Reps. Byrum, Waters, Sheltrown, Adamini, Brown, Sak, Dennis, Bieda, Phillips, Whitmer, O'Neil, Kolb, Anderson, Plakas, Farrah, Spade, Clack, Vagnozzi, Condino, Tobocman, Smith, Wojno, Law, Hopgood, Hood, Gaffney, Accavitti, Lipsey, Gleason, Meisner, Elkins, Reeves, Woodward, Zelenko, Minore, Gieleghem, McConico, Rivet, Jamnick, Hardman, DeRossett, Julian, Garfield, Murphy, Gillard, Milosch, Pappageorge, Shulman, Richardville, Rocca and LaSata offered the following resolution:

House Resolution No. 236.

A resolution honoring the life of Mildred “Millie” McWilliams Jeffery, who lived from 1910 to 2004, for her services to the state of Michigan.

Whereas, The citizens of Michigan wish to express their deepest sadness over the death Mildred Jeffrey; and

Whereas, The recognition of her lifelong efforts on behalf of labor, women, minorities, and liberal causes earned her the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000; and

Whereas, Jeffery grew up in Minneapolis and attended the University of Minnesota, where she joined the YWCA, which was controversial at that time because it sponsored interracial dances and promoted integration. Jeffery’s involvement with the YWCA and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom exposed her to the plight of female factory workers who received low wages and worked long hours; and

Whereas, In the 1930s, Jeffery earned a graduate degree in social work from Bryn Mawr College; and

Whereas, Jeffery became an organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and married fellow union organizer Homer Jeffery. The two of them traveled throughout the south and  the east, organizing textile workers; and

Whereas, During World War II, the Jefferys worked in Washington as consultants to the War Labor Board and befriended Walter and Victor Reuther, who had helped form the United Auto Workers in 1935; and

Whereas, The couple moved to Detroit in 1944 when Victor Reuther offered Jeffery a job as director of the newly formed UAW Women’s Bureau.  Jeffery was the first woman to head a United Auto Workers department and worked for 30 years behind the scenes in state and national Democratic politics.  Jeffery worked for the union until her retirement in 1976; and

Whereas, In the 1940s, Jeffery joined the NAACP and helped organize Americans for Democratic Action; and

Whereas, In the 1960s, Jeffery marched with Martin Luther King Jr., James Meredith,  and other activists in the Deep South; and

Whereas, Jeffery managed Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign in Michigan and was active in helping Geraldine Ferraro win the vice presidential nomination on the 1984 democratic ticket; and

Whereas, Jeffery helped establish the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC).  The NWPC lobbied for child care, equal pay legislation, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; and

Whereas, Jeffery was a co-founder and former president of the Michigan Women’s Foundation and was a member of the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame; and

Whereas, Jeffery was elected to the Wayne State University Board of Governors in 1974, where she served until 1990; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body offer tribute and honor life the of Mildred “Millie” McWilliams Jeffrey for her services to the state of Michigan; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Jeffery family as evidence of our lasting esteem for her services.