View as Webpage......Redistricting / Voting Power Back on the Table,,,,,,..Aug 24, 2021
Greetings!

Illinois redistricting and its resultant impact on Black political strength and Black representation at the state and federal levels is back on the table and is based on the 2020 Census numbers issued this summer. Please read on.

Members, please note the request near the end.

Respectfully,
COAL Board of Directors  

"The time to work seriously and collectively, to improve the state of our Community, is upon us..."
Let's Continue the Work
Good afternoon,

As you may know, in accordance with Article IV, Section 3 of the Illinois Constitution and Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the General Assembly must re-draw the boundaries of Illinois’ congressional, legislative and representative districts in order to account for population shifts since the 2010 census. 

The Senate Redistricting Committee will hold a series of public hearings to consider potential changes to legislative boundaries following information recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

We are seeking information from interest groups throughout the state in order to facilitate the redistricting process and ensure full public participation.

  • Thursday, Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. – Joint House and Senate Hearing (Hybrid Hearing – participants may testify in person or via Zoom) Room C-600, 6th Floor, Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL
  • Friday, Aug. 27 at 12 p.m. – Senate Hearing (Virtual Hearing – participants may testify at the hearing location or via Zoom) Will County Board Rm, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL
  • Saturday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. – Joint House and Senate Hearing (Hybrid Hearing – participants may testify in person or via Zoom) Gilmore Auditorium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, 222 SW Washington St, Peoria, IL
  • Saturday, Aug. 28 at 3 p.m. – Senate Hearing (Virtual Hearing – participants may testify at the hearing location or via Zoom) Vermilion Room located on the 2nd Floor of the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale SIU Student Center, 1255 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL

The Senate’s Redistricting Committee invites you to submit information about your organization and the community you serve or represent. Information may include, but is not limited to:

  • A description of the community or communities of interest your organization serves or represents, including any relevant demographic information, such as social, political, economic or other characteristics that are unique to the community or communities of interest your organization serves or represents;
  • Specific views on any social, political, economic or other issues commonly held by the members of the community or communities of interest your organization serves or represents evincing that community’s cohesion;
  • Specific interest groups that exist within the community or communities of interest your organization serves or represents;
  • Concerns you have regarding existing congressional, legislative, representative, or judicial boundaries that affect the community or communities of interest your organization serves or represents;
  • Suggestions for the placement of new congressional, legislative, representative, or judicial boundaries that will affect the community or communities of interest your organization serves or represents.

Additionally, individuals or interest groups are also welcome to submit their own version of a fully drawn State Senate maps through our web portal which can be found at www.ilsenateredistricting.com .
If you are interested in providing written or oral testimony before the Senate Redistricting Committee, please submit a witness slip through the General Assembly Dashboard: https://my.ilga.gov.
After you have submitted your witness slip, please email your request to testify and the following information to the committee’s email address at redistrictingcommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov:

  • Full name of organization
  • Hearing name, date and time
  • Position (Support, Oppose, Neutral)
  • Contact phone number and preferred email address
  • Attach the written testimony as a valid PDF file.
  • The PDF name should include committee, date and name of organization: example: Redistricting3172021Jane Doe.pdf

Mike Beatty
Legal Staff - Clerk
Office of the Senate President
217-782-3920
Illinois African Americans for Equitable Redistricting 

The Census data were released, and the Illinois Legislature is in the process of analyzing the recently enacted redistricting plan to see whether or not the boundaries will need to be redrawn to comply with the Illinois Constitution and voting rights laws,
Early indications suggest that the Map that Dilutes the Black Vote does not comply with the Illinois Constitution, the Illinois Voting Rights Act or the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We are in the process of analyzing the data, and as we have been saying since we started our advocacy, it is very possible to draw Representative District 9, Representative District 10, and Senate District 5 in a manner that retains their historically Black majorities. The preliminary data also suggest Black Voter dilution in Representative District 6.
UCCRO Press Conference and Town Hall Meeting

Hello all,

The zoom town hall meeting is Wednesday August 25th at 6pm. I will touch bases with all who are participating on the agenda tomorrow. On Thursday August 26th, at 12:30pm we will be holding a press conference at the Michael Bilandic Building 160 N. LaSalle St. Chicago IL. 60601. The first hearing on the State Map, (Who knows what that map is) will take place at 1pm. We need all hands on deck! Our message is we need time to review whatever map they concoct, and we need to have input in the decision making process. Attached is the zoom information for Wednesday please provide turnout for both.

Thanks, Rev Robin Hood 773.956-2650
COAL would like participation in the redistricting committee meetings, as well as the UCCRO events. Should any of its members have the interest and time to participate in any of these activities, please do so. COAL asks that you 1) inform us of your plan to participate and 2) please capture any thoughts, ideas, and/or recommendation, regarding the redistricting proposals and proceedings and forward to publicpolicy@coalchicago.com. Thank you.
August is National Black Business Month
Submitted by Atty Meridth Hammer

Clara Hubbard - SeniorTalk
Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Please Get Vaccinated

COAL, leveraging expert information and advice, strongly encourages its membership and larger community of interest, to get vaccinated.

However, recognizing that many of our readership were vaccinated as soon as vaccines became available, COAL further recommends that each of us strongly encourage friends and family experiencing any form of vaccine hesitancy, to also get vaccinated.
Lives depend on it. Ending this pandemic depends on it.