Restorative Justice Update & Election Day Details | |
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In session this week, committee work remained the focus as bills continued to make their way from the Rules committee to substantive committees. In the first hearing of the Restorative Justice Committee that I chair, we heard from Rep. Dave Vella on HB2054. An initiative of the Department of Juvenile Justice aims to address the significant workforce challenges they are facing by allowing the department to use work experience or a degree in determining if an applicant is qualified rather than a strict degree requirement for non-licensed care providers. The bill was advanced to the House floor on a partisan roll call of 4-2.
We also heard from Rep. Will Guzzardi on HB1119. The bill came about as the result of a project of the Young Invincibles where participants pitched policy ideas. A young woman who had struggled to help her brother reintegrate into the community after a lengthy prison sentence shared that the various grant-funded programs he had been directed to for assistance failed to meet his needs and he was re-incarcerated. Her idea was a pretty simple one: the people who make funding decisions related to reentry should include people with lived experience in order to increase the likelihood that programs they fund would actually benefit those they’re directed towards. Rep. Guzzardi was so impressed that he offered to sponsor a bill to make her vision a reality. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is the state agency charged with allocating state and federal grant funds in the criminal justice area and consists of various stakeholder agencies in the system along with six members of the general public. The bill if passed will require that three of those members of the public be people with lived experience of incarceration. I was pleased to join with the other democratic members in voting 4-2 to advance this initiative and am excited to see what other great ideas these young people come up with next.
We ended the hearing with a brief presentation on the principles of restorative justice from Dr. Elena Quintana, Executive Director of the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice at Adler University. Next week, we expect to hear about two bills that seek to restrict the use of segregation in both the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice as well as get an update from Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton on the work of her Office of Justice, Equity, and Opportunity.
We return to session next Tuesday, with lots of bills posted to committees. This part of the session frequently involves being in multiple places at once, so I will do my best to post updates on our social media as bills move. Monday brings the first meeting of the 103rd General Assembly’s Dobbs Working Group as we await word on the decision in the case in Texas that is aimed at eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide. We expect to look for solutions to challenges brought on by this expected change, as well as continue to work on issues such as fake clinics that mislead patients, data privacy, and more.
Due to the election on Tuesday and some remote staffing issues, our district office will be closed on Tuesday, but calls and emails will continue to be answered. Please remember to vote. Early voting sites remain open in every ward, you can vote at any of these locations. If you’ve moved or need to register still, you can do that on-site as well. For more information scroll down to the early voting section of this newsletter under the resources category.
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Tuesday February 28th is Election Day. Our office at 1507 W. Morse will be closed. Please continue to email us at repcassidy@gmail.com or call us at 773-784-2002. We will still be available to answer any questions that may arise. | |
Celebrate Black History Month | |
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Mae Carol Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. A few years after she was born, Jemison and her family moved to Chicago, Illinois. In addition to her love for dance, Jemison knew that she wanted to study science at a very young age. Jemison grew up watching the Apollo airings on TV, but she was often upset that there were no female astronauts. Jemison was determined to one day travel in space. In 1973, she graduated from Morgan Park High School when she was 16 years old. As one of the only African American students in her class, Jemison experienced racial discrimination in school. She later served as president of the Black Student Union and choreographed a performing arts production called Out of the Shadows about the African American experience. Jemison graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and African-American studies. After graduating from Stanford University, Jemison attended Cornell Medical School.
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On June 4, 1987, Jemison became the first African American woman to be admitted into the NASA astronaut training program. After more than a year of training, she became the first African American woman astronaut, earning the title of science mission specialist a job that would make her responsible for conducting crew-related scientific experiments on the space shuttle. When Jemison finally flew into space on September 12, 1992, with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47, she became the first African American woman in space. During her eight days in space, Jemison conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself. In all, she spent more than 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20, 1992. Following her historic flight, Jemison noted that society should recognize how much both women and members of other minority groups can contribute if given the opportunity.
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On Tuesday, Care for Real served 218 households in two hours at our Rogers Park pantry. In January, we welcomed 275 first-time families across our locations in Edgewater and Rogers Park. And every day now, we are receiving calls from neighbors concerned about the pending change in their SNAP (food stamp) benefits.
Starting March 1, the emergency increase to SNAP (food stamp) benefits will end. The emergency increase was approved by the federal government at the beginning of the pandemic. Most of the 2 million residents in the US affected will receive $86 less each month. The exact decrease will vary depending on income and household size. Neighbors receiving Social Security will see their SNAP benefits shrink even more because of a cost-of-living adjustment to their benefits. The Food Research & Action Center reports that elderly residents could see their benefits go from nearly $300 per month to as little as $23 per month. Care for Real welcomes a lot of senior-aged clients on fixed incomes, and we have already heard how rising food prices are impacting them. One client shared that they would’ve eaten ground beef on Thanksgiving if it wasn’t for our support. They said, “Seniors have taken a real hit this year with inflation. Without you, it would be bleak.” And this was before the reduction in SNAP benefits.
Food costs are still high with prices 11% higher in January compared to last year. People living at or below the poverty line are faced with tough decisions. They are forced to decide how to use limited resources to cover rent, transportation costs, food, heat, electricity, and other expenses. Many neighbors who haven’t needed our services before or haven’t needed to visit for several years because of the emergency aid are contacting us about what assistance is available to them. We expect a surge in need over the next several weeks and have already been serving record numbers of neighbors.
There are many ways you can help your neighbors facing food insecurity. Sign up to volunteer, host a collection drive, make a financial contribution, and build awareness around food insecurity. Care for Real has always been about neighbors helping neighbors. Thank you in advance for joining us in caring for neighbors during this difficult time.
And if you find yourself in the situation above and wondering how you are going to get by with much smaller SNAP assistance, Care for Real is here to help. We distribute food 6 days per week across our two locations. You can find the days and times here.
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Loyola University's Sister Jean Publishes Memoir | |
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Loyola University's beloved local celebrity Sister Jean has written a memoir, "Wake Up with Purpose! What I've Learned in my First Hundred Years." In her memoir, Sister Jean shares her life story, spiritual guidance, and life lessons, such as waking up daily at 5 am and sitting up quickly to avoid going back to sleep.
The book will be published on February 28 and is available for pre-order on from Loyola University's bookstore. It will also be available to purchase in Loyola's bookstore beginning February 28. For hours and location, click here.
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Benedictine Sisters to Celebrate the Life of Sister Vivian Ivantic on Saturday, February 25 | |
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The Benedictine Nun of St. Scholastica will honor and celebrate the life of their stalwart sister, Sister Vivian Ivantic. Sister Vivian passed away from natural causes on February 11 at 109 years old. Sister Vivian leaves behind a legacy of advocacy, compassion, and tenacity.
Sister Vivian lived through two global pandemics, the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Sister Vivian contracted and recovered from COVID in 2020, and survived to continue her lasting legacy.
Sister Vivian will be remembered for her efforts in social justice, including paving the way for women in religion. She also participated in "peace walks" and anti-racism events.
Sister Vivian dedicated her life to education. Her accomplishments include teaching at Catholic schools across the city and ushering in Catholic summer schools to cities lacking such programs. With her love for education and continued learning, Sister Vivian formed an archive of the history of the Benedictine Sister of Chicago at age 60, which documents and preserves artifacts from the order's history in Chicago dating back to its origins in 1861.
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Loyola Park Advisory Council | |
Civic Orchestra of Chicago Free Concert | |
Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO's elite training orchestra, is performing a FREE concert at Senn High School on Monday, March 6 at 7PM, led by conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya (pictured) and featuring Hymn for Everyone by CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery as well as Dmitriy Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11. Get free tickets via this link or visit the Facebook event page. | |
Andersonville Restaurant Week | |
The sixth annual Andersonville Restaurant Week starts today Friday, February 24! Our restaurant week is a unique dining experience that lasts 10 days! We have participating locations ready to serve you the best in brunch, lunch, drinks and dinner options. Each restaurant is featuring prix fixe menus ranging from $24, $36, $48 and a few special menus and options at our variety of eateries. Make sure to call ahead to see if reservations are necessary. | |
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Join Jarvis Square Tavern at 1502 W. Jarvis Ave every Wednesday at 7:30p for their weekly gathering of musical and spoken word artists in a supportive community environment.
Sign-up starts at 7:30, show starts at 8:00. 3 songs or 10 minutes of comedy/spoken word.
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Whether you saved seeds, have leftover new or used seed packets, or are looking for seeds, the Seed Swap is the place to be! Bring any native, rain garden, vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds to share and trade with others! You never know what you’ll find – gardeners are generous people, after all. This event is FREE, and open to the public. Everyone welcome! Another great thing about this event? No need to be a gardener to participate. Plus, MWRD Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos will be giving away free Milkweed seeds, part of the Save the Monarchs program.
View full event information and RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seed-swap-giveaway-tickets-530588403197
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Chicago Jewish Historical Society | |
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Early voting for the 2023 Municipal Election begins on Monday, February 13, in all 50 wards. Chicago voters may vote at any Early Voting location through February 28.
Early voting locations are:
In the 40th Ward you can vote early at Budlong Woods Library, 5630 N. Lincoln.
In the 48th Ward, voters can vote early at The Broadway Armory, 5917 N Broadway.
In the 49th Ward, voters can vote early at Willye B. White Park, 1610 W. Howard. In the 50th ward you can vote early at Northtown Library, 6900 N. Western.
Polling places will be open from 6 AM to 7 PM. Find your voting site at www.chicagoelections.gov.
A full list of early voting locations is available on the Chicago Board of Election's website.
Voters are allowed to bring in notes with them to a polling place when casting their ballot.
Any voter who needs to register to vote for the first time or file an address update or name change must show two forms of ID, one of which reflects the voter's current address. A list of acceptable forms of ID is available on the Board of Election's website.
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Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0 | |
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The application for the Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0 is now open. Domestic workers and residents who have undocumented immigration status could be eligible to receive a one-time $500 payment from Chicago as part of the city’s coronavirus pandemic relief efforts.
The city’s Department of Family and Support Services is accepting applications for the Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0, which will provide an estimated 17,000 residents who identify as domestic workers and undocumented immigrants with the one-time $500 payment, according to a news release. The payments are part of the federal funds the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act aimed at helping residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
To be eligible, residents must be 18 years or older, live in Chicago and have a total household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. For a single person, that means having an income of up to $43,740. A family of three must have an income of no more than $74,580.
Applications in Spanish and English can be filled out at www.chicash.org. Residents will be asked to submit documents related to verifying identity, proof of current Chicago residency and household income, according to the city’s website.
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Teen Opportunity Fairs 2023 | |
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Sincerely,
Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District
Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy
1507 W. Morse Ave
Chicago IL 60626
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773 - 784 - 2002 (phone)
repcassidy@gmail.com
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