married Gordon after he divorced his first wife in 1942. At times she used the alias "Mrs. Langston Hughes", possibly to confuse U.S. immigration authorities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, June 1901 births 1967 deaths Odesa Jews American women trade unionists Jewish women activists American communists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Canada Canadian emigrants to the United States Jewish American trade unionists Jewish communists Jewish anti-fascists Victims of McCarthyism Jews from the Russian Empire