(1890-1964), political activist. Noted for her stirring oratory in the defense of the rights of labor, Flynn became active in the
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1906. In 1906. In 1920, reacting to the post-World War I red scare, she helped form the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In 1937 she joined the Communist party, later becoming its first woman leader. (The ACLU board ousted her in 1940 because of her Communist associations but reinstated her in 1976.) Flynn spent two years in prison (1955-57) under the
Smith Act for advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government.
