Student Activism in the 1930s
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SLID Essays (Summer, 1935)

Autobiography of Sylovia Parter


George Washington High School, New York City

1. I entered this world both unexpected and unwanted. Unfortunately I am the second half of a set of twins. My life until the age of four passed as would be expected, I suppose. At that time my family broke up, my father and my older sister going east, my twin sister and myself remaining with my mother. For a period of two years my sister and myself were sent from one place to another, not having what would be classified as a home, knowing neither our father or mother. When we were about six we went to live with mother, again not having an opportunity of knowing mother or a home life, as mother was busy making a living and was unable to give any time to the house.

2. With a background like this, despite the fact that mother was very radical, any ideas I had, or should have, were of necessity formulated by my reasoning out the problems surrounding me. I remember very clearly that when I was about eight years old, mother owned an apartment house which was probably half empty. I could never see the logic of this when there were people sleeping in the streets. I immediately started to find the reasons for this condition and upon hearing that it was the fault of the system under which we lived I immediately began to trace my ideas. Upon following them to their logical conclusion, I felt that the money system was one of the chief causes of the present confusion and began in my childish way to formulate plans for a cooperative commonwealth, not realizing at the time what my ideas would lead me into.

3. I continued in this fashion for a few years, doing no reading on the subject, but listening to conversations going on in the house, which I was at the time able to understand only slightly. Later on my big sister came to visit us, and she had a very strong influence on me and my future. With this, and attending the Workmen Circle Camp for one summer I was certain that something was wrong with the system, and that I was going to be one of the people who would try to emancipate the working class.

4. When I was twelve years old, I came to New York to live with my father. I then began in an indirect way to begin my work as a future leader of the labor movement by reading books advised to me by my father. At that time he made the mistake of forgetting that I had had no background at all, and suggested books much to advanced to be understood by me. I, wishing to please Papa, waded through this literature, and consequently killed my desire for reading to a certain extent.

5. During this time, trouble developed in relation to my home life and again I felt as if I must do something to use my energy, and also to get my mind off the affairs at home.

6. It was at this time that I joined the Y.P.S.L. and because of the above mentioned reasons I put all my energy and all my time into my work, regained my interest to know things that were happening about me, and again started to read, this time literature of my own choosing, along with the advice of people who were in a position to advise me intelligently with regard to my previous education, etc.

7. Because of my work at the Y.P.S.L. I became interested in the student field, and at the time devoted as such time and energy to that line. I intend to continue in that work as long as I feel I am capable of continuing the work successfully, which I hope will be a long time.

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