LOWER EAST SIDE — In honor of Mother’s Day, a new historic neighborhood tour in May will follow in the footsteps of influential women who have left their mark on the Lower East Side.
The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy will host a special celebratory walking tour May 8 titled “Great Ladies of the Lower East Side: Heroines, Balabustas, and Yiddisha Mammas!” that will take walkers on a journey through the lives of the neighborhood’s notable female movers and shakers of the early 20th century.
“The history of the Lower East side is just filled with stories of remarkable women who made outstanding contributions in so many different areas,” executive director Lori Tobias-Cohen said.
Mother’s Day revelers will kick off the tour with a late-morning drink at the Henry Street Settlement, a social services agency founded by revolutionary nurse Lillian D. Wald to help low-income community members at the turn of the century.
To this day, the settlement continues to carry out Wald’s legacy by providing valuable services to city dwellers in need — such as job training, health services, and youth programs — making it the essential starting point for the tour spotlighting praiseworthy ladies, Tobias-Cohen said.
“The Henry Street Settlement is absolutely the right way to start,” she said. “She worked in the halls of power so that people, irrespective of their backgrounds, could improve their quality of life in housing, education, hygiene, cultural experiences and lessons in the arts for children.”
The tour will go on to showcase the accomplishments of noteworthy women such as feminist artist Louise Nevelson and activist Clara Lemlich, who fought for workers’ rights alongside fellow factory laborers in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.
Participants will wrap up the walk at the Museum at Eldridge Street, which is co-sponsoring the tour, where they will enjoy a light lunch from local bakery Kossar’s Bialys.
The tour is $35 per person and can be purchased here. The last day to register is May 4.
