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The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Hold Informative Townhall Forum By Mary L. Datcher Defender Senior Staff Writer The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation held a special town hall discussion at Malcolm X College after a ground-breaking vote to pass the School Education Funding bill in Springfield. Members of the ILBC were on hand to participate on three major panel discussions to outline to the public different parts of the legislation including topics on Budget and Revenue, Healthcare and Education. Moderated by Chicago Defender’s Senior Staff Writer Mary Datcher, the program opened up with remarks by ILBF Chairman Paul Williams and Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford. The budget and revenue panelists included Assistant Majority Leader and Appropriations Chair Donne Trotter; State Senator and Senate Revenue Chair Toi Hutchinson; State Representative and House Revenue and Finance Chair Elgie Sims; and Executive Director for the Center on Tax and Budget Accountability Ralph Martire. Both Hutchinson and Trotter did a thorough job explaining where taxpayer’s dollars are allocated for regarding the Illinois State Lottery’s matched funds and gas tax going towards fixing roads and infrastructure. On the school education funding bill, education advocates and legislators were pleased at the results of their hard work on fighting for more monies for school districts. Representative Lightford, State Rep. and House Elementary and Secondary Education Chair Will Davis; State Rep. Chris “Emanuel” Welch and House Higher Education Chair sat on the Education panel.
Rahm Emanuel, continued from, Page 04
the school performance. I’m willing to have them be a part of it. Come and be a part of holding our kids up rather than tear them down. I understand that you’ve increased your position on holding more unions and constructions accountable for hiring more people of color. We did a couple of things. A year ago, we raised our numerical goals for minority women-owned businesses for the city--if you’re doing business with the city. About three years ago, we said :”If you’re a private or a non-public sector and can show us you’re a minority woman-owned businesses and it matches what you do with us, we’ll give you credit when you bid on our work. We want you to have minority women business goals not only in the public sector but the private sector.” www.chicagodefender.com
Kimberly A. Lightford Community stakeholders and residents had an opportunity to ask legislators questions regarding the local college status along with MAP grants for students afraid of enrolling in state-operated institutions. Literature was available for attendees to understand the summary of SB1947, the school funding formula. Although, Democratic legislators are not in favor of everything including in the bill—they all agree—it is a historic victory for school students throughout Illinois. Discussions cleared up the school voucher backlash for student scholarships to attend private schools. According to the student eligibility, families must have a federal adjusted gross income less than 300
percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) when applying for the scholarships. They must also live within the focus district. They are granted from February 1 through April 1 for priority groups on a “first-come, first-served” basis. The healthcare panel discussion wrapped up the evening which included long-time legislator State Rep. and Assistant Majority Leader Mary Flowers; State Rep. and House Black Caucus Chair Camille Lilly; Executive Director of the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans Samantha Olds Frey and State Rep. Sonya Harper. Concerns of the Medicaid cuts to nearly 750,000 patients and 250,000 customers
on Obamacare—threatened to be repealed by the GOP Senate is real. The legislators explained how they are working through educating their constituents to become vigilant in making their voices known. One of their biggest challenges is bringing attention to the fight in Springfield to maintain social services that are threatened by budget cuts. The fight is not over and not one to mince his words, Ralph Martire thanked the ILBC for leading the initiative on all fronts from criminal justice, budget and revenue, education and healthcare for all Illinoisans. For more information on the latest bills and laws passed, visit: www.ilbcf.org
Will the goal be to make more CPS schools more trade-friendly like previous years? We made Dunbar the vocational school for trades. I told all of the building trades--carpenters, electricians, painters, and bricklayers--you have to be a part of the curriculum. You got to get over here. The good news, for the first time for a long time--those trades are at full employment. The age of their workforce is older so they have their own self-interest. It’s one thing to badger them into this position; they see down the road unless they start recruiting kids of color--they will have a real hard time. They’re in Dunbar. In two weeks, we’re opening up a new plumber’s training facility--the first one in 40 years in the city. A new electrician training facility. We just opened up the new People’s Energy training facility and Exelon training facility. Things that never existed in the city. That’s
where the places where kids of color and minority kids will have total access to good paying jobs that you cannot send overseas. The Chicago Police Department released statistics that show the number of homicides and shootings are down. There is still lots of concern for residents who deal with high crimes in their neighborhood. What do these numbers mean to the African American communities across the city? To certain people, it’s esoteric; for other people, it is essential. You can look at the numbers, who wouldn’t be happy if you down 45 or 47 percent for August. August to August declines. In Englewood at the 7th District, it has seen the biggest decline in the city. Now the city as a whole fell on shootings at 16 percent. Baltimore had a horrible year last year like us, and they’re up. We’re down. When you’re living in Woodlawn, it doesn’t make you feel any
better, but there’s a context to this. Here’s the thing that I think, and it gets another part of public safety. I have been adamant since day one, we’re going to make reforms, and we’re not going to do it to our police department where they have to get defensive. We have better leadership that’s more attuned to community policing and more attuned from leading from the front to the troop. If our officers are doing well and making significant gains in August in the summer, then I’m going to say, “way to go!” Way to go to our officers. Way to go to our communities, way to go to creating a partnership, way to go working together, our summer job programs. Our community engagement works. At 45 percent it is not an error. Do we have more work to do? Yes, 100 percent we have more work to do. When you’re about to say we have more work to do, you have to ask--what’s working and not working? We made a dent.
THE CHICAGO DEFENDER • September 6 - 12, 2017 05