author
William English Walling
1877–1936
Born into wealth but drawn to reform, this American writer and activist spent his life arguing for labor rights and racial justice. His reporting on the 1908 Springfield race riot helped spur the movement that led to the founding of the NAACP.
1 Audiobook
Socialism as it is : a survey of the world-wide revolutionary movement
by William English Walling
About the author
William English Walling was an American writer, labor reformer, and socialist activist born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1877. Though he came from a prominent and wealthy family, he became known for championing workers' rights and for writing about social inequality in the United States.
He helped found the National Women's Trade Union League in 1903, linking his name early with labor organizing and reform. Walling is also remembered for his response to the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois: his writing on the violence called for a renewed struggle for civil rights and helped inspire the effort that became the NAACP in 1909.
Alongside his activism, he wrote books and journalism on labor, socialism, and American society. He died in 1936, but he remains a notable figure in the history of progressive reform, labor advocacy, and early twentieth-century civil rights work.