THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT
Margaret R. Blackshere
November 24, 1940-July 6, 2019
Served as first woman elected president of the million-member labor organization, Illinois AFL-CIO, from 2000 to 2007 after winning its first ever contested election for president.
Educator. Trustee of Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. Served at all Levels of the Illinois Labor Movement. Lobbyist. Illinois Federation of Teachers. AFL-CIO. Organizer. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
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Margaret Blackshere
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More About Margaret:
- Biography
- Margaret Blackshere obituary
- Margaret 2013 Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee
- Margaret on Barack Obama winning the primary 2008
- The Illinois Labor History Society – 1995 Union Hall of Honor
- Q & A with Margaret by Jennifer Halperin 1994
- Selected newspaper clippings 1995 – 2005