Mother Jones Walking Tour, Bloomington, IL

Narrators & Cast: Carol Christensen, Heather Johnson, Adam Heenan, Renee Williams (ATU 752 member), and as Mother Jones, Eleisha Whitney-Olson, Script & Research by Mike Matejka
Pictured: The Narrators & Cast; front row, second to the right, me; back row, center-right, Mike Matejka

I had an amazing time yesterday, touring through historical Bloomington, IL!

On July 5th and 6th, the Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor Assembly sponsored a Mother Jones Walking Tour, commemorating the July 5, 1917 Bloomington Street Car Strike. Produced by Mike Matejka, this was another reminder of how Mother Jones left her mark wherever she went.

The excursion began at Bloomington City Hall. The audience was instructed to look past modern additions to the town and imagine the blocks of 19th century brick two and three-story buildings. Imagine a time when very few people drove cars, so most walked or rode the electric streetcars of the Bloomington & Normal Street Railway. It was not hard to forget the through highway and modern businesses and be transported back to the early twentieth century once the volunteer actors began.

The first voice began: "Tonight, we are traveling to 100 years ago, when perhaps the most epic battle in Bloomington’s labor history took place. On July 5, 1917, famed labor organizer Mary ‘Mother’ Jones came to town, and after a wild night of confrontation, 1,400 National Guard troops came to Bloomington. But that did not break the workers and a victory was won that echoes yet today. Our Connect Transit Drivers are represented today by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 752, organized a century ago."

This tour was as much a celebration of the town's labor history as its current standing as a center of education and organized labor. Thank you so much to Mike Matejka and the volunteer actors who brought this story alive and for reminding us all that, “Everybody needs a Mother… Stand up, stand firm, and protect your rights!  And if anyone disagrees, tell them Mother told you to do it!” Now, every time you see a city bus roll by in Bloomington, remember Mother Jones!

Their tour was great inspiration for the one I hope to build in Chicago.