The year was 1954 when Reverend Addie L. Wyatt became the first African American female president of the United Packinghouse Workers of America's (UPWA) local union. She was the founding director of its Women’s Affairs Department, later becoming the union’s first female International Vice President in 1976. She was also a founding member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists in 1972, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1974. Having a deep understanding of and involvement in women's suffrage issues, Addie was chosen to join President John F. Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women. She worked tirelessly for better healthcare, adequate child care, and equal pay for working women. Addie ambitiously participated in Civil Rights struggles in the South and in Chicago working for voting rights, fair/open housing, and better education. She and her husband, Rev. Claude Wyatt, founded the Vernon Park Church of God in 1955 in Chicago.
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Church Affiliation:Vernon Park Church of God
Role in the Movement:Reverend Addie L. Wyatt was a labor leader, religious leader, and Civil Rights and women’s rights activist.
Birth Place:Brookhaven, Mississippi
Born Date:August 3, 1924
Deceased Date:August 9, 2001
Place Lived as Adult:Chicago, IL
Church Location:Chicago, IL