Maudelle Shirek

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Maudelle Shirek is a former Vice Mayor and eight term City Council member the City of Berkeley California.

Shirek moved to Berkeley in the 1940s and immediately gained a reputation for her dedication to civil rights issues. She was active in the anti-war movement, was a staunch union supporter, founded two Berkeley senior centers, championed HIV/AIDS awareness, and helped organize the Free Mandela movement. She was also instrumental in creating multiple City Commissions, including the Berkeley Commission on Labor. These Commissions are made up of Berkeley residents, who play a role in City policy-making.

At the end of her tenure, she was one of the eldest elected officials in the State of California. In 2005, Berkeley sought to name the Berkeley main post office after Shirek, but the attempt was defeated in Congress. This was because her affiliation with the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library in Berkeley. In 2007, the Berkeley City Council renamed City Hall in her honor.