Edith Anisfield Wolf (1889-1963)
From the time she was a young girl, Edith Anisfield Wolf was passionately committed to social justice. Her father, John Anisfield, took great care to nurture his only child’s sense of local and world issues. After a successful career in the garment industry, he retired early to devote his life to charity. Edith helped to administer his philanthropy.
A published poet and civic activist, Edith skillfully managed her family’s large estate. She was active with the Cleveland Public Library for 20 years, working to ensure that the library had books from all cultures and was a forum where citizens could meet to debate the issues of the day.
Because Edith Anisfield Wolf was a poet, she used literature as a means to explore racial prejudice and celebrate human diversity. She established the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards some 20 years before the landmark Supreme Court Brown vs. Board of Education decision.
Upon her death, she left her home to the Cleveland Welfare Association, her books to the Cleveland Public Library and her funds to The Cleveland Foundation for a community service award, aid for the needy and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.
Poet & Philanthropist
Edith Anisfield Wolf
Submission Deadline 12.31.08
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