Born: 12 January 1952, Poland
Died: 17 October 2002
Country most active: Poland
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Alina Pienkowska was a nurse who played a significant role in the Solidarność movement against the communist regime in Poland. In 1981, she was arrested and subsequently interned for two years, all while being closely monitored by security services.
Alina Pienkowska worked as an emergency nurse at the Gdańsk Shipyard’s Industrial Health Care Center and actively participated in the Free Trade Unions of the Coast since 1978. She also edited the independent magazine “Robotnik Wybrzeża,” addressing poor working conditions and occupational diseases. Her activism extended to distributing leaflets, participating in anniversary events, and collaborating with notable activists like Lech Wałęsa and Anna Walentynowicz.
Her opposition activities drew the attention of security services, resulting in surveillance and repressive actions from August 1978 onwards. Despite facing false accusations of work negligence, she retained her nursing position.
In August 1980, when a strike erupted over Anna Walentynowicz’s firing, Pienkowska played a crucial role in communication. On December 13, 1981, she was interned in various detention centers until her release in July 1982. Upon her return to Gdańsk, she continued her anti-communist efforts, collaborating with the Regional Coordination Commission of “Solidarność.”