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2022 Danny K. Davis Drum Major for Justice Award

 

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) is an activist, a legislator, a survivor, and the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Throughout her career as a public servant, Congresswoman Pressley has fought to ensure that those closest to the pain are closest to the power – driving and informing policymaking. Throughout her time in Congress, Congresswoman Pressley has been a champion for justice and healing: reproductive justice, justice for immigrants, consumer justice, justice for seniors, justice for workers, justice for survivors of sexual violence, justice for the formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, and healing for those who have experienced trauma. In 2020, Congresswoman Pressley bravely revealed her experience living with alopecia — an autoimmune disease that causes sudden hair loss and impacts more than 7 million Americans—disproportionately children and Black women.

Representative Pressley has turned her lived experience into action, becoming a leading voice fighting to raise awareness and support for the Alopecian community across the nation.
Currently, Congresswoman Pressley serves on two powerful Congressional committees – the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Committee on Financial Services – both of which have remained focused on legislatively addressing issues of care, concern, and consequence to the American people. Prior to being elected to Congress, she served on the Boston City Council for eight years and was the first woman of color elected to the council in its 100-year history.

 

2022 Visionary Award Winners

 

Senate President Don Harmon In January 2020, Don Harmon was elected by his colleagues to serve as the 39^th President of the Illinois Senate, vowing to lead a new era of ethical progress as the Senate works to rebuild trust in public service and rationalize state tax policy.

Harmon, an Oak Park native, was first elected to the Illinois Senate in the fall of 2002. During his time in the General Assembly, he championed early childhood education, ethics reform, curbing gun violence, protecting civil rights and expanding voter access. He also worked to protect Illinois’ natural resources, promote renewable energy and enhancing economic opportunity for all. Harmon was an early supporter of Preschool for All programs and sponsored the Illinois Early Learning Council. Harmon led efforts to win legislative approval of the Fair Tax constitutional amendment that will give voters the opportunity to overhaul the state’s antiquated tax system. In the Senate, he previously served as president pro tempore and chaired the influential Executive Committee.

Harmon has an undergraduate degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and a law degree and MBA from the University of Chicago. He was a founding member of the Boat Drink Caucus band, a bipartisan group of lawmakers who set aside politics to perform at small venues across the state.He and his wife, Teresa, are the parents of three children: Don, Frances and Margaret.

 

Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emanuel Chris Welch Emanuel “Chris” Welch has served as a State Representative in the Illinois General Assembly since January 2013. On January 13, 2021, Chris became the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. The first Black lawmaker to hold such position. Prior to becoming Speaker, Welch served as Chair of the House Executive Committee and before that he Chaired Higher Education.  All positions where he left a positive mark.

As State Representative, Welch focused on improving classroom education, creating jobs, helping the most vulnerable, and streamlining government. Welch was the Chief Sponsor of several pieces of historic legislation including the law bringing cursive writing back to our schools, the Historic Illinois Trust Act, the Law-making Illinois a Welcoming State for immigrants, and the Homeless Bill of Rights. Speaker Welch is also a leading voice for adding black and brown people to the boards of publicly held corporations after sponsoring landmark legislation that requires Illinois corporations to annually disclose their board composition.

Welch has been recognized with several significant awards for his legislative record including the prestigious Zeke Giorgi Award from the AFL-CIO and the Friend and Education Award from the Illinois Education Association.

Prior to joining the General Assembly, Welch served 12 years on the Proviso Township High School Board of Education.  His last ten years he served as the Board Chair. Welch lead the Proviso School Board in the creation of the Proviso Math and Science Academy, a school that today is recognized by Chicago Magazine and US News and World Reports. He did this all while balancing the schools budget for the first time since the early 90s.

Welch is a partner in the local government law firm Ancel Glink. Prior to that, he served as a partner at Sanchez, Daniels and Hoffman, LLP from 2007 to 2018 where he represented local school districts and municipalities. For his work in school, education and civil rights law, Welch has been recognized as a Super Lawyer and one of Chicago’s Leading Lawyers.

Welch is a graduate of Proviso West High School (‘89), Northwestern University (‘93), and The John Marshall Law School (‘97). He is a 2016 inductee into the JMLS Wall of Fame. Welch is married to ShawnTe and has two children, Tyler and Marley. Speaker Welch believes that “He will always find a way, or make one.”

 

Senator Mattie Hunter A native Chicagoan, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) has served in the Illinois General Assembly since 2003. Hunter serves in leadership as the Majority Caucus Chair and is the vice-chair of the Ethics and Executive Appointments Committees. She serves on the Behavioral and Mental Health, Energy and Public Utilities, Executive, Healthcare Access and Availability, and Transportation Committees. She is also a member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.

The former grassroots community organizer earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Monmouth College and a master’s degree in sociology from Jackson State University in Mississippi. She additionally holds a Doctor of Humane Letters from Monmouth College.

As State Senator of the 3rd District, Hunter’s priorities remain focused on protecting schools, increasing public safety, creating economic opportunities, expanding access to healthcare, and fighting for equality.

Licenses in alcohol and drug counseling and prevention has equipped Senator Hunter with expertise in crafting substance abuse and addiction prevention policies.

Hunter also served for years as vice president of the Human Resources Development Institute Inc., where she developed and managed programs focusing on abused women and children, behavioral health, youth and ex-offenders.

Working abroad, Hunter headed the Center for Health and Human Services in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a managing director and participated in coordinated U.S. State Department Demand Reduction Workshops addressing substance abuse in South Africa.

In 2006, Hunter was appointed a Lifetime Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. She was also named Legislator of the Year by numerous organizations in the fields of health care, youth, child welfare and education.

Senator Hunter is an active member of various organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (Theta Omega Chapter), Credit Union of Illinois board of directors, Health and Human Services co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), co-chair of Health and Human Services and Public Safety Committee for The Council of State Governments (CSG), Midwestern Board Member and the Health Policy Institute’s National Advisory Committee of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. In 2018, she was named the Midwest Regional Director of the Women in Government Board.

Over 400 bills regarding breast cancer, childhood vaccines, health care access, substance abuse treatment, youth employment, environmental issues and education were passed during Hunter’s career. She has also established several boards and commissions including the African American Family Commission.

 

State Senator Robert Peters has a deep passion for public service cultivated by numerous events throughout his life that left a profound impact on him and the people he cares about.

He was born in 1985 deaf and with a massive speech impediment. His biological mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and his adopted mother and father were a social worker and a civil rights lawyer, respectively. He is a proud South Sider and an even prouder Chicagoan and still resides in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

Peters began his career in community advocacy as an organizer, where he successfully fought to require Cook County judges to set affordable bail amounts for all defendants, leading to a substantial reduction in the Cook County Jail population since it took effect in July 2017.

As a state senator, Peters plans to continue advocating for public safety for all. He has helped pass several key pieces of public safety legislation including the Reimagine Public Safety Act as well as authoring the component of a larger package that ended the system of wealth-based detention in Illinois.

He is also committed to holding big corporations accountable, continuing his focus on reforming the criminal legal system, creating clean energy jobs, fighting for housing, health care justice and fighting for democracy in public education. He is passionate about his work and his community and intends to be the best public servant he can be.

Peters currently serves as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee. He also serves as a member of the Criminal Law, Environment and Conservation, Health, Human Rights, Labor, and Revenue Committees.

 

Senator Elgie Sims, Jr. serves as State Senator for the 17th Illinois Senate District, which includes portions of the South Side of Chicago, Chicago’s South Suburbs, and Will and Kankakee counties. Prior to joining the Illinois Senate, he served nearly four terms as State Representative of Illinois’ 34th House District.

As State Senator, Elgie continues to put families and communities first. During his time in the Illinois General Assembly, Elgie has championed legislation focused on improving the quality of our schools, strengthening the middle class by creating good paying jobs and economic opportunities, bringing fiscal discipline to Springfield and passing commonsense public safety initiatives with the aim of making our streets safer.

Elgie believes deterrence from the criminal justice system requires investments in alternatives to incarceration, including education, stable health care, job readiness, an abundance of economic opportunities and good paying jobs.

Elgie currently serves as the Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman, and has shown his commitment to educating young people throughout Illinois by supporting education funding reform, a law designed to level the playing field for P-12 schools statewide. Also, as a budget negotiator he has negotiated spending plans that provide greater investments in schools from preschool through college.

One of Elgie’s main focuses is creating economic opportunities and good-paying jobs. He passed a law requiring the State of Illinois to create a plan to address the crisis of high unemployment among young people. He also worked to pass a law to help revitalize the local economy by allowing low-interest loans to small and minority- and women-owned businesses working on transportation projects for the State of Illinois. In addition, Elgie passed the Illinois Home Grown Business Opportunity Act, which aims to help support and grow Illinois businesses by identifying existing and underused state resources in an effort to help business owners better compete with companies in neighboring states.

A member of the Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee, Elgie is one of Illinois’ leading voices in the effort to reform our state’s criminal justice system. Also during his tenure as State Senator, Elgie spearheaded efforts to pass a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill that will change the current use of force policy, how courts impose bail and sentence convicts, and advance rights to all Illinois citizens, including detainees and prisoners, to better improve interactions with law enforcement professionals.

Elgie believes prison should be reserved for those who are threats to public safety, not those who commit crimes of poverty or are the result of mental illness or substance abuse problems. Widely regarded as a knowledgeable lawmaker with an ability to forge compromise, Elgie led efforts to move Illinois away from the use of cash bail, through passage of the Bail Reform Act of 2017. The law focuses on an individual’s threat to public safety or likelihood of being a flight risk not, their ability to pay a cash bail.

A firm believer in second chances, Elgie believes that once a person has paid their debt to society they should enjoy the rights and opportunities of citizenship. For that reason, he helped pass a law giving more Illinois residents with criminal histories the opportunity to turn their lives around and obtain gainful employment by allowing certain non-violent crimes to be sealed if the offender has not been in any additional trouble and passes a mandatory drug test.

Elgie also led efforts for Illinois to become the first state in the nation to pass legislation to improve community and law enforcement relations. The Police and Community Relations Improvement Act has been used as model legislation for fostering stronger ties between police and the neighborhoods they protect and serve. The Act establishes and includes statewide protocols for the implementation of body cameras and training requirements for law enforcement officers.

Elgie is also one of the leading voices seeking to implement commonsense gun laws by keeping guns out of the hands of those who are a threat to themselves or others. He helped pass a law requiring universal background checks and the reporting of lost or stolen guns within 72 hours. He also helped pass a law that creates a 72-hour waiting period before any gun can be received after a purchase. This gives law enforcement more time to complete background checks and provide a “cooling off” period for people who may hurt themselves or someone else.

An attorney by trade, Elgie continues to make a positive impact on every community he is a part of, as he was always taught: “To whom much is given, much is required.” He remains active in many civic organizations whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the communities they serve. As a community leader, he has worked to provide scholarships and books to children in need and worked to make our communities safer.

Born in Chicago, Elgie holds a B.A. in political science from Illinois State University, an M.P.A. from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He and his wife reside in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood with their two daughters.

 

Senator Celina Villanueva Born in Chicago and raised in Little Village, Celina Villanueva is currently the State Senator for Illinois’ 11th District. Celina began organizing and advocating for her community as a teenager, and is committed to building immigrant power, developing young leaders, expanding voting rights and engaging immigrant communities and allies.

During her time at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Celina organized her community to pressure lawmakers to pass online, same-day and automatic voter registration – all of which are now law. There, Celina also ran the largest immigrant civic engagement program in the state, registering over 200,000 new American voters. Prior to joining ICIRR, Celina served as the Director of Organizing at Chicago Votes where she engaged young voters in democracy.

When Celina was appointed to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2018, she brought the voices of her community with her to continue the work they had started. In the House, Celina led the effort to include strong social equity measures in the state’s cannabis laws so that communities harmed by failed drug policies would not be abandoned. Celina also worked with immigrant advocates to pass the Keep Illinois Families Together Act, prohibiting law enforcement from working with ICE.

Celina was first sworn into the Illinois Senate in 2020 and currently sits on the Higher Education, Human Rights (Chair), Labor (Vice Chair), Public Safety and Transportation Committees. Senator Villanueva remains a community organizer at heart and will continue to uplift marginalized voices in Springfield.

When she’s not busy trying to change the world Celina is an avid reader, lover of musicals, shopping, dancing and a great brunch.

 

Senator Cristina H. Pacione-Zayas 

 

Representative Kelly Cassidy  is currently serving her fourth term as the State Representative for Illinois’ 14th House district and her first term as the 49th Ward Committee Person. Prior to her appointment in 2011, Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy was a community activist and organizer. As the only openly gay female member of the General Assembly, Kelly has helped pass progressive legislation involving criminal justice reform, women’s rights, and the LGBTQ community. She led the effort to ban conversion therapy in the State, which was then used as a model for other States.

Most recently, she was the primary sponsor of the Reproductive Health Act that affirmed an individual’s right to bodily autonomy and fixed Illinois’ outdated abortion law to treat abortion like all healthcare. She also led the charge on passing legislation to ban for-profit detention centers in Illinois. Finally, she was the primary sponsor in the House of the bill that legalized adult-use cannabis in Illinois. The law is groundbreaking in its equity-centered restorative justice focus and aims to address the issues brought upon communities and individuals most directly impacted by the war on drugs.

Kelly has, for two decades, worked tirelessly to make government work for the people it represents. Her unique experience, dedication, and passion for her constituents drive her focus on serving not just the people of the 14th district but also elevating the voices of communities with little power across the state.

Kelly lives in Rogers Park with her spouse, Candace Gingrich, 3 sons, their cat/dog Puck, a rapidly growing mastiff puppy named Jack, Simon, a Siamese kitten, and Nick Furry, a one-eyed black kitten.

 

Representative Deb Conroy is a passionate community activist and a tireless advocate for mental health and DuPage County schools. Deb attended York Community High School, the College of DuPage, and Columbia College. A former Elmhurst District 205 school board member, Deb fought to improve access to education for special needs students. In 2012, Deb launched an underdog bid for State Representative in a district that hadn’t elected a Democrat in 36 years. Deb ran a dynamic grassroots campaign, spoke to thousands of families across the 46th district, and secured a resounding 16-point win.

The spirit of service that first drove Deb to get involved as a young parent has stayed with her to this day. In Springfield, Deb’s poured countless hours into her work as chair of the House Mental Health Committee, while fighting for our schools, voting to protect vital health care programs, and finding bipartisan solutions to make our government more transparent and accountable. Deb always votes her district. Deb has four adult sons and currently lives in Elmhurst, Illinois.

Before Deb was a public servant, she was a parent to four DuPage County students. As a volunteer teacher, PTA member, and nonprofit leader working to support District 205 schools, Deb saw the difference good local schools can make for our communities – but she also saw that DuPage County schools had room to improve. One area where our schools faced serious challenges was access for special needs students – so Deb stepped up and fought to ensure that classrooms for special needs students were located safely on the first floor. She served on the board of the Elmhurst Children’s Assistance Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families with disabled or medically burdened children. Deb ran for school board because she wanted to bring positive changes like this to our local schools – and she’s continued to fight for our schools ever since.

And Deb hasn’t just fought for our schools – she’s delivered. For too long, school boards have faced an impossible choice: raise property taxes or cut vital programs that help our children succeed. That’s why Deb enthusiastically supported the 2018 bipartisan budget, which helped bring more than $500,000 in new funding for the 46th District schools. This bill means more money that allows school boards to protect important programs, while still delivering property tax relief for DuPage County families.

In Springfield, Deb passed laws to protect health care for patients with pre-existing conditions, fund programs that reduce opioid abuse, and make our state government more efficient. As chair of the House Mental Health Committee, she’s worked hard to make sure insurers cover the care patients need, partnered with local law enforcement to reduce drug use in our communities, and fought to ensure that hospitals and clinics across Illinois have the funding they need. And during the budget crisis, Deb worked to restore funding for vital programs – from early-childhood programs that serve young patients to in-home medical treatment for seniors.

Deb believes good government should be a bipartisan issue. That’s why she’s worked with colleagues in both parties to pass bills that make state and local government more efficient, transparent, and accountable. One of the first bills Deb passed as a legislator allowed units of local government in DuPage County to consolidate. This bill eliminated wasteful layers of bureaucracy, made our county government more efficient, and delivered real savings for taxpayers. It’s proven so effective that counties across the state are using it as a model to reduce government waste.

Our state faces real challenges as we recover from the budget crisis and work towards better schools, quality health care, and more accountability in government. The work won’t be easy – and now, more than ever, we need a voice in Springfield who’ll bring a serious and thoughtful approach to these issues and so many others. Deb has been that voice – speaking up for transparency, common sense, and honesty in Springfield. That’s exactly what she’ll do over the next two years – because the people of Illinois deserve nothing less.

 

Representative Will Guzzardi Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) represents the 39th District in the Illinois House, serving the Logan Square, Portage Park, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, and Avondale neighborhoods of Chicago. Currently in his fourth term, Guzzardi is the chair of the House Prescription Drug Affordability committee and of the Housing committee. He is also a founding co-chair of the Illinois House Progressive Caucus.

In the legislature, Guzzardi has championed issues of pressing importance to working people and those in need. He has advanced measures to end workplace discrimination; lower the cost of prescription drugs; make college affordable for every student; and curb abuses by the debt collection industry. And in February of 2019, he passed historic legislation raising Illinois’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025.

Raised in North Carolina, Guzzardi graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature in 2009. He has lived in the Logan Square neighborhood since that time. Prior to joining the General Assembly, he was an editor for Huffington Post Chicago and the head writer for admissions at the University of Chicago. He was also an active organizer in his community, joining with neighbors to fight school closures and advocate for an elected school board in Chicago.

Guzzardi’s successful outsider bid for elected office in 2014 — against one of Chicago’s most notorious political dynasties — is the subject of the short documentary, “The 39th.”

 

Representative Justin Slaughter Since January 5, 2017, Justin Slaughter has been the Illinois State Representative of the 27th District. Prior to becoming State Representative, Justin developed a successful career as a public servant that included invaluable experience in government and public policy. Throughout his achievements in the public sector, Representative Slaughter has always exemplified a strong commitment to address and empower under-served communities.

As a college student, Representative Slaughter experienced his first endeavors into public service as an intern for U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-1st District); and later for then 6th Ward Chicago Alderman Freddrenna Lyle. These experiences provided Rep Slaughter the critical opportunities to better understand our nation’s legislative process, and also experience local government at the community level.

After graduating from college, Justin became the District Director for then Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul (13 District). In this capacity, Mr. Slaughter was instrumental in connecting constituents to vital government resources, as well as, developing public policy initiatives impacting statewide criminal justice disparities. Following this endeavor, Justin was a Policy Advisor for Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn.

This experience allowed Justin to spearhead statewide initiatives in the areas of criminal justice reform, juvenile justice, social services, and minority economic development. After leaving Governor Quinn’s office, Justin became the Deputy Director of Programs for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). In this role, Justin implemented and oversaw all services and programs within IDJJ’s Youth Centers and assisted IDJJ in pioneering its first youth-focused aftercare initiative.

After eight dedicated years of service with State government, Justin decided to remain in the public sector and work within the Cook County government. This experience included a stint as the District Director for Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore (4th District), as well as, working in the administration of Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle; first as a Special Assistant in the Bureau of Administration and then as a Legislative Coordinator for the Secretary to the Board of Commissioners.

Representative Slaughter has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.

Justin is a member of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago and a proud brother of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity Inc. A Native Chicagoan, Representative Slaughter was born and raised in the 27 th District in the Brainerd Park neighborhood where he currently still resides with his loving wife, Catrena, and their son, Russell.

 

Director Willette Benford Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced June 16, 2022 that Willette Benford will serve as Director of Re-Entry for the City of Chicago, a newly created role that sits at the center of a $13 million initiative launched during the 2022 budget process that will transform Chicago into a national leader in supporting returning residents.

“I want the Second City to be the Second Chance City,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “As a former federal prosecutor, and as a sister to a Black man who endured a 17-year prison sentence, this goal is deeply personal to me. That’s why I am excited to welcome Willette to the team to help our city do better for returning residents who have paid their debt to society and are ready to be productive members of their communities.”

The 2022 budget signed by Mayor Lightfoot last fall earmarked $13 million for re-entry services, including legal assistance and workforce development. In 2021, Mayor Lightfoot also signed an Executive Order creating an Interagency Reentry Council to be led by Benford that will advance wide-ranging recommendations made by the Returning Residents Working Group, which were detailed in “A Roadmap for a Second Chance City” report. This working group was comprised of people with direct experience in the criminal legal system and public advocates for reform.

The group suggested more than a dozen ways the City can give returning residents the second chance they deserve. These include revising municipal ordinances to remove restrictions on those with records — from owning businesses and coordinating with the jail and prison system to create a one-stop shop connecting individuals with housing, workforce resources, healthcare, and other tools upon release.

Benford is a mother, minister, social justice advocate, and a survivor of the criminal justice system. Prior to this role, Benford led the decarceration work for Live Free Illinois, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending gun violence and mass incarceration.

Her new role allows her to build and expand relationships across various sectors and City departments and agencies to improve the lives of returning residents citywide. The Interagency Re-Entry Council’s goal is to eradicate policies and procedures that exclude and create barriers to successful reentry.

“I am honored to serve in this post and will work tirelessly every day to improve the re-entry process for formerly incarcerated Chicagoans,” said Benford. “To all returning citizens who feel the challenges they face are insurmountable, let me be clear: With Mayor Lightfoot at the helm, you are not alone in this struggle.”

“In the past ten years, more than 100,000 people came back to Chicago neighborhoods after serving time in the state and local jail and prison systems,” said Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward). “All too often, they struggle to find stable housing and decent employment. Willette and the team she builds around her will organize a whole of government approach in reversing this seemingly unreversible trend.”

Benford will ensure that formerly incarcerated individuals are afforded the opportunity to reenter society with dignity and equity and receive the right resources. She is a fierce advocate and champion for change, and she resides on the City’s South Side. Her appointment began on May 31, 2022.

Moderator

Avalon Betts-Gaston, Program Manager, Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice

 

Panelists

Rich Wallance – Founder and Executive Director, Equity and Transformation – Chicago

Quianya Enge – Founder and Executive Director – Beyond the Walls