The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. That September, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an [...]
SPRINGFIELD — Attention at the Statehouse is expected to begin focusing on one of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's top priorities — legalizing recreational marijuana — with the deadline for lawmakers to introduce new bills on Friday. Two key Chicago Democratic lawmakers, Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, have met [...]
Last weekend, Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto stamp nearly ran out of ink, as he vetoed dozens of bills that passed through the General Assembly during the spring session. Staying true to the theme of his administration, Rauner’s vetoes targeted many of the state’s most vulnerable groups: immigrants, children, veterans and [...]
Last week, at the annual Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ association brunch, over three-thousand Democrats gathered in Springfield to kickoff the campaign season. After hearing from Illinois’ Democratic party leaders including, Senate President John Cullerton, Sen. Dick Durbin, and candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton, the [...]
As a lifelong resident of the 36th district, Gregg Johnson remembers growing up in the close-knit Rock Island community where people looked out for one another. It wasn’t uncommon for many neighbors to work at the same place. As a teenager, Gregg had decided that college wasn’t the right choice [...]
