In Memory of Marsha Cole
“We are fighting for ourselves—and whether the young people know it or not, we are fighting so that when they get to be 65 they don’t have to be on a three or four or five year waiting list for affordable housing. We’re tired. And if you ask other seniors they will all tell you that they are tired, but they can’t stop.”
Original piece by Marsha Cole.
It is with great sadness that we share the heavy news that JASC Leader and Board Member Marsha Cole passed away in December.
Marsha was an inspiring leader and fighter for justice. She became involved in Jane Addams Senior Caucus/Jane Addams Seniors In Action by joining JASIA to elect Maria Hadden to Alderman in the 49th ward. Since that moment she has been a force within the organization, serving on both boards and on the housing committee. Marsha was instrumental in passing the Senior Safety Ordinance and an active leader on the campaign for a national Homes Guarantee.
Marsha was fearless. During an action that JASC leaders planned on the American Medical Association, Marsha famously grabbed the microphone. She took the mic from the speaker who was leading a session for thousands of doctors and began telling the story of how high medical bills had impacted her and her family and why we need Medicare For All. Marsha was never afraid to speak the truth and had a clear vision of seniors aging with dignity. She regularly told everyone that she would be fighting until her dying days, which she did.
You can read more about Marsha in this piece in Jewish Currents as well as this memorial page set up by her family.
More about Marsha in the words of Lillie Young, a friend and fellow JASC leader:
We at Jane Addams Senior Caucus and Jane Addams Seniors in Action have lost a good friend, colleague and ally on December 8, 2021 when she slipped away from us. The locomotive of death out ran us - we could not stop it though we prayed for a miracle.
Marsha: Stood up to racism with courage and integrity and she spoke from a place of deep pain. She spoke of being beaten as she participated in the open housing march with Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders in Gage Park. She battled hard to find housing as she filled out applications for twenty different places in Chicago before she finally managed to get an affordable apartment in Evanston, Illinois. She courageously confronted shopkeepers in Evanston and persuaded them to hire qualified black youth when they stubbornly resisted her call to face down their own prejudice and she prevailed. She prevailed by getting them to agree to hire qualified young black youth. Some of those black youth were her grandchildren who are thriving today because of her actions. She lifted them up so they could work at becoming the best version of themselves in their own eyes, in her eyes, their employers' eyes and in the eyes of their families. She won those battles against racism because of her integrity, her courage and her persistence in being recognized as a just and righteous black woman who would not be diminished because she was a senior black woman. Not a lot of people have that kind of courage. Harriet Tubman was one of her idols.
On Saturdays she spent time delivering food to needy seniors. She did work with the Shriver center in pursuit of social justice. She opened my eyes to the fact one person can make a difference in the long fight for equality and justice, if they have courage.
Her art work was unique and imaginative. I tried to convince her to sell some of it but she wanted to create art just to bring beauty into the world and to share it with her friends and family.
May you rest in peace Marsha. As you continue your journey, we will continue the fight for justice and equality for everyone.