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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BEATRICE “BEA” LUMPKIN
WHEREAS, Beatrice “Bea” Lumpkin, a retired Chicago Public Schools teacher and lifelong activist was born on August 13, 1918 in the Bronx, New York, and lived an extraordinary 107 years devoted to education, social justice, and the labor movement; and
WHEREAS, Bea was the proud daughter of Russian Jewish immigrant parents whose deep commitment to social justice shaped her values; and
WHEREAS, at the age of 9, she took her first steps in the struggle for workers’ rights and economic justice by joining her first picket line to stand with striking immigrant textile workers; and
WHEREAS, Bea began her career in the labor movement nearly 90 years ago with a factory job at age 14, and helped organize for the Metal and Machinery Workers Industrial Union, a part of the newly formed Congress of Industrial Organizations; and
WHEREAS, upon her college graduation from Hunter College in New York, Bea Lumpkin became an organizer for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; and
WHEREAS, Bea Lumpkin took part in historic civil rights struggles in Chicago, marching with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park, working as an ally of the Black Panther Party, and working to elect Mayor Harold Washington; and
WHEREAS, she was a founding member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1974, the year after Roe v. Wade confirmed a woman's constitutional right to an abortion; and
WHEREAS, she returned to school and became a math teacher both in Chicago Public Schools and at Malcolm X College, where she served as an inspiration to many students; and
WHEREAS, Bea Lumpkin continued to maintain her dedicated advocacy on many fronts, including with the Chicago Teachers Union Retiree Committee, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees, where she has on intergenerational work with youth activists; and
WHEREAS, she expanded her activism in new fields with such critical work as the Chicago Teachers Union Climate Justice Committee and its fight against metal scrap company General Iron; and
WHEREAS, Beatrice “Bea” Lumpkin passed away on June 14, 2026 at the age of 107, leaving behind an inspiring legacy defined by her unrelenting commitment to collective action, justice, and solidarity.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby hold in reverence in honor of the historic legacy of Beatrice “Bea” Lumpkin; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Beatrice “Bea” Lumpkin as an honorable expression of appreciation for her life and work.end