“The game, my friend, is not over. It has just begun. And in the name of human decency and dignity, and for the sake of our students … we are going to win!”

—Lois Tinson

Women’s History Month in March is an excellent time to remember our union’s own stellar history of women leaders. Lois Tinson was one of them — the first African American and the first person of color to serve as president of the California Teachers Association (1995–1999).

She was also one of the founding members of the CTA African American Caucus and the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (now Racial and Equity Affairs Committee). Tinson was a staunch activist in our fight for smaller class sizes and to protect public education funding. She worked to secure passage of the state’s landmark Class Size Reduction law in 1996, which established CTA as a potent political force on behalf of students and public schools. CTA’s successful public campaign for more teachers and smaller classes led to new funding where 95% of state school districts reduced K–12 class sizes.

“Everybody in the world took credit for class size reduction, but we knew it was the California Teachers Association,” she said in a CTA interview. “[We were victorious] because we have teachers who care, and will stand up and say it, and will work under diverse circumstances in the classroom, out of the classroom, everywhere there are needs.”

Lois Tinson was born on April 19, 1938, in Arkansas City, Arkansas. She recalled being the only student in her grade at her school while growing up. “I was valedictorian, salutatorian and everything,” she said, often joking that she was “the smartest” and “the dumbest” in her class. She went to college and became an educator, teaching in Arkansas schools before moving to Los Angeles in 1961.

Tinson taught English at North Park High School in Baldwin Park and received her master’s and doctorate degrees from Pepperdine University. She was also a professor at Pepperdine.

Those who worked with her at CTA remember her quiet strength and grace in addition to her effective leadership.

Other accomplishments during her presidency:

• CalSTRS (California State Teachers’ Retirement System) benefit increase legislation
• Charter schools legislation, including CTA endorsement of a bill to increase the number of charters only after insertion of requirements that charter teachers hold state credentials and there would be more oversight of spending, curriculum
• Community college funding legislation
• Passage of Prop. 1A — $9.2-billion school bond that replenished state matching money for construction of new schools and colleges
• Defeat of Prop. 226 — “Paycheck Protection” anti-union dues
• Defeat of Prop. 8 — Gov. Pete Wilson education reform initiative
• CTA blueprint for educational excellence
• 20% CTA membership growth (1995–1999)

Lois Tinson died in December 2003 after a long illness. To watch CTA’s farewell video to Tinson after her presidency ended. CTA presents the African American Human Rights Award in Honor of Lois Tinson to an individual CTA member whose activities have helped to achieve significant progress on behalf of equal opportunity for African Americans. Learn more.