John Elliott and Luella May Welcome You to the Thirty First Edition of
Women of Courage
Each week we will honor a woman that has truly made a difference by her contributions, courage, love, and selflessness. Women honored will be chosen from inside AdlandPro, outside AdlandPro, living in the present, and yes, we will not forget those heroines that paved the way for the freedoms we now enjoy. We will honor women who have shown tremendous courage and fortitude against all odds.
Assisting us in coordinating these awards are four outstanding ladies who are Women of Courage in their own right.
Presenting:
Carla Cash
http://community.adlandpro.com/go/245569/default.aspx
Veronica Davidson
http://community.adlandpro.com/go/vdavidson1972/default.aspx
Joyce Hyde
http://community.adlandpro.com/go/031849/default.aspx
Pauline Raina http://community.adlandpro.com/go/301079/default.aspx
Aparna Ganguli http://community.adlandpro.com/go/blukiwi/default.aspx
Geketa Holman http://community.adlandpro.com/go/313726/default.aspx
Our Sweethearts of Courage
Shirley Caron http://community.adlandpro.com/go/scaronpoet2005/default.aspx
Michael Caron http://community.adlandpro.com/go/192260/default.aspx
And Adlands very own man of Courage
John Partington http://community.adlandpro.com/go/114695/default.aspx
WE PRESENT TO YOU OUR THIRTY FIRST
WOMAN OF COURAGE
Leonora Marie (Kearney) Barry
(1849-1930)
Leonora Barry was the first female labor organizer in American history. An Irish immigrant, Barry faced many a family hardship, including the death of her mother,and rose from her early life challenges to become a schoolteacher at age 15. After the death of her husband in 1880, Barry found herself with three children to support so, out of necessity, she began working for an Amsterdam clothing factor y. Working conditions were abhorrent , and the pay was poor — Barry earned just 11 cents for her first day on the job and only 65 cents for her first complete week of work — but she continued at that job for two years.
In 1884, Barry joined the Knights of Labor, a national organization started by Philadelphia tailors in 1869 which welcomed women, blacks, employers and industrial workers alike. The union’s goals were to abolish child and convict labor, require equal pay for equal work, establish an eight-hour work day, and eliminate private banks. Membership totaled 702,000 under union leader Terence Powderly in 1886, and Barry was sent as one of 16 female delegates (out of 660) to the national convention in Richmond, Virginia.
During her involvement with the Knights of Labor, Barry worked to improve the working conditions and the wages of women and children around the country. She traveled across the country to educate female workers and inspire them to form and join labor unions. Following her resignation from the Knights of Labor in 1890, Barry continued to travel and speak on behalf of women’s suffrage, temperance, and other social reform
movements.
Text Source: Woman of Courage profile produced by the St. Lawrence County, NY Branch of the American Association of University Women, http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/barry.htm
Photo Source: http://digital.upenn.edu/women/eagle/congress