Over the weekend, our union, the labor movement, the civil rights movement, and all movements for justice lost a fierce fighter and dear friend. Beatrice “Bea” Lumpkin passed away at 107 years old, leaving behind a legacy of activism, organizing, and friendship that has spanned nearly a century and will continue to impact generations to come.

Bea’s extraordinary life is a testament to workers rights, racial justice, education, and civil rights. She took her first job as a factory worker at the age of 14 and soon after began organizing workers. A passionate and committed fighter for justice, she was a member of multiple unions including the Laundry Workers Industrial Union, United Electrical Workers, Coalition of Labor Union Women, and Chicago Teachers Union. She was an advocate for tenant’s rights, fought Jim Crow and segregation, and later became a public school teacher and university professor.

Bea worked closely with our members over the years through our Future Fighters and co-founded Intergen, a group that brought together people of all ages to learn, mentor, and grow across the generational divide to build a better world together. She never missed a chance to show solidarity with our members and often marched shoulder to shoulder with us at rallies and on picket lines. Bea never shied away from a struggle or an opportunity to support anyone in movements for justice and equity. At 102 during the height of the COVID pandemic, she suited in hazmat gear so she could cast her vote in the 2020 election.

Bea’s life and legacy are a testament to the power of organizing, the power of workers, and the power of fighting for justice for a better world for everyone. Her life and work were and will continue to remain an inspiration for all that follow. We honor her memory and may it continue to guide us as we continue our work. As Bea once said, “There’s still hope, and where there’s hope, there has to be action.”