FROM THE STREETS TO THE STATEHOUSE: ASHLEY MUNSON ADVOCATES FOR POSITIVE CHANGE
From the Streets to the Statehouse: Ashley Munson advocates for positive change
BY TIA CAROL JONES
Ashley Munson is the Legislative Affairs Manager for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Munson is a community activist and a voice that speaks for the improvement of public education for primarily Black and brown students throughout Illinois. Munson was the lead organizer for the March for Us 2020, Million Man March on Juneteenth.
She said has always been a voice, and always had the opportunity to represent a certain demographic of people. “I’ve always had the opportunity to step up and voice how I feel about certain things. Leading into my young adult professional career, it has led me into areas where I’ve continued to have that opportunity to speak up for Black and brown children, for Black and brown folks, who are in need of environmental justice, and in the church speaking up for youth to advocate for themselves.”
Munson said she wanted to speak up and be a voice for young people so that they can be better positioned to be successful in the world. She said she considers herself a community connector.
“I’m that person who wants to continue to be a liaison from the streets to the statehouse. Just so we can pass legislation that benefits Black and brown people, but also, public officials and politicians can understand the need for grassroots organizations.”
Munson said during her time as a communications staffer for the Illinois House of Representatives, she developed a lot of relationships with members of the Black Caucus and she learned a lot. “It broadened my network and helped me understand the political landscape in Illinois,” she said.
Munson said she wanted to do the work where she could see the most change, block by block.
As a policy coordinator at the Illinois Environmental Council, Munson learned there were rooms where decisions were being made for Black and brown people where there were very few of them present. “From that moment on, I knew that whatever I do in my life, it was to advocate for Black and brown people period. In that experience, I learned you need to speak up, and I learned we need to have more people who look like us in those rooms,” she said.
She said one way to get more people who look like us in rooms to be decision makers is to hold Black public officials accountable to provide opportunities and to create a pipeline for opportunities. “These local policies, state policies and definitely federal policies, end up, at the end of the day, affecting us so we definitely have to take the initiative to hold these elected officials accountable to provide those opportunities to let us know when meetings are, to let us know what they’re doing because if we don’t, we’re suffering,” she said.
Munson said the fun part of her life is her platform, “Today with Munson.” She said she took it upon herself to educate people about politics, using humor. She described it as a combination of political satire and humor.
Munson said organizing the March for Us 2020 changed her life. She said it was something she was burdened by God to pursue. It started with a tweet after she researched marches and their role in history throughout time. It evolved from that tweet and after 11 days, into a March on Juneteenth where more than 4,500 people showed up and supported a movement.
“Sometimes we lose hope. People that are fighting their fight or get frustrated with what’s going on in the world, we lose our fight. And, that March ignited a fire in ways I can’t really describe. It was upon me to do that to show the world and to show Chicago and to show Illinois that we can be united if we really work together,” she said. “I was called to do it and called to collaborate. And, bring people together.”
Munson said when she got to the stage at Daley Plaza and looked and saw all the people, she thought, “we’re powerful if we unite.” Some of the asks include making Juneteenth a paid Federal and State holiday; police reform; equity in healthcare; and quality education. From that, the Illinois Black Collective was created. The goal of the collective is to pass legislation that creates positive change. She said she takes the magnitude of being a voice very seriously.
“I’m just grateful to be called to make a difference,” she said. “It’s a lot of folks out there trying to change the world and doing amazing things in the community. I’m
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