Clementina Black was an amazingly versatile woman: suffragist, writer, linguist, trade unionist, social reformer and family woman. She was born on 27 July 1853 at 58 Ship Street, Brighton, the first daughter of David Black and his wife Maria (née Patten.) David Black was the Town Clerk of Brighton, and Maria was the daughter of George Patten, a well-known Court portrait painter.
As a young woman she was very committed to working women’s rights and was involved in the Match Girl’s Strike in London in 1888. Following this successful strike, she sought to organise low paid semi-skilled women in trade unions through the Women’s Trade Union Association. When this failed, she set up the Women’s Industrial Council and its newspaper Women’s Industrial News which she edited. This organisation investigated all aspects of working women’s work and campaigned for many reforms including the campaign for a minimum wage. She worked with Margaret Bondfield and others to compile the book Married Women’s Work published in 1915.
As a suffragist, Clementina became Secretary of the Women’s Franchise Declaration Committee in 1906, responsible for organising a petition demanding women’s suffrage, which was signed by 257,000 women. In 1911 she became Vice-President of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, and in 1912-13 she served Editor of its publication Common Cause. Also in 1913, she became Vice-President of the London Society for Women’s Suffrage.
Following a family tragedy she became responsible for the upbringing of her young niece and became a mother to her which brought home to her the difficulties of women working with young children. She also wrote a book called Co-operative Housekeeping which sought to alleviate women of the heavy responsibility of housework.
Clementina died in 1922 shortly before her 70th birthday. She lived long enough to see women gain the vote aged 30 but did not live long enough to see universal suffrage nor her friend, Margaret Bondfield become the first woman Cabinet Member.
