"To Our Militant Leader...From Militant Admirers"

I had the great fortune to interview Sean Burns this week. Sean is a descendant of Agnes Burns Wieck, the first president of the Illinois Women's Auxiliary of the Progressive Miners of America. Agnes was a legendary organizer, gifted leader and political visionary.

Detail from Agnes' quilt. The inscription reads,
"To Our Militant Leader" "From Militant Admirers"

In addition to providing a thoughtful and heart-felt interview, Sean was kind enough to bring along family photos and a rare artifact, a hand-made quilt given to Agnes by her supporters shortly before completing her term in office. The names of each of the women who created the quilt are also embroidered into the fabric in bright red thread.

You can read more about Agnes in an earlier post here. The best account of her remarkable life can be found in Woman from Spillertown: A Memoir of Agnes Burns Wieck by her son David Thoreau Wieck.

I'll be sharing more from my interview with Sean in future posts.