Chicago Teacher Turned 'Acerbic' CTU President Karen Lewis Dies

CHICAGO — Karen Lewis, a chemistry teacher turned acerbic union leader, died Monday, according to multiple media reports. She was 67.

Lewis was born on the South Side of Chicago, the daughter of public school teachers, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1974 as the only African American woman in her class, according to WBEZ Chicago.

After teaching high school chemistry for two decades, Lewis became president of the Chicago Teachers Union in 2010 and garnered national attention in 2012 when she led the union's first strike in a quarter century, according to WBEZ. She stepped down from her role in 2018 after being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014 and experiencing a stroke three years later that left her unable to move her left leg or hand.

"The nation has lost a true champion," said Lewis' spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Karen Lewis was one of the most powerful and prolific voices in public education, advocating for students, their families and the communities in which they live."

Calling Lewis the "architect of today's fight for education justice," Gadlin said Chicago has "lost a great voice."

Lewis was a vociferous critic of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and had sought to challenge him for the mayor's office until her cancer diagnosis scuttled those plans.

“Look at the murder rate in this city. He’s murdering schools. He’s murdering jobs. He’s murdering housing. I don’t know what else to call him. He’s the murder mayor,” Lewis said of Emanuel during a 2013 fight over the closing of 50 Chicago schools.

Lewis speaks about a "South Side" exchange with Emanuel in 2013:

Nonetheless, Emanuel praised her as a "tough and tireless champion for public education and Chicago's children" in a tweet on Monday, saying she was "one who was never afraid to fight for what she believed in."

"Karen Lewis was a warrior, an undeniably powerful presence, and she spoke truth to power like no one else," said Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery in a statement Monday. "She was one of the most committed unionists I have ever known, and she did absolutely nothing half way for the cause of labor. To stand beside her and see her members' love for her at rallies on the streets of her beloved hometown of Chicago was a sight I'll always cherish."

Lewis "dedicated her life to the fight for equality, fairness, and respect for all people," Montgomery continued, praising her leadership during the 2012 strike for the revival of the CTU and teachers unions across the country.

"Karen was hilariously funny and could be daringly acerbic," Montgomery said. "More than anyone I've ever known, she contained multitudes."

Lewis speaks at a rally during the 2012 strike:

The Chicago Teachers Union's Local 1 on Monday said Lewis didn't just lead the movement. She "was the movement."

"Our union is in deep mourning today at the passing of our sister, our leader and our friend, President Emerita Karen GJ Lewis," the union said in a statement. "We are sending heart fled condolences to her husband, John Lewis, and her surviving family and friends. She will be dearly missed."

The statement continued:

"Karen taught us how to fight, and she taught us how to love. She was a direct descendant of the legendary Jackie Vaughn, the first Black, female president of our local. Both were fierce advocates for educators and children, but where Jackie was stately elegance, Karen was a brawler with sharp wit and an Ivy League education. She spoke three languages, loved her opera and her show tunes, and dazzled you with her smile, yet could stare down the most powerful enemies of public education and defend our institution with a force rarely seen in organized labor."

Lewis "bowed to no one," and her leadership helped to unite and strengthen the union, the statement said.

Lewis' death comes as the union she led has reached a tentative agreement with a new Chicago mayor, Lori Lightfoot, to return to classrooms in the coming weeks, potentially staving off a strike over COVID-19 safety concerns.