Helen Shiller, raised by migrant Jewish parents, was radicalized by the anti-war and civil rights movements. Shiller was in a collective of whites aligned with the Black Panther Party in Chicago. Beginning in 1987, Shiller was a radical Chicago alderperson for 24 years.
"This is a serious book—full of policy and protest, firm in its
convictions, and short on lighthearted anecdotes. You have to
knuckle down, have some tea, and think about housing lawsuits and
school boycotts of yore. But it’s well-written—Shiller worked for
years for the alternative press, and can tell a story thoroughly
and compactly, with even a little poetry. It’s ultimately a hopeful
book—a reminder that problems have always looked insurmountable
until they’re surmounted." —New City
"An informative book...." —Kirkus
"Helen Shiller's work inside and out of the Chicago City Council is
a model for all those seeking to make real change in the world.
From her tireless work challenging gentrification, police abuse,
and homophobia, Shiller never lost sight of her roots, and always
put the struggles of poor and working class people first. No matter
where you live and organize there is much to be learned from
Helen's inspiring and courageous life story. Read this
book!" —Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez, Alderwoman Chicago’s 33rd
Ward
"I salute my good friend and comrade Helen Shiller for the broad
vivid picture of her extraordinary life's journey, filled with
personal challenges, and her decades of exceptional social
justice work with and for the poor and oppressed communities. Helen
worked tireleslly with the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther
Party and its Intercommunal Survival Committee for racial and
social justice during the 1970’s. She is as a true servant of the
people. —Emory Douglas, Revolutionary Artist/Minister of
Culture, The Black Panther Party 1967/1980
"As a journalist who has covered Helen Shiller, off and on,
throughout her half-century of community activism, I have long
wondered how she would tell her own epic story. Daring to
Struggle, Daring to Win answers that question poignantly and
powerfully. Her epic journey takes us from the era of SDS, Black
Panthers and school desegregation, through both Mayors Daley to the
rise of Mayor Harold Washington, President Barack Obama and finally
her own election to Chicago City Council—for 24 years. From outside
agitator to insider alderperson, Shiller earned respect even from
her political rivals for her savvy and resilience. For those who
wonder whether they can “buy in” to the system without selling out,
this story is a great place to start." —Clarence Page,
Pulitzer-prize-winning columnist and editorial board member at the
Chicago Tribune
"The only way NOT to repeat history and mistakes of the past is to
share it, honor it, and learn from it. . . . and Daring to
Struggle, Daring to Win does just that and talks about REAL
CHANGE & REAL ALLIANCES." —Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Chicago's
20th Ward
"This book is a must read for today's organizers working to connect
their neighborhoods to a vision of transformative, anti-racist
politics. Daring to Struggle expands our knowledge of New
Left organizers who rarely grabbed headlines, yet set a high
standard for radical street-level and electoral
activism." —Amy Sonnie and James Tracy,
co-authors Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels and Black
Power: Interracial Solidarity in 1960s-70s New Left
Organizing
"Helen Schiller has written a much needed, past due, historical
account of her life as a community organizer and Council woman
representing the poor in Uptown Chicago. Schiller has provided a
voice for those poor residents who had little power to fight
for their survival in a city that would only recognize them as
irrelevant and refused to let them assimilate. Daring to
Struggle Daring to Win is a much needed read for those
who want to organize in poor communities." —Hy
Thurman, Co-Founder Young Patriot
Organization, Co-Founder Original Rainbow
Coalition, Author, Revolutionary Hillbilly
"Regardless of the era, fighting for justice and marginalized
people and principled positions in the public arena is difficult
and challenging. Daring to Struggle contains numerous
lessons for elected's, community leaders, and others on how to
fight and win in the political arena without compromising those
principles." —Kim Foxx
"In 1969 Helen Shiller, already a young radical activist, heard
inspirational Illinois Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton proclaim
that a serious revolutionary must “dare to struggle, dare to win.”
For the next five decades, Shiller pursued Fred’s credo with
unparalleled energy and commitment, daring to struggle, and daring
to win. Her excellent book chronicles, in compelling historical
detail, that journey, from Brooklyn to Madison, from Racine to
Chicago, from Cuba to Zimbabwe, but most centrally from the streets
of Chicago’s Uptown to the chambers of Chicago’s City Council, and
documents how she relied on the “power of the people” to
speak truth to power in her tireless pursuit of Chairman Fred’s
uncompromising and timeless command." —Flint Taylor
"From coping with sexual abuse, experiencing life before Roe v
Wade, committing to support Black liberation, and taking on the
brass knuckle Chicago politics, Daring to Struggle Daring to
Win is interwoven with historical milestones. Shiller
chronicles her life as a radical founder of All Chicago City News,
a recipient of vote tampering and intimation, and the challenges of
new thinking in parenthood. The call to fight white supremacy and
the erosion of human rights with intentional solidarity is more
relevant than ever. Shiller fills in significant information gaps
and provides much to think about in our elusive search for an
equitable and anti-racist future." —Sylvia Ewing
"For more than a half century, Helen Shiller has been the radical’s
radical. She has led countless progressive causes, from the
battle against police brutality; to bureaucracy busting; to
fighting against poverty; to fighting for racial equity. Her
story is a go-to-battle blueprint for the fights of today, and for
those to come. It is a dare well worth taking." —Laura
S. Washington, Political Analyst, ABC 7-Chicago
"Helen Shiller has led no ordinary life: A witness to history, a
crusader for justice, and deeply loyal to the women and men whose
lives and predicaments cry for fairness, she has dedicated herself
to righteous warfare, whether in the streets or in the hallowed
halls of government. Her story is profoundly human and profoundly
personal, but also a clarion call to the rest of us to join
her." —Achy Obejas, author of Boomerang/Bumerán
"Helen Shiller carefully weaves together her personal life story
with the events that show her unflagging support and advocacy for
grass roots communities in Chicago’s Uptown. From Campus radical to
long term alderwoman in Chicago’s 46th Ward Shiller maintains her
principles and effectiveness in fighting racism and building
community led coalitions that took on and gained power against
Chicago’s political machine. A story of personal and political
triumph against all odds." —Jeffrey Haas
"Helen Shiller’s Daring to Struggle, Daring to Win is an
important book, not just for those of us in Chicago who were part
of the struggle since the 1960s but for everyone who cares about
saving our American Democracy and perfecting it today. It
teaches us that this has been and will be a prolonged struggle and
we have to be in it for the long haul. It is the detailed
story of the grassroots efforts in our Chicago neighborhoods and
city and the story of a radical who became an alderperson who
helped shape the future." —Dick Simpson, UIC Professor
Emeritus, author, and former Chicago alderman
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