EDGEWATER — Sixty-nine years after Hillary Clinton was born in Edgewater, women in the neighborhood said they "feel empowered" to vote for her just a block away from where she first lived as a little girl.
"I feel empowered," said Patricia Marshall, who wore a blue star-spangled scarf as she voted for Clinton Tuesday morning. "I thought, 'Finally, is our country growing up?'"
Clinton was born Oct. 26, 1947, at the former Edgewater Hospital at 5700 N. Ashland Ave. and lived in an apartment at 5722 N. Winthrop Ave. until 1951. The building was eventually torn down and re-developed into condos, though the new structure was aptly named, "The Rodham."
On Tuesday, Jill Weil was around the block campaigning for Clinton outside Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., handing out glossy postcard-sized photos of the first woman to win a major party's presidential nomination.
When Weil discovered she was so near Clinton's childhood home, she smiled.
Weil, who is Jewish, said she doesn't just support Clinton for "breaking the glass ceiling," but she's "frightened" of what America would look like under a Donald Trump presidency.
"He just can't win — he's un-American," Weil said, adding that she believes little girls today would benefit more from Clinton leading the country. Girls "will grow up in an America that values everyone instead of just some."
Avery Muether said she cast her vote for Clinton Monday, though she had originally supported Bernie Sanders in the primary.
A major issue at stake for Muether is the status of her co-worker, a Mexican woman who is sponsored by her employer to live and work in the United States.
"I'm terrified of Trump," Muether said. "It's scary, it's affecting the people around me. I don't know what will happen to my friend if he wins ... I used to think that my vote doesn't matter, but this year it's like, 'Oh f---, it does.'"
Marshall said she was "proud" to vote for Clinton because she was a "true humanitarian" with strong character.
"I adore the woman," Marshall said. "She has been a humanitarian for decades, not someone who just jumped on the bandwagon ... she has qualities that I truly admire."
Clinton wasn't the only one in her family to have political ambitions in the neighborhood.
Her father, Hugh Rodham, a textile business owner, ran for 49th Ward alderman in 1947, but only gained 1.5 percent of the vote.
When Clinton was 3, the Rodham family packed up their Winthrop Avenue apartment for bigger and better digs in Park Ridge.
On Instagram, more Edgewater women voiced support for Clinton.
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