1938-
Carol Graves was President of the Newark Teacher’s Union and leader of the 1970/1971 Teachers’ Strikes. She was sentenced to 6 months in jail for her refusal to end the strike. She later ran for General Assembly and served as Essex County Register.
Born Carole Anderson, Carole graduated Arts High in 1955.
Carole was elected NTU president in the late 1960s. During the 1970/1971 Teachers’ Strikes she was the NTU President and recognized as the leader. In 1970, during the 3-week strike, she was sentenced to 6 months in jail, with 3 months suspended. She said, “I’ve dediced to go to jail rather than appeal in hope that my presence will stir the public to a realization of just how unjust the current law is” and served her sentence starting Mar 31, 1970. In 1971, during the 11-week strike, Carole was re-arrested and given the 6 month sentence. She served from Mar 4 to mid-April 1971. Carole remained NTU president until 1995.
In 1981, Carole ran for Assembly but lost. In 1994, the Democratic party endorsed her for Essex County Register, following the retirement of Larrie Stalks and served until 2009. In 2013, she ran for City Council but lost. She also has served as a PERC Commissioner and as an adjunct professor of labor at Essex County College.
In 2020, just before the COVID shutdowns, Graves and others celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Teachers Strikes. She said, “That was some kind of strike. We wanted them to know we were serious.”
Bibliography
G-25, Graves Carole, Newark News Morgue, Newark Library AND S-56 Strikes — Teachers — Newark
Carole Graves Discusses Newark Teachers Strikes
https://riseupnewark.com/chapter-4/education-newark-teachers-strikes/
Extensive Star Ledger coverage
Golin, Steve The Newark Teacher Strikes: Hopes on the Line
https://chalkboardchampions.org/carole-graves
Newark Library Digital Collections 1 2 3 4
“Senator goes to defense…” Star Ledger Mar 8, 1970
“Freed NTU leaders…” Star Ledger Apr 15, 1971
Braun Robert, “Teacher strikes…” Star Ledger Feb 14, 1971
“Newark Teachers Threaten Walkout” Asbury Park Press Feb 1, 1971
Warshaw, Donald “3 teachers…” Star Ledger Apr 15, 1970
“Teachers Reject” The Record Apr 16, 1971
Warshaw, Donald, “A Newark Teacher Goes Off to Jail” Star Ledger Mar 31, 1970
Hallam, George, “Teachers Union…” Newark News Feb 6, 1971
“Union Head Raps Jones” Newark News Apr 11 1971
Higgins, Edward “NTU Bargaining Agent…” Newark News Dec 23, 1969
“Review asked” Star Ledger Mar 11, 1975
Lucas, Caryl “Newark School District…” Star Ledger May 26, 1993
Kukla, Barbara “Some Local Democrats Survive” Star Ledger Nov 14, 1994
Braun, Robert, “Grave loss…” Star Ledger Jun 25, 1995
https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/02/nyregion/for-newark-teachers-new-man-and-new-era.html
Carter, Barry “Teachers Thank Strikers” Star Ledger Mar 1, 2020