For three years, Mary Wallace applied to drive one of the Chicago Transit Authority bus routes. But each time, she was rejected by the sexist all-boys club … until her home phone rang in 1974.
It was the history-making offer she had dreamed of. But when she reported for duty, her presence exposed a floodgate of flaws within the system.
CTA had never considered such bare minimum accommodations as a gender-specific restroom or instating policies against sexual harassment.
If she was going to make this a workplace where she and other women would feel safe, appreciated, and motivated long term, a lot needed to change. And she was up for the job.
The camaraderie of her fellow drivers helped Wallace take barrier-breaking in stride. And as her career excelled, there was one responsibility she took very seriously.
In an interview with WBBM-TV, Wallace shared how liberating a CTA job was for many of the Black women hires she mentored and encouraged.
“A lot of them were like single mothers and didn’t have jobs and all of a sudden there was a [career] out there for them. Yes, we can and yes, we did!”
Wallace knew that getting her foot in the door served a purpose greater than snagging her dream job - her hire meant she had the power to hold the door open for others to walk through, as well!