Lillian D. Wald was a practical idealist who worked
to create a more just society. Her goal was to ensure that women
and children, immigrants and the poor, and members of all ethnic
and religious groups would realize America’s promise of “life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.”
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As a young
nurse, Wald hoped to provide decent health care to
residents of New York’s Lower East Side tenements. Her
work as the founder of the Henry Street Settlement
and the Visiting Nurse Service demonstrated her masterful
administrative talents, deep regard for humanity and skill at
fundraising and publicizing. Championing the causes of public health
nursing, housing reform, suffrage, world peace, and the rights of
women, children, immigrants and working people, Wald became an
influential leader in city, state, and national politics. Her
tireless efforts to link the health of children with the health
of nations made her a model of achievement, caring, and integrity
throughout her lifetime. Although Wald achieved international
recognition, her efforts were always grounded in the belief that
the world was simply an expanded version of the culturally diverse
neighborhood.
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