Dorothy Day: Pacifist and Civil Disobedience Advocate

A wise woman once stated, “Don’t worry about being effective; just concentrate on being faithful to the truth” (Day Quotes). This shows that Dorothy Day was never a violent “shove it in your face” kind of person. Day was a very peaceful woman who was not afraid of telling her own opinion. Day was a very smart woman who dedicated her life to service her adopted beliefs. Day practiced pacifism often and had self-control; which lead to her civil disobedience. You see Day’s involvement in civil disobedience was due to personal influences, she chose to participate in civil disobedience to protest pacifism and women's suffrage, and she did achieve success using this controversial method of standing up for what she strongly believes to be right.

On

November 8, 1897, in New York City, Dorothy Day was born. She worked for pacifism and woman suffrage. Grace and John, Day’s parents, worked as journalists (Dorothy Bio). When she was eight her world came crumbling down when the San Fransisco earthquake happened. It destroyed their home, causing them to abandon their beloved bungalow. This earthquake caused many people to evacuate their homes (Bloom). She was raised in a protestant home and was a Roman Catholic since 1928. Some of her memories consisted of the San Fransisco earthquake, and how her mother helped victims. Day loved to read novels as a kid, one of her favorite authors was Fydor Dostoevsky (Facts). Day’s new home was gloomy. Her old home was always so cheerful and bright and was surrounded by varieties of trees and flowers. Day spent most of her hours alone listening to the birds that flew near her garden (Bloom). ”Civil disobedience is a form of protest in which protesters deliberately violate a law,”(Suber),“With the aim of bringing about a change in laws or government policies” (Brownlee).
When Day was sixteen, she entered a contest to win a scholarship at the university of Illinois, and won. To make money she took care of children, did housework, and even work for the local newspaper. Still she was penniless, cold, and hungry (Bloom). While at the University of Illinois Day read about socialists and later joined the socialist party. She returned to New York City in 1916 and joined a socialist newspaper (Dorothy American). Day wasn’t in organized religious groups in college because she ever saw “religious people” helping the poor. Day was part of a circle of social radicals and literary types. In 1917 she went to jail for the first time (Facts). Day met Peter Maurin in 1932. They founded the Catholic Worker, a newspaper that advertised Catholic teachings. This newspaper tackled issues of social justice (Dorothy Bio).
The birth of her daughter, Tamar, brought her joy and happiness.

This lead to her final embrace of the Catholic Faith. The Catholic Worker newspaper distributed two thousand five hundred copies by hand in May 1933 (Facts). During a time of crisis, Day, gave hope to people that stopped hoping. She created the Catholic Worker Movement within the Catholic Church. She was one of the people who had a great influence on the American Catholic Church (Bloom). The first House of Hospitality was opened in 1933. There are more than 200 Catholic Worker movements exists today. Day said that Peter Maurin was the person who completed her Catholic education, she referred to him as a saint (Facts). In 1917 Day stayed at the staff of masses until the Catholic Worker was restrained by the government. She was a nurse in Brooklyn for a short period of time (1918-19). Day continued in writing and journalism thereafter (Dorothy

America).
Day developed her concern for others from the love for her brother. She took care of her brother as if he were her son, she looked over him all the time, whether it were day or night. Later in life Day wrote an autobiography, she called it The Long Loneliness, and talked about her father John (Bloom). Day once said, “We have all known the long loneliness, and we have learned that the only solution is love and the love comes with community.”(Day Quotes). A lot of pacifists believe that the only way to stop war is to stop the social conditions that have created suffering and discontent. Poverty is a condition. Day gave up most of her later life to helping the poor (Peace People). Day heard the sounds of a distant German band on a street corner. Each and every day as she walked through the streets, she looked for the signs of beauty and growth. Throughout Day’s life she always looked for the absolute best in people and things that surrounded her (Bloom).
The Catholic Worker movement took radical positions, and Day had inspired it all.

During World War II the Catholic Worker an organ for pacifism and supported conscientious objectors (Dorothy American). Over many years, Day’s life story has been a subject of lots of books and films. Maria Kelly played her in the movie Entering Angels; The Dorothy Day Story, In 1996. In the same film Martin Sheen portrayed the Catholic Worker co-founder, Peter Maurin (Dorothy Bio). In 1932 Day met Peter Maurin, he had developed a program of Social reconstruction. The program, now known as the Catholic Worker movement, aimed to unite workers and intellectuals in joint activities ranging from farming to educational discussions (Dorothy American). Day dedicated most of her life to her faith and beliefs. On November 29, 1980, in New York City, she died. Over two hundred communities in the United States and other communities worldwide are still growing today through her movement (Dorothy

Bio).