Hundreds of union colleagues, politicians, labor leaders, friends and family gathered at the United Federation of Teachers headquarters in New York City on Tuesday to pay tribute to former AFT president Sandra Feldman, who died Sept. 18 at age 65 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.

The memorial event brought together noted politicians from Feldman's years at the UFT and as president of AFT—including former president Bill Clinton, members of Congress and former New York City mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins. The accolades and stories—both funny and poignant—from her AFT family, AFL-CIO leaders, personal friends, staffers and family during the nearly two-hour event revealed Feldman's toughness and persistence as well as her deep compassion and joy for life.

"America gave her a chance to live her dream," said President Clinton, referring to Feldman's modest roots and rise to success though public education. "She spent her life trying to give every other child that chance."

This was embodied in her agenda as president of the AFT, he noted, with her proposal for Kindergarten-Plus to help schools offer an extended year of kindergarten to disadvantaged children, as well as her continued support of high academic standards. "If it had not been for the AFT and her, there would not have been a standards movement in this country," said Clinton.

She also faced her cancer "with a fierce determination and a smile," said Clinton, and although she did not win all her fights, the true test of her life's work was if we were better off when she left. "She was a shining triumph by that measure," he said.

AFT president Edward J. McElroy, who opened the proceedings, said that Feldman recognized the transforming power of education and trade unionism. These two pillars, he said, "were of one piece for her, for together they both meant that ordinary people's lives, and therefore our society, would be improved." Others in the AFT family, including UFT president Randi Weingarten and New York State United Teachers president Richard Iannuzzi, praised Feldman for her guidance and political savvy. Feldman was both a "hard-driving labor leader and a soft-hearted dreamer" who combined boundless optimism with "the ability to shame her adversaries into doing the right thing," said Weingarten.

Underlying Feldman's strong union principles was her early commitment to the civil rights movement that informed her lifelong passion for social justice. Two longtime friends, former AFT COPE director Rachelle Horowitz and D.C. delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton, described their early days of activism together under the mentorship of civil rights pioneer Bayard Rustin and of passionate discussions on literature, politics and philosophy late into the night. Most compelling to those around her, Horowitz said, was "Sandy's belief that she could remake the world--and her insistence that you be there to help."

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) also praised Feldman's skills as an advocate, reminding those gathered that in her years as UFT president, when she fought for better schools, it was "not just for New York but for the entire country." Feldman never hesitated to pressure public officials on this agenda, he said, and "when she took us to task, we deserved it." In a videotaped message, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said that Feldman "taught us that justice, fairness and equality were not just abstract concepts. They were a calling, [they were] principles to live by." Feldman "didn't just run union," he added, "she led a movement."

Among those who recounted Feldman's leadership skills was AFL-CIO president John Sweeney—a fellow New Yorker—who described her as both "serious beyond her years" and yet thrilled when she was asked to serve as grand marshal in New York City's Labor Day parade. As a member of the AFL-CIO executive council and of several council committees, Feldman was particularly effective working behind the scenes with other international union presidents—"grown men with lots of ego"—to navigate the federation's political landscape, he said.

Former New York City schools chancellor Rudy Crew described Feldman as both "strong and strong-willed," an indefatigable ally in fighting with city hall to help children and schools. "I remember thinking, 'This woman is a tank!'" he recalled. Crew, who now is superintendent of schools in Miami-Dade County, Fla., worked closely with Feldman on efforts to improve New York City's low-performing schools and praised her for raising issues of race and class and their impact on social justice and public education.

In the international arena, Feldman was a strong advocate for human rights and trade union rights abroad, noted Fred van Leeuwen, general secretary of Education International. "She not only made a difference for the children of New York and America, she also made a difference for children around the world," he said. "She firmly believed that the creation of a global union for teachers and education personnel could do great good."

December 7, 2005

Watch the video: In Memorium—Sandra Feldman shown at the Sept. 18 memorial service in New York City.

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