Elected leaders, mothers speak out on inequity
Southland officials discuss effects of police violence, protests and fear in black communities
Four women gathered Friday at Unity Bridge in Matteson to talk about racial inequity, police misconduct, peaceful protests and violence in communities.
The elected officials who spoke each represent a different level of government — municipal, county, state and federal. They spoke about being black mothers and how they feared for the safety of their children and grandchildren.
“What we have in common is the link of motherhood,” Matteson Mayor Sheila ChalmersCurrin said. “As African American mothers we are constantly praying that our children are not subjected to the kinds of injustice that we’ve witnessed with the death of George Floyd and countless other victims.”
Floyd was the black man who died May 25. Videos showed a white police officer kneeling on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd called out for his mother as he was dying.
His death has sparked nearly two weeks of protests that have spread around the world.
“There is absolutely a right and need for peaceful protests,” said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson.
People should demand equal justice and systemic reforms, she said. Kelly condemned violence and how looters have sacked businesses and arsonists have destroyed buildings in many communities.
“I do not believe in what seems to be organized looting and destruction,” she said. “Many of our communities’ small businesses are already struggling and this could push them over the edge, beyond recovery.”
The women chose to speak to members of the press at Unity Bridge, the name chosen in 2000 when for the newly constructed two-lane span carrying 205th Street across Interstate 57. In 2009, the span was dedicated as the Mark W. Stricker Memorial Bridge in honor of a longtime Matteson mayor who died of a heart attack while in office.
The elected officials spoke about their public service representing communities populated predominantly by people of color. Their towns have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, they said.
“So much of what’s happening right now is rooted in generations of systemic disadvantages caused by institutional racism that affects all aspects of African Americans’ everyday life, including, of course, treatment from law enforcement, but it also goes much deeper than just that,” said Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, D-Lynwood.
South suburban communities are denied resources in many areas, she said.
“In the Southland, we are not immune to things like redlining, lack of access to health care, disproportionate property tax burden (and) disinvestment or lack of investment in economic development,” Miller said.
Redlining, which persists despite being outlawed by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, is a term used to describe the practice of denying home loans and other financial services based on where people live.
People of color who live in the south suburbs are negatively impacted by everything from property assessments and home values to school funding and employment opportunities, the women said.
“The south suburbs have not recovered from the Great Recession,” Miller said.
Just as pandemic-related stay-at-home restrictions were being lifted, many towns have imposed curfews and businesses have closed to protect property, the women said.
“The anxiety of the current state of our community is valid,” said state Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin, D-Olympia Fields.
Police who engaged in misconduct needed to be held accountable, she said.
“We as women who have been elected to serve our communities, but more importantly, as mothers, must continue our quest for racial harmony, equality and justice for everyone,” Meyers-Martin said.
Kelly said five members of her family work in law enforcement. She recounted how Matteson police once confronted her son who was home from college and sitting in a vehicle parked in the family’s driveway.
“They accused him of being in a gang,” she said.
The women said they would use their positions — each representing a different level of government — to work together to improve systems and make them less unfair for people of color.
“I’m fully committed to continue to advocate protest and raise awareness through our combined lenses of justice and peace,” Meyers-Martin said. “We shall overcome, rise above and conquer our quest for equality and fairness.”
America has made gains to address inequality, the women said. The fact that they were all women of color and serving in public office was proof, they said.
Despite progress in some areas, more must be done to hold accountable police officers who mistreat people, the women said.
“We, the south suburbs, a community long known for its diversity and inclusion, must stand in solidarity with the Floyd family and too many other families who have lost loved ones to unnecessary police violence,” Kelly said.
Speaking at Unity Bridge, the women said communities in the south suburbs needed to work together and use their collective strength to address inequality and injustice.
“We all need to commit to continue working together and turn this just anger into meaningful action and lasting change for the betterment of our communities, here in the Southland, in our state and in our nation,” Miller said.