"Irene M.Gaines"{October 25,1892-April 7,1964]

She was an African American civil rights reformer devoted to her race,especially African American women and young people.She was from Ocala,Florida.Her older sister while she was a child.Irene was taken to Chicago and raised by her mama after a family divorce.Irene graduated from Wendell Philips High School,and attended Fisk University from 1905-1910.In 1914,she married Harris B.Gaines  and they had two sons.Through her own experiences and those of others (particularly in the juvenile court system),she understood the needs and problems of African Americans.She joined the War Camp Community Service during World War I and became the secretary of the first African American branch of the YWCA in Chicago in 1920.Irene also worked in the welfare department for Cook County from 1930-1945,and served as president of the Chicago Council of Negro Organizations (CCNO) from 1939-1953.She saw the need for change through legislation.Irene was the African American woman to run for a state legislation seat and was (in 1950)  the first African American woman to run for the county commissioner's office.She lost both election's,she gained much credibility.Irene received many awards for her efforts over the years,including the George Washington Honor Medal in 1958 and the Fisk University Distinguished Alumni Service Award.