Report on the Commemorative Assembly for Betty Resnikoff and her peace and justice work
By Neal Resnikoff
Betty Resnikoff and her peace and justice work were well honored at a Commemorative Assembly on Saturday, October 9 on the 4100 block of North St. Louis Avenue in Chicago.
Over 70 people showed up to listen to speeches commemorating Betty’s life and peace and justice work—family, neighbors, political activists and other friends. And eat some delicious pot luck food.
This was organized after Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa introduced an ordinance in Chicago City Council to honor Betty’s peace and justice work with a resolution and street signage saying Betty Resnikoff Way on St. Louis Avenue and Berteau St. The ordinance passed unanimously in City Council. Unveiling of the street sign took place on Saturday.
We should have a video of the program available soon.
Here is the kickoff speech by Neal Resnikoff:
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| Betty Resnikoff was honored by having part of St. Louis Street in Albany Park named after her after her years of activism fighting against injustice and wars for empire. The modern day hero died of Covid-19 last year. |
In case you don’t know me, I’m Neal Resnikoff. I was the husband of Betty Resnikoff, the peace and justice advocate we are commemorating here.
As you may know, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa took an initiative to introduce an ordinance in City Council to honor Betty’s peace and justice work with a resolution and street signs that say Betty Resnikoff Way.
I thank Alderman Rosa, and I thank the Chicago City Council, for extending this honor.
And I want to thank Alderman Rosa’s staff, especially Billy Drew and Naysha for preparing the ordinance, and for helping to enable us to have this assembly here.
And, I also want to thank Julie Thompson, superintendent of Independence Park for generously allowing us to use field house chairs, tables, and this loud speaker.
And I want to thank each and every person here for coming, some from long distances.
And I want to thank those who helped distribute leaflets and collect signatures, those who brought food, and those who helped in other ways.
Now we will have speakers to commemorate Betty—me; some family members, neighbors, friends; and Alderman Rosa.
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| Alderman Carlos Rosa (35 Ward) helps Neal Resnikoff unveal the new street sign named in his late wife's name Betty Resnikoff. |
Betty was first and foremost in her life a peace and justice activist, with a spirit of struggle to change the political system we face, to make life better for the people in this society. I would like to suggest that Betty is a model for what each of us could be doing more of.
Betty died of the corona virus, unexpectedly, on April 28, 2020. On that very day, in the morning, she was talking on the phone to me about being happy about some workers’ struggles, and the need for unity in the working class.
Betty, as many of you know, was very lively She was a very friendly person, and had a great sense of humor. You can see that in some of her political cartoons posted on the placards around here.
Betty was always interested in what people thought, and in having friendly discussion with them from there. In distribution she always said, after giving an announcement of the topic of the leaflet, “What do you think?”
In case you don’t know, Betty was an English teacher at UIC for several years until her retirement, after teaching at Harold Washington Community College, DePaul, DeVry, and East-West University in Chicago. Before that Betty taught at junior and senior high schools and colleges in a number of places, including Zanzibar, East Africa.
Betty was a very caring and loving teacher, who saw herself as a coach for her students. She never held students’ weaknesses against them, but showed the students how to practice and improve. Betty would give students a grade based only on their final product.
On content, Betty encouraged critical thinking, for the students to think for themselves and back up any conclusion or judgment they came to with evidence and proof.
As for some of Betty’s peace and justice activities in Chicago, from 1983--
Betty was a founding member of Albany Park, North Park, Mayfair Neighbors for Peace and Justice, which got started in the days of opposing the U.S. war on Iraq, from 2003, and produced many newsletters and held many discussion meetings. Among the things she did, Betty created political cartoons and other graphics, including placards. You can see some around you and on the Betty memorial website: www.obituare.com/betty-
As well, Betty was a founding member of the Chicago Anti-war Coalition.
Here are some of the issues Betty was active in, always encouraging people such as yourselves to participate:
--One issue was defense of the day laborers, mostly undocumented immigrants. They once had a nice drive-in center near the corner of Pulaski and Foster on undeveloped city land, where they could stabilize contacts with contractors and ensure that they got paid. The alderman of the 39th ward, Margaret Laurino, decided to drive them out of that spot. Betty was part of the rallies and other opposition to Laurino’s plan. And then, when Laurino evicted the workers, Betty supported the setting up of the Albany Park Workers’ Center as a hub for day laborers seeking safe and reliable employment.
-- Along this line of defense of undocumented immigrants, Betty was a founding member of the Albany Park Defense Network. This group has opposed the U.S. government drive to chase undocumented immigrants out of the country, even though they have been great workers, tax-payers, and productive members of the community. This group is still active, and if you would like to participate with them, please let me know.
--Betty was active in opposing another of Alderman Laurino’s plans for moving low-income people out of the area. Laurino decided to demolish some affordable housing in the Kimball/Foster area by building a new and larger library at Foster/Kimball, at an exorbitantly high price that lined the pockets of her developer friends.
--One of the main issues of Neighbors for Peace and Justice, and of the Chicago Anti-war Coalition, has been to oppose all U.S. government interference in other countries.
You cannot have peace and justice when you have a government that serves the profit-making of big banks and corporations. They will do anything to make a buck.
You cannot have peace and justice when the aim of the U.S. ruling class is to create and maintain a U.S. empire for the big banks and corporations.
In case you don’t know, each of the Founding Fathers said, in writing, that their aim was to create an American empire.
You cannot have peace and justice when the U.S. government devotes itself to regime change and war to get more dependable pro-U.S. governments.
Betty was active against the U.S. war in Indochina, against the U.S. attacks on Grenada and Panama, against the U.S. war on Afghanistan, against the U.S. war on Libya, against the efforts at regime change in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and against the illegal and unjust U.S. sanctions and other actions against North Korea, Iran, the Palestinians and others.
A main slogan for Betty was No War for U.S. Empire. She explained that this is a key concept as it is what the U.S. government does. She explained how it is very important for all of us to build unity and organization to achieve a peace and justice government that is of, by, and for the people—power to the people.
One regular place where Betty explained this was at the corner of Lawrence and Kimball, even when she had to sit in a walker to do her leafletting and discussions because of painful legs. And she did that no matter how hot it was or how cold.
She would always use the method of asking people what they thought about this or that political issue, and have calm discussions with people from there.
--As part of throwing a monkey wrench into the aggressive actions of the U.S. military, Betty participated in actively opposing military recruitment in the public schools. We went into the schools with a table with counter-military brochures and talked to students. If anyone would like to do that, please let me know.
Betty had political discussions against U.S. wars and other issues wherever she could and whenever.
Her political discussions at UIC with students were so effective that the administration had her arrested for sitting at a table in the cafeteria in the school she taught at and discussing illegal and unjust U.S. government interference in other countries.
A funny story is that Betty convinced the university police that this was a violation of her rights. When the administration called to say to hold her because they wanted to press charges, the police said it was too late, they had already let her go! –while Betty was still there, waiting for a ride back to campus by them.
Betty was arrested one time near a federal building while she was having quiet and non-antagonistic discussion in opposition to a woman who supported the suppression of Palestinians by Israel. Homeland Security police ordered the two to stop discussion and leave the area. Betty insisted it was her right to have discussion on the public sidewalk. Homeland Security arrested her. Betty invited movement activists to her trial.
The federal judge in the case agreed that she had the right of free speech, but that it was trumped by the need to follow orders of the police! The appeal of the verdict to the federal district court was rejected.
--In addition to Betty’s ongoing anti-war focus, in the 1980s Betty was active in the campaign to enable the workers at the Oscar Mayer plant on Division Street to win their demands for improved working conditions and pay. And then, when Oscar Mayer, in retaliation, decided to close down this most productive plant in their system, Betty was one of the leaders in organizing to let everyone far and wide know, with Betty’s characteristic humor, that Oscar Mayer was full of baloney, and to demand that Oscar Mayer products be boycotted by the City and County governments and everyone else.
--Betty participated in the campaign to oppose the CIA going on campus at Northwestern University to recruit students. She developed cartoons for leaflets, including one you can see here. She is remembered to this day by some of those at a rally opposing the CIA and its recruiting on campus. They remember how she marched up to a Conservative student who broke through the picket line. She grabbed his big American flag away from him and told him to get out of there. Other protesters joined in, and chased away all of the Conservatives.
--Betty was instrumental on developing campaigns around the narrow, anti-critical thinking common core curriculum content being forced on the schools by the Business Roundtable and other corporations who want more docile workers.
And she was active in the campaign against filling up the school calendar with tons of high stakes standardized testing that help to create a narrow curriculum.
You can see one her leaflets on these issues on the placards here. This was part of a national campaign that is still continuing, and that it would be good for us to take up—as well as the current campaign to ensure safety in the school in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. The mayor and School Board have been highly negligent on this. If you are interested in participating in any of this, please let me know.
--Betty was active in the campaign for an elected school board in Chicago, a campaign that has turned out to be successful. When it is put into place, we should all be active to ensure a better school system, as well as to restore power to the Local School Councils. Betty worked with some Local School Councils to help them be as strong as they could be in giving voice to how the schools should be run.
--Along the line of being for decision making by the people, Betty was a strong advocate of a community elected board to decide how the police should act. This is still a live issue that I encourage everyone to consider participating in.
--Betty was for making a dent in the problem of global/warming climate change. One thing she did was to advocate that the City put solar power on public buildings in the 35th ward and government buildings all over the city. That is a campaign we all need to pursue further.
Betty came to the conclusion many years ago that the capitalist system and the U.S. ruling class of big banks and corporations and their drive for maximum profits was at the root of the racism and other injustices in the U.S. This is at the root of the constant drive of the U.S. government for wars and interference in countries abroad. The aim is to build Empire.
One of Betty’s favorite slogans was No War for U.S. Empire. Buttons from the Chicago Anti-War Coalition(CAWC) with this slogan, as proposed by Betty to CAWC, are available on the table over there.
Betty openly stood for getting rid of the exploitative and oppressive system ruling in the U.S.. She aimed to have a system in which the working class and others in the society have the power to make decisions, to develop the economy and politics in favor of the people’s needs.
And Betty was in favor of building a political party that can offer the most helpful political leadership in this direction. She worked on this over the years.
I want to add that it was wonderful working with Betty in collective planning sessions. She was always thoughtful and full of discussion on all angles of an issue. Everything was put on the table. She always helpfully insisted that any proposal for an action answer the questions, what is the political aim? What is the reason for doing this? How will it help bring things forward for those we will be working among?
I think it is a great thing that we are getting this opportunity to so publicly honor the peace and justice work of Betty Resnikoff, and encourage everyone to follow the Betty Resnikoff Way. And now I want to welcome brief thoughts from family, neighbors, and other friends. And then we will hear from Alderman Carlos Rosa, who initiated the ordinance in City Council to honor Betty, and unveil the Betty Resnikoff Way street sign.
Then, we will have pot-luck.
I want to end with the slogans, Long Live Betty!
And, No Wars for U.S. Empire!
Please let us know if you would like to be active with us in continuing Betty's peace and justice work.
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