Mildred Williamson

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Mildred Williamson

Mildred Williamson is a Chicago based leader[1] of Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism[2].

Mildred Williamson is a social worker and social justice activist from Chicago and a member of the national coordinating committee of CCDS. Since 1987, she has been a public health activist, program developer and health care service provider for the underserved, specifically HIV care and prevention.

Dr. Williamson, is HIV/AIDS Section Chief, Illinois Department of Public Health. She is married to Willie Williamson.

Mildred Williamson has spent her career in public service with human rights/social justice as her passion. She has more than 30 years of experience in developing and leading public health safety net programs for vulnerable populations. She recently retired as Executive Director of HIV Services for Cook County Health and continues to serve as Adjunct Assistant Professor the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (UIC-SPH).

She served as HIV/AIDS Section Chief for the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2008-2015 and began her public health career at Cook County (now John H. Stroger) Hospital in 1989 as the first administrator of the Women & Children HIV Program, which today, is part of the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center - the largest provider of comprehensive HIV services in the Midwest. Dr. Williamson obtained her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Social Work at the School of Social Service Administration/University of Chicago. [3]

Early life

Mildred Williamson as a lifelong Chicagoan, the product of parents who were among those who migrated from the Jim Crow south to the north in search of a better life. She grew up in the Chicago neighborhood now known as “Bronzeville[4].”

Education

BA, 1975, Loyola University; MA, 1989, and PhD, 2000, University of Chicago[5].

Early activism

As a college student, in the early 1970s, Mildred Williamson participated in the campaigns to save the old Cook County Hospital and the nearby Chicago Maternity Center[6].

"The War on Women Today"

The Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism Presents a panel discussion "The War on Women Today" Monday, March 28, 2022.

Speakers:

NAAPR launch

Jazmine Salas November 24, 2019 ·

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With Mildred Williamson and Llenda Jackson-Leslie at Chicago Teachers Union.

Old comrades

Lisa Brock February 19, 2019 ·

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With Rachel Rubin, Angela Davis, Mildred Williamson and Anne Mitchell in Birmingham, Alabama.

"Memorial Services for Karlin Flory"

In an article about the 1985 memorial service for Karlin Flory, son of "Ishmael Flory, former chairman of the Illinois District of the Communist Party USA, and the late Eloise Boone", he was identified as having been in "many activities for peace and equality" including protests at the South African Consulate, was a "Daily World supporter" who circulated the paper "in the early days of Operation Breadbasket, which later became Operation PUSH".

Among the speakers were:[8]

National Committee, CPUSA

In 1990, Mildred Williamson served on the National Committee of the Communist Party USA.[9]

Communist Party dissidents

On November 15-16 1991, 30 dissident members of the National Committee of the Communist Party USA convened a meeting to "sign a statement of events" - most or all signatories were soon to break with the party and were later to form Committees of Correspondence.

The signatories included Mildred Williamson, Illinois[10];

Communist Party reformer

In 1991 Mildred Williamson, Illinois, was one of several hundred Communist Party USA members to sign the a paper "An initiative to Unite and Renew the Party" - most signatories left the Party after the December 1991 conference to found Committees of Correspondence.[11]

Committees of Correspondence

In 1992, Mildred Williamson, Chicago, endorsed the Committees of Correspondence national conference Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s held at Berkeley California July 17-19.[12]

Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s

The Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s was the Committees of Correspondence's first national conference held in Berkeley, California July 17-19, 1992.[13]

Workshops that were held at the conference on Saturday, July 18 included:[14]

Health The challenge to our health. What next in the struggle for national health care? The fight against aids and infant mortality and for a rational system of preventative medicine for all

Jack Siegel tribute

Chicago Committees of Correspondence held a tribute banquet to 88 year old member Jack Spiegel, on October 3, 19993, with 250 in attendance.

special guest included State Senator Jesus Garcia, Alderman Helen Shiller, Harold Rogers from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Carole Travis from the UAW, Larry Reagan from the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, Bernice Bild from the Coalition for New Priorities, Camille Odeh, from the Coalition of Palestinian Women and Meca Sorrentini from the Puerto Rican Socialist Party

Keynote speakers CoC co-chair Manning Marable. Illinois CoC co-chairs Sandy Patrinos and Mildred Williamson presented the awards. Maggie Brown sang songs, some written by her father Oscar Brown.[15]

CoC National Coordinating Committee

The following are listed in order of votes they received as members of the Committees of Correspondence National Coordinating Committee, elected at the Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s held at Berkeley California July 17-19.:[14]

Further CoC activity

In July 1994 Williamson was elected[16]to the 15 member National Co-ordinating Committee of Committees of Correspondence at CoC's founding conference in Chicago.

In 1994 Mildred Williamson, Chicago was listed on a "Membership, Subscription and Mailing List" for the Chicago Committees of Correspondence, an offshoot of the Communist Party USA.[17]

In 1995 Midred Williamson and Willie Williamson were listed[18] as two of the "CoC members and friends" donating to Committees of Correspondence. They contributed $25.

In 1997 Mildred Williamson served on the National Co-Ordinating Committee of the Committees of Correspondence.[19]

At the Committees of Correspondence National Conference and Convention, July 25-28, 2002 San Francisco State University, the Plenary Panel and Discussion on Electoral Reform and the Struggle for Democracy comprised;

John Nichols, Gus Newport, Medea Benjamin, Mildred Williamson The protection of the right to vote, ballot access, electoral campaigns that are independent of corporations and major political parties.[20]

In 2006 members of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism National Coordinating Committee were[21];

Marilyn Albert, Mael Apollon, Carl Bloice, Barbara Blong, Barry Cohen, David Cohen, Otis Cunningham, Carl Davidson, Mort Frank, Todd Freeberg, Pat Fry, Marian Gordon, Ira Grupper, June Hemmingson, Ed Hemmingson, Fred Hicks, Duncan McFarland, Anne Mitchell, Maxine Orris, Ted Pearson, Gina Pesulima-Palencar, Edith Pollach, Marty Price, Merle Ratner, Jay Schaffner, Jae Scharlin, Mike Stein, Harry Targ, Walter Teague, Meta Van Sickle, Steve Willett and Mildred Williamson.

July 25 2009 Mildred Williamson, was a candidate[22]for the Committees of Correspondence National Co-ordinating Committee at CCDS national conference in San Francisco-elected.

Mildred Williamson, Illinois, was elected in 2013 to the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism National Coordinating Committee;[23]

Health activism

On April 24 2007 at the School of The Art Institute Auditorium, Chicago DrPeter Orris of Stroger Hospital, activist Mildred Williamson and author Debra Evenson held a discussion[24]following the screening of "Salud" a documentary exploring Cuba’s healthcare system & global initiatives...

Progressives for Obama

In 2009 Mildred Williamson Committees of Correspondence,was listed as a signer of the Progressives for Obama website.[25]

2016 CCDS National Coordinating Committee

Mildred Williamson, Illinois, was elected in 2016 to the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism National Coordinating Committee;[26]

CCDS Democracy Charter Study Group

In 2017 the CCDS Democracy Charter Study Group consisted of James Campbell, Timothy V. Johnson, Mildred Williamson, Pat Fry, Erica Carter, Karl Kramer, Mark Solomon, Anne Mitchell, Meta Van Sickle.[27]

Recruited by Sylvia Woods

Women from the national liberation struggles and the working class were honored at Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack!’s annual event in Chicago, March 10 2018, to celebrate International Women’s Day. More than 60 activists heard about the Black liberation movement icons, Marion Stamps and Sylvia Woods.

Stamps, a member of the Black Panther Party, went on as an organizer in the Cabrini Green housing project to help elect Mayor Harold Washington in 1983. Marion’s memory was honored by her daughter, Tara Stamps, a leader in the Chicago Teachers Union.

Sylvia Woods began in the 1930s as a laundry worker who led a successful fight for unionization. A lifelong member of the Communist Party USA, she was the head of the Chicago Committee to Free Angela Davis, and founding co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Her story was told by Mildred Williamson, who was recruited by Woods to the Alliance.[28]

Publications

Chapters in African American Women and HIV/AIDS: Critical Responses; It Just Ain't Fair: Access to Health Care for African Americans; Reframing Women's Health; Families' and Children's AIDS Network News[29].

References

Template:Reflist Template:Endorsers of the Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s

  1. http://www.cc-ds.org/leadership.html
  2. http://www.cc-ds.org/williamson_testimony.pdf
  3. [1]
  4. http://www.cc-ds.org/williamson_testimony.pdf
  5. http://www.saic.edu/people/Williamson_Mildred.html?color=GREEN
  6. http://www.cc-ds.org/williamson_testimony.pdf
  7. [2]
  8. "Daily World", January 11, 1985, p. 11
  9. PWW October 20, 1990, page 24
  10. List of those NC members who signed statement of events at meeting of 11/15-16/91
  11. Addendum to Initiative document
  12. CCDS Background
  13. Conference program
  14. Jump up to: 14.0 14.1 Proceedings of the Committees of Correspondence Conference: Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the '90s booklet, printed by CoC in NY, Sept. 1992 (Price: $4)
  15. CoC newletter, Oct./Dec. 1993, page 5
  16. http://www.greenleft.org.au/1994/155/9068
  17. Chicago CoC "Membership, Subscription and Mailing List" 10.14.94
  18. CoC Corresponder Vol4 No 5 p3
  19. CoC Corresponder November 1996/January 1997 Page 2
  20. [The Corresponder Vol 10, number 1, June 2002 http://www.cc-ds.org/pub_arch/CorresponderX1-2.pdf]
  21. http://www.cc-ds.org/IssueJune2006Version4.0.pdf
  22. http://www.cc-ds.org/NCC%20Round.htm
  23. CCDS leadership, accessed March 2014
  24. http://mailman.depaul.edu/pipermail/intstuds02/Week-of-Mon-20070416/000882.html
  25. Progressives for Obama
  26. [3]
  27. [4]
  28. Women’s Day in Chicago By staff | March 11, 2018
  29. http://www.saic.edu/people/Williamson_Mildred.html?color=GREEN