Emma Mashinini was born in 1929 and has lived all her life in those areas of Johannesburg, such as Sophiatown and Soweto, reserved for "non-whites." She was a founder and first General Secretary of the black trade union Commercial, Catering, and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (CCAWUSA) from 1975-1985. Later she worked as the Director of the Department of Justice and Reconciliation for the Anglican Church in South Africa in the office of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.