Saw 'importance of getting involved in politics'

By day, Felecia Hampshire works as an administrative support assistant, smoothing out human resources issues for the transportation section of her school district.

In her “spare time,” Hampshire is an activist in her union, an AFT/NEA merged local, the Clay Education Support Professional Association. She has served on every committee, held every office and continues to serve as building rep.

Unionism gave Hampshire a leg up into politics, where she got elected last fall to the city council of Green Cove Springs, Fla., near Jacksonville. She’s the first African-American woman to do so, and in her third year, she’ll become mayor. Why did she do it? “Because I’m a hell-raiser,” she says. “You know what? I’m doing all this work … to create job opportunities for these children. I may as well have the title.”

Political activism is nothing new for Hampshire, who started handing out campaign fliers at age 15. She’s also made darn sure that her union is heard loud and clear in the Florida legislature and beyond, which is why Hampshire proudly serves on the AFT PSRP program and policy council.

But for now, the focus is home as her term begins in May.  “I come from a large family and I refuse to be a statistic,” says Hampshire, herself the mother of five. “As I got older, I began to see the importance of getting involved in politics.”

Hampshire isn’t the only AFT member to take public service to elected office. As state assemblies convened this year, current and former AFTers joined their ranks , including fellow Floridians Keith Fitzgerald and Bill Heller. Both members of United Faculty of Florida won seats in the Florida House.

In Ohio, Toledo Federation of Teachers member Teresa Fedor is serving as minority leader in the state Senate. Wisconsin’s new Senate majority leader is Judy Robson, a former nursing instructor. Altogether, six current and past AFT members are serving in the Wisconsin legislature. Montana MEA-MFT member Doug Cordier, elected state representative last fall, joined 11 colleagues from the merged NEA-AFT state federation in the state legislature.