Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ New Leadership Wants to Engage Community

Illinois State Senator Lakesia Collins. Photo provided by STH Media.
Illinois State Senator Lakesia Collins. Photo provided by STH Media.

Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ New Leadership Wants to Engage Community

By Tia Carol Jones

The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) is continuing its commitment to the Black community across the State of Illinois to uplift them. New leadership within ILBC wants residents in the state to see them as the voice of the community and to engage with them as a place to receive resources.

Illinois State Senator Lakesia Collins, Joint Chairwoman of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, said that policies that included affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were implemented to address the underrepresentation of communities like African Americans. She said that as DEI expanded to include different groups, businesses and corporations began to implement DEI policy into its hiring. She added that as the term DEI has come under fire, there is a need to educate people on the history of the implementation of the policies that seek to promote diversity within corporate America.

“For me, when I think of DEI, I’m thinking about how this was an opportunity for us to at least have a shot, and now that they’re rolling these DEI initiatives back, now that folks are turning their backs, because they feel they’re going to get these lawsuits, they’re being threatened, it sets us even further back,” she said. She added that DEI initiatives are just part of the civil rights that are being peeled back.

Collins said that she is concerned about the next generation of people entering the workforce and what the rolling back of DEI initiatives will mean for them. She said there is a need for more conversations around DEI. She said one challenge is connecting all of the members of the Black community who live across the State of Illinois.

Illinois State Representative Kam Buckner said that the ILBC has been at the forefront of educational equity by building a long-term agenda for real change. Buckner said that ILBC’s role has always been to ensure that Black students across the state have access to a quality education and necessary resources so that they have a fair shot. In 2021, the ILBC passed the Education and Workforce Equity pillar that was part of the Illinois Black Caucus’ legislative agenda that also included criminal justice, police accountability and violence reduction; economic access, opportunity and equity; healthcare and human services.

“We tackled early childhood issues for K through 12 and higher education all at once, because we know that the opportunity can’t be piece milled. You can’t fix the college graduation gap, if you don’t fix the kindergarten readiness gap,” Buckner said.

The ILBC also led the charge for evidence-based funding in kindergarten  through 12th grade education. Buckner said that legislation supported by Illinois State Representative Will Davis changed how schools were funded in the state, moving away from formulas and based more on students’ needs. Now, ILBC is moving toward creating an evidence-based funding model for higher education that is being led by Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford and Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons. Buckner said this legislation would ensure that colleges and universities in Illinois would be fairly resourced.



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