Marie Wilkinson

Community Activist, Living Legend

Marie Wilkinson has been a well know name throughout the Aurora area. If you mention her name, everyone has input on how she has impacted their lives. Mrs. Wilkinson has strengthened her community through her activism and leadership as an advocate for human and civil rights in Aurora. Her legacy continues as a beacon of light for women, children, and minorities striving to improve their quality of life.

Born Marie LeBeau in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She was raised a devout Catholic and studied business at the former Straight University (now Dillard University). She visited Chicago at the age of 20 and met her future husband, Charles on a blind date. She moved to the State of Illinois in 1927 for good and married Charles shortly after in 1930. They had two wonderful children, Shelia Scott-Wilkinson and Donald Wilkinson. More than 60 years of volunteerism and prayer kept them bonded in faith and community before Charles passed away.

Mr. & Mrs. Wilkinson moved into a modest two level home on Aurora’s North View Street, now bearing Mrs. Wilkinson’s name. The home was simply known as Marie’s house, where the poor, hungry, the displaced, the unemployed, the sick, and the mistreated were welcomed. Many have wandered to Marie’s place and they always found the door open. Mr. & Mrs. Wilkinson were always quick to give away their last pennies to a person in need.

“God chose me not to sit around, but to help people. As long as I’m living on this earth, I’m going to keep doing what I have to do.”
— Marie Wilkinson

Mrs. Wilkinson first became an active voice in the community when she took an interest in Hispanic factory workers, pulling them from the boxcars they were living in, with no electricity, water, or even shoes. She worked on behalf of the factory workers and convinced the factory owners to provide year-round work for the employees, so families could stay together. She went on to challenge City Hall to provide schools and adequate housing to accommodate the growing number of families that had moved into the river community. While on a crusade to help the Hispanic community, Mrs. Wilkinson arranged for a Spanish speaking priest to brought in from the city because the local pastor had not thought about the Hispanic workers desire for Confession.

Mrs. Wilkinson helped to launch more than 60 charitable organizations, including Feed the Hungry Program, Marie Wilkinson Foundation and Community Food Pantry, Hesed House Homeless Shelter, Breaking Free Drug Program, the Catholic Social Action Conference, SciTech Youth Science Museum, and the local chapter of the Urban League (Quad County). She established college funds for underprivileged children and inclusion guidelines for the disabled.

In the late 1940′s when Mrs. Wilkinson was refused seating at Hart’s Drive-In, because she was African American, she won her case before the State Appellate Court.

Through the Human Relations Commission that she founded in 1964, she is credited with the first Fair Housing Ordinance in Illinois. She served for over 30 years on the Aurora Human Relations Commission and worked to implement local equal rights and program dealing with drug abuse, lead poisoning, and other health issues.

Thirty years before the trend, Mrs. Wilkinson realized the many needs of single mothers. In the 1970′s, Mrs. Wilkinson raised $46,000 for a child-care center in Aurora. The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center, which thrives today after 40 plus years. In 1999, Mrs. Wilkinson was presented the Service to God and Fellow Man Award from the Aurora Kiwanis Club. In October 2002, Mrs. Wilkinson was honored with the Catholic Church’s highest honor for missionary work in America, the Lumen Christi Award, meaning Light of Christ.

Mrs. Wilkinson turned 100 in May of 2009 in which many people of all walks of life joined in her birthday celebration to wish her many thanks for all of her hard work and accomplishments over the past years in the Aurora community.