Lillian D. Wald was an American nurse, humanitarian, and social reformer who made significant contributions to public health and social justice. Wald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 10, 1867, and grew up in a middle-class German-Jewish family. She received a private education and later attended Miss Cruttenden's English-French Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies in New York City.
Wald initially pursued a career in teaching, but she eventually decided to become a nurse after working as a visiting nurse in New York City's tenement neighborhoods. She saw firsthand the dire living conditions and lack of access to healthcare that many poor and immigrant families faced, and she was inspired to make a difference.
In 1893, Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement, a community center that provided healthcare, education, and social services to the residents of the Lower East Side. The settlement was the first of its kind in the United States, and it served as a model for other community centers that were established across the country.
Wald was a pioneer in the field of public health nursing, and she worked to promote the role of nurses as healthcare providers and advocates for the poor and underserved. She also advocated for social reform and worked to improve the lives of immigrants, women, and children.
One of Wald's most notable achievements was her work to establish the Visiting Nurses Service of New York, which provided home healthcare to the city's poor and sick. This organization, which was founded in 1893, was the first of its kind in the United States and served as a model for other home healthcare organizations that were established in the country.
Wald was also a leader in the women's suffrage movement, and she worked to promote the rights of women and children. She was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL), and she served as the president of the National Women's Trade Union League.
In addition to her work in nursing and social reform, Wald was also a writer and speaker, and she wrote several books on nursing and social reform. She received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
Lillian Wald's achievements as a nurse, humanitarian, and social reformer have had a lasting impact on public health and social justice, and she is remembered as a pioneer and leader in these fields.