Interview with Kathy Devine

Length: 112 minutes Oral history interview of Kathy Devine by Deseree Zimmerman In this interview, Kathleen Devine recounts her political interests and activist work in the anti-Apartheid movement. She begins with recounting her childhood in Chicago and how she first became aware of the political and social realities of the day, with the assassination of JFK and witnessing the Civil Rights Movement. She discusses her time at St. Louis University, George Washington University, and how she came to work for the Department of Treasury. She explains how, when she returned to Chicago, she learned of the anti-Apartheid movement through the union activism she was involved in and how she was asked to help coordinate the Labor Network Against Apartheid’s efforts. She describes the various some of the other labor and anti-Apartheid organizations she worked with, including the Coalition of Black Trade, The Coalition of Labor Union Women, and the International Metal Workers Confederation, and some of her responsibilities within them. She talks about raising funds through the unions to help fund Mandela’s election. She concludes by defining what activism is about for her, trying to make change and changing people’s views