Huge crowd at funeral of Rosalind Lewis, teacher and union activist
Between 800 and 1,000 people were at the funeral for Chicago Teachers Union leader Rosalind Ann Price Lewis on Saturday, Feb. 4th, 2012, on Chicago's South Side. A long -time delegate for Marshall High School, 'Roz," as she was known to everyone, became a union Area Supervisor, Area Vice President, and, when necessary, strike coordinator.
I first met her about 30 years ago before one of our strikes at the old CTU offices at Wells and Lake. We sat around in a big circle of people with nail guns attaching picket signs to boards for picket lines. Roz, 5 feet tall, told me while nailing, that she was half way through her first pregnancy. I asked if she should be spending this time working after school like this? She Answered, "I always have time for my Union."
She had to fight almost every principal at Marshall. Although Marshall had a few great principals — like Dr. Lally or Dr. Gibson and decent ones like Gwen Boyd — most of the principals were poor as educators. Between 2000 and 2010, Marshall had four or five of them, according to teachers I spoke with at the services. The school has been turned around many times. If scores go up , it is because the same students are not there. The housing projects on Lake street were torn down, eliminating more poor people. They tried to get rid of Unionists as Roz who were not afraid to file a grievance or who, after her heart attack, had a disability. In the last five years, both black and disabled personnel have been disappearing from the ranks of personnel. Union members remember that during her final years, Roz worked out of a wheelchair.
Beside being a Marshall delegate, she used the Options for Knowledge (desegregation) program at the school to have both her children attend Marshall. They, like many other Marshall grads, graduated, attended college and did well. Her daughter just received a Masters. Like her fellow students her parents were middle class in background. The counselors at the school were amazing in finding funds and helping those who graduated get into colleges, sometimes even those who did not graduate, by getting them into GED programs connected colleges.
There was a bond between students and staff. They always knew where they could go for help. No one was turned away who asked for it. Colleague Sarah Harper sang a solo. At this funeral at Emmanual Baptist, 83rd and Damen, Roy Baldon, the Recording Secretary for the Alumni Association, read a Resolution on Roz's behalf. He had the Alumni stand. They were about 75-80. He had faculty alumni and current stand. There were over 100. There were a great number of CTU officers and personnel present. Krystal Hammond, a parent from Roz's Sunday school class, sang the Recessional Hymn. Roz was always teaching.
