Honoring a tireless advocate
Clara Goldberg Schiffer took adversity in stride. When she was in her 70s, the Radcliffe alumna altered her diet and joined a gym after learning she had heart disease. She was determined to remain active in the many causes she held dear, and was committed to her longtime goal of improving the lives of working women. Born in Brockton, Mass., to Jewish immigrants, Schiffer learned the importance of hard work early, taking intense Latin classes so she could apply to Radcliffe College. She worked in a leather plant and a candy factory to help pay for her studies and graduated cum laude in 1932. She moved to Washington, D.C., to work on New Deal programs benefiting workers, women, children, and health. Schiffer supported similar causes well into her 90s. She died in 2009. A group of scholars and professionals involved with the labor movement, workplace law, and social policy gathered at the...