Alberta Walker
Alberta Walker is and was an organizer for ACORN and SEIU 880. In this interview, she discusses moving to Chicago from the South in her early teens, and how her mother’s work as a nurse greatly influenced her to become a caretaker of both individuals and her community. Her first career was as a manager for the Jewel Osco grocery chain, where she became a manager — at the time, a rarity for a black woman. The experience instilled in her an activists mindset, especially when she received pushback from some of the stores white employees. Alberta got into home healthcare when her son was paralyzed in a drive-by shooting. She soon became involved with SEIU’s 880 union, supporting other home healthcare workers. She was a prolific member organizer, brining in over 1000 new members. She talks about how she was able to bring new people into the fold, and how her work with SEIU lead to her time with ACORN as an organizer. Walker was accompanied to the interview by her grandson Hosie Wilson, who toward the end of the discussion shared some his own recollections of his grandmother’s work as an activist.