Street outside CTU renamed in honor of former president Karen Lewis

CHICAGO (WLS) — A powerful figure in the Chicago labor movement was recognized on the city’s Near West Side Friday afternoon.

A stretch of West Carroll Avenue in front of the Chicago Teachers Union headquarters was renamed in honor of former CTU President Karen Lewis.

Lewis, who died from brain cancer in 2021, worked as a chemistry teacher before leading the CTU from 2010 to 2014.

She butted heads with then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, leading CTU on a seven day strike in 2012. He later called Lewis a “tough and tireless champion for public education.”