Laura Washington: My mother, a force to be reckoned with, lived the transformation of 20th century Chicago
Opinion content—editorials, columns and guest commentaries—is created independent of news reporting and is exclusive to subscribers.Laura Washington, left, with mother Gwendolyn in April 2023 in Chicago. Gwendolyn Washington died on May 17 at age 89 after a brief illness. She was Washington's inspiration to cover racial justice and politics.On May 17, Gwendolyn “Gwen” Washington passed away at the age of 89 after a brief illness.
My mother was an avid champion of books and reading, inspiring countless students at Kennedy-King College, where she worked for 25 years. She traveled throughout Africa, visiting and learning in Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Egypt. Vote, at all costs. Then hold them accountable. Her former alderman, Sophia King, once knocked at Mama’s door, asking for her vote. My mother’s reply: “Where haveIn the 1990s, she answered phones and stuffed envelopes to help elect a little-known state senator in Hyde Park. “We helped get Obama elected before he got to be so important!” she would incessantly note.Her demanding ways and stern hand toughened me up. I would come home crying from school because a classmate was cruel.
The first letter, impeccably typed by her, was dated Dec. 31, 1965, and addressed to Paul Douglas, then the U.S. senator from Illinois. Mama had recently met Douglas at a community meeting, she wrote. “I was very proud to have the privilege of shaking your hand.”Then she got down to business. “I was formerly employed by The U.S. Post Office here in Chicago. I left the job to return to college.
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