By engaging in the doings of your community and standing with neighbors in all our diversity, you are breaking the silence of the good people. In anticipation of the April 6th local elections, participants from Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park, Morton Grove, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Wilmette, and Winnetka reflected on the Principles of the Welcoming Community and where they would like to see elected officials focus.
Over 50 people from 9 northern suburbs enthusiastically participated in our Pi Day event on March 14, 2021 to strategize around Election Day, April 6th. Our goal? To elect individuals who will transform our north suburban communities into zones of welcome rather than exclusion. We were inspired by State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback, a Justice Project founder who was recently elected to statewide office. Do not underestimate the impact of local government on our lives, she expressed.
We recognize that the suburban mold was created by layers of government and monied interests, undergirded by a culture of greed and racism. In its place, we are fostering northern suburbs that are inviting and equitable, thriving under the principle that we are all interconnected.
You can read a summary of breakout groups for Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Northbrook (with Highland Park), Park Ridge, Skokie, and Wilmette (with Winnetka). Several points stand out:
In virtually every suburb, with the notable exception of Northbrook in which a slate of progressive candidates won office a couple of years ago thanks in large measure to grassroots activism that dates back to our Northbrook Justice Team, incumbents are more conservative and less ethnically diverse than their constituents.
In Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park, Park Ridge, Skokie, and Wilmette, progressive candidates are on the ballot. Some are outside the established caucus party system, as in Skokie. But don’t assume all challengers are change-makers. In Northbrook, challengers are seeking to reverse affordable housing gains. In Morton Grove, incumbents don’t even want to engage in candidate forums.
Pushback by entrenched interests is very concerning. They are inciting panic to counter progressive candidates who would redirect outsized police budgets to mental health services and restorative justice, for example.
We also held our first fundraiser, raising over $6,400 from 30 people to allow us to hire a communications faciliator! We thank the Waraich Family Fund for their generous seed donation. The top donors will get a free pie from social enterprise, Curt’s Cafe.
Remember to vote on April 6th! And stay tuned for a post-election gathering. What are our aspirations for the first 100 days! Join us!
