Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation to host Policy Summit & Brunch
Elected Officials Illinois State Representative Will Davis, State Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin and State Rep. Marcus Evans at the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Policy Summit. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ILBCF.
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation is preparing for its second policy summit and brunch conference, which will take place Dec. 8th and 9th, at the Swissotel, 323 E. Wacker Drive.
This year’s In It For The W.H.Y. Policy Summit and Brunch will feature 22 panel discussions, breakout sessions and speakers on Friday. Also on Friday, there will be a luncheon that will focus on legacy. On Saturday, during the brunch, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation will be honoring notable individuals for their contributions, and there will be entertainment and a keynote speaker. The goal of the policy summit is to get people engaged and excited.
“At the brunch, we will have a fiery keynote speech so people will leave activated and action-oriented in terms of some of the ills of this world when it comes to Black Illinoisans and beyond,” said Tiffany Hightower, Executive Director of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.
In 2021, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus passed the Four Pillars to End Systemic Racism. Hightower said that work was just the starting point to creating transformative change. The policy summit will build on those four pillars with the panel discussions. Those panel discussions include recreating Black Wall Street and building up Black businesses, the Crown Act, the legislative process, as well as environmental equity.
“We understand that as we are moving into green tech, there are opportunities for us to really get engaged,” Hightower said.
Criminal justice is another panel discussion, as well as one about missing Black women and girls. Hightower wants the policy summit to elevate issues that are happening in the Black community with the hope that it spurs conversation that leads to policy discussions that lead to change.
The policy summit is open to anyone who is engaged and wants to be engaged, from people in corporate organizations to philanthropic organizations to community organizations to everyday people.
“This policy summit is for all of us to come together to have these conversations to get to what an inclusive agenda looks like for us,” Hightower said.
Leaders from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, as well as leaders from the city of Chicago and Cook County will also be in attendance. Hightower wants to encourage people who are concerned about topics that impact the Black community to attend the event.
Hightower said all of the topics are intertwined and impact how the Black community grows. She said the movement is everybody coming together, with an intergenerational approach, from people who have years of wisdom to people who are spunkier and more youthful, learning from each other.
Each attendee will receive a book of policy suggestions from last year. It will enable them to look at what they captured and how to build on it for this year. The goal is to keep building on what was established last year until there is a fruitful outcome.
Hightower wants people who attend the policy summit to leave with a sense of hope and togetherness, as well as tangible outcomes for change. She hopes that the attendees will leave with actionable ways to make communities a better place for Black people.
For more information about the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, visit www.ilbcf.org. To register for the policy summit and brunch, visit https://whova.com/portal/registration/igns_202310.
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