Political Quotes

“Margaret Blackshere was a trailblazer as the first woman to serve as president of the nearly 1-million strong Illinois AFL-CIO. In July, she passed away at the age of 79, and I rise today to honor her memory. I share the privilege with countless others to call her a friend. Margaret and her sister were raised by their single mother, Frances, and Aunt Margie in North Venice, IL. Her mother made sure her daughters knew that they could do anything. There were no boy chores or girl chores; there were just chores. Laundry and rewiring a lamp were normal activities. She started off studying to be a nun, but she changed course and ended up studying elementary education at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Her religious convictions remained an essential part of her life, but education was her calling. After college, Margaret began teaching in a school in Madison, IL. She and her fellow teachers were making only $3,000 a year and weren't treated with respect, but they noticed that the steelworkers and mineworkers in the area were respected and doing well because they belonged to a union and worked together to secure better working conditions. Margaret and her colleagues decided they needed to form a union and demand adequate pay from the superintendent. The superintendent refused so Margaret took action and organized a 5-week strike. One small issue--because she and the other teachers were public employees, their strike was illegal.…”