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[Pages S5468-S5469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING MARGARET BLACKSHERE
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 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. Margaret and her colleagues were
jailed, but the jail only had two cells. This meant that every day,
Margaret arrived at the jail with her children, ages 3 and 5, and every
[[Page S5469]]
night, she went home because there wasn't enough space. Her fellow
teachers saw her dedication and elected her president of the teachers'
union in Madison.
Margaret went back to Southern Illinois University to earn a master's
degree in urban education. She became focused on issues about children
living in poverty.
Her work with the union and its attempts to earn greater pay for
teachers opened the door to politics. She began working on local
election campaigns. It wasn't just about money anymore; it was about
having a voice. With her hard work, Margaret was elected vice president
of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, IFT, and chair of its
legislative committee.
Eventually, Margaret reluctantly gave up teaching, which she loved so
much, and became a lobbyist for the IFT. She worked in Springfield to
improve the salaries and working conditions of teachers. Margaret also
began building networks and alliances. In 1993, the Illinois AFL-CIO
needed a secretary-treasurer. Margaret was easily elected because she
was respected by so many people from her time campaigning and working
for the IFT.
In 2000, Margaret became president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. When
Margaret came into office, she inherited a staff of 25. None of them
was a person of color. The executive board had no women on it. Illinois
AFL-CIO also didn't have health insurance that covered well-baby care
or mammograms. Margaret brought these benefits into place. She also
transformed the executive board by making it more diverse. Before long,
seven African Americans, two Latinos, and eight women had positions on
the board.
Under Margaret's leadership, the Illinois AFL-CIO helped lead the
fight to raise the State's minimum wage--not once but twice. She led
efforts to guarantee women equal pay for equal work, to expand
healthcare, and to improve Illinois' workers' compensation system.
Margaret excelled at bringing people of different backgrounds
together to achieve goals. She used to say, ``If you've got a good
cause, people will join it.'' She helped create Transportation for
Illinois with the Illinois Automobile Asphalt and Pavement Association,
the Chicago Transit Authority, and other businesses, organized labor,
industry, governmental, and nonprofit organizations to support strong
transportation investments for Illinois. The groups may have fought
each other on a host of issues, but she gave them a unified voice for
infrastructure.
Margaret devoted much of her life as well to charitable organizations
and served on many boards, including the Illinois branches of United
Way and the American Red Cross, Alliance for Retired Americans, Voices
for Illinois Children, Unemployment Insurance Advisory Board, and the
Federal Reserve Board of Chicago. She served as an inspiration to the
Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership alongside my wife, Loretta,
encouraging and training women to become effective leaders in Illinois.
Over the years, Margaret received more awards and accolades than can
be recounted here. She was delighted to be the guest of honor for
Chicago's St. Patrick Day Parade in 2003. Margaret loved celebrating
her Irish heritage.
Loretta and I will miss her great humor and her willingness to always
wish others well unless they were playing her beloved St. Louis
Cardinals.
Margaret is survived by her two sons, Michael and Thomas; her sister,
Patricia; and four grandchildren.
____________________
