Women’s History Month: Who was Constance Goode?

In celebration and recognition of Women's History Month, the Rockford Register Star has partnered with Midway Village Museum to bring readers a local women's history fact of the day.

Visit rrstar.com or the Rockford Register Star newspaper each day throughout the month of March to read about the women who played significant roles in Rockford history.

Born in 1936 in Chicago, Constance Lee Boyd Goode moved to Rockford in 1962 and soon became a leader in the community as an educator, civil rights and voting rights activist, community leader, and musician.

She taught in Rockford Public Schools for 30 years, became active in the local NAACP, and organized election day transportation and childcare, knocking on doors to explain the importance of voting.

In 1982 she received a doctoral degree in continuing adult education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also served as executive director of Rockford’s Booker Washington Community Center urging students to obtain education first, and then act. "Remain calm; organize, act and vote!" was her charge.

Want to learn more about Constance Goode? Visit Midway Village Museum online at midwayvillage.com or in person at 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Women’s History Month: Who was Constance Goode?