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Matilda Getrude Robbins (1887 – January 9, 1963) was a Russian-born American
"Matilda Robbins"
''Jewish Women's Archive'' (2017). She was one of only two women organizers for the IWW during its early years, along with Flynn. She was arrested for her organizing work in
''Immigrant Girl, Radical Woman: A Memoir from the Early Twentieth Century''
(Cornell University Press 2017).
A photograph of Robbins
probably taken at the time of her arrest in Detroit, Michigan in the 1910s; in the collection of the Walter P. Reuther Library,
The Ben Legere Papers
are also held in the Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Matilda Rabinowitz American socialists Industrial Workers of the World leaders Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 1887 births 1963 deaths
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
labor organizer who first connected with the Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...
during the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...
.
Early life
Tatiana Gitel Rabinowitz (According to the ship's manifest where names of entering immigrants are listed, Matilda's original given name was ''Taube'' (Yiddish or German for 'dove'; however, she claimed a Russian given name, ''Tanya''.)was born in Lityn, Ukraine. She moved to New York with her family at age 13, in 1900. Her name was anglicized to ''Matilda Gertrude Robbins'' in the process of immigration.Career
Robbins started working as a teenager in a shirtwaist factory, and worked various jobs from age 16 onward. InBridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
she made her first connections to the Socialist Party and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Robbins became a key organizer during a strike in Little Falls, New York, running the strike office, organizing a strike kitchen, raising money and legal aid, and fortifying the picket line over the course of fourteen weeks. Robbins and activist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890 – September 5, 1964) was an American labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Libe ...
were then hired by the IWW and spent three years traveling across the United States to assist with labor organizing."Matilda Robbins"''Jewish Women's Archive'' (2017). She was one of only two women organizers for the IWW during its early years, along with Flynn. She was arrested for her organizing work in
East Liverpool, Ohio
East Liverpool is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River at the intersection of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia about from both ...
, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. A suburb of Pittsburgh, it is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census.
History Early history ...
, and in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, all in 1913. Later she was active in the IWW's Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee.
Robbins wrote for the IWW publications for many years after leaving active organizing, and she ran the Socialist Party's Los Angeles office from 1945 to 1947.
Personal life
Robbins had a longtime relationship with another labor organizer, Benjamin J. Legere (1887–1972). They were parents together of a daughter, Vita, born in 1919. Robbins died in 1963, aged 76 years, inOakland, California
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
. Her granddaughter Robbin Légère Henderson, an artist, prepared illustrations for the 2017 publication of Robbins's memoirs, from a manuscript written in the 1950s.Matilda Rabinowitz''Immigrant Girl, Radical Woman: A Memoir from the Early Twentieth Century''
(Cornell University Press 2017).
References
External links
A photograph of Robbins
probably taken at the time of her arrest in Detroit, Michigan in the 1910s; in the collection of the Walter P. Reuther Library,
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...
.
The Ben Legere Papers
are also held in the Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Matilda Rabinowitz American socialists Industrial Workers of the World leaders Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 1887 births 1963 deaths