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As we approach the upcoming Spring session, we’re starting to hear more from advocates and stakeholders about their priorities for the upcoming session. I appreciate these early discussions as I frequently find myself wanting to explore a particular detail of a policy suggestion more deeply. It’s also an excellent opportunity to expand on connections made with legislators around the country who may have already worked on an issue to get their insights into things that they encountered or ways they overcame opposition.
Next week brings my last such meeting of the year. I will be presenting at the Council of State Governments National Summit to Advance States’ Criminal Justice Priorities in Atlanta on the significance of data and strong communication between communities and justice system entities in a plenary session entitled Holding People and Systems Accountable where I’ll be joined by the Sheriff of St. Louis County Minnesota and an Arkansas State Senator. As this is also a larger gathering, I’m particularly looking forward to attending sessions to learn more about the latest research on reentry and recidivism prevention.
The (hopefully) slower pace as we get closer to the holidays will be a welcome change. I’m looking forward to the boys coming home from school, with all the noise and chaos that will bring to our never truly quiet home that’s been ever so slightly calmer since the college launch. We’re currently in the “will the kitten destroy any Hannukah and Christmas decorations we put up” portion of holiday prep. We know, the answer is yes, especially given that the kitten in question is Wolfie. Living with him is to know what it is to share your home with a gremlin…both the cute and sweet daytime versions as well as the mayhem agents they become when fed after midnight. If the past is any indication, we’ll take our chances, try to minimize the damage, and laugh at his antics.
It’s also a good time to take stock of unfinished business for the year like using up medical savings accounts, doing an energy efficiency check-up, changing air filters in your home and car (did you know your car has an interior air filter?). Check this out! I also recommend updating your voter registration. If you’ve moved since the last election (yep, the City one in April…there’s another one coming in March), it’s important to make sure your registration is up to date. City of Chicago voters can check their status and make address changes here. For Cook County residents click here.
Finally, while I was away, I was sad to miss the 7th Annual Friends of Sullivan Thanksgiving Celebration. You may have seen a Sun-Times story about a group of Sullivan students from Venezuela who formed a band to participate in a talent show at the school. The story shares the details of Sarai Jiminez’s journey with her family from Venezuela to one of the migrant shelters in our community. A powerful video interview with her was shown at the event for the attendees, but it’s really just too amazing not to share. Her journey may have been harrowing, and her family is far from settled here, but her incredible spirit, faith, gratitude, and leadership shine through in this amazing video. Click here to watch.
I would like to end with a thank you to all those who have donated to our annual coat drive. The demand is so much greater this year, and we’ve really been hustling to meet our community’s needs. Below is a photo of what we collected so far! It may look like a lot, but we’re falling short in a few categories. We can definitely use some more coats for those who identify as girls as well as larger coats for those who identify as boys and men. Candace and I are about to head out on a thrifting expedition with our good friends who are Olympic level thrifters to see what we can find to fill in these gaps. This weekend is a good time to take another spin through your closets and storage, or hit your favorite thrift store before we start distributing them via our partner organizations in the community. We could always use more hats, gloves, snow pants, and scarves too, if you’re so inclined.
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