CHICAGO – In an effort to provide at-risk youth with an opportunity to develop new skill sets, State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) announced the expansion of the Illinois Department of Human Services’ COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program, which creates additional employment opportunities for underserved youth in the South Side of Chicago.

“Early work experience allows teens to learn what their passions are and explore future career paths,” Jones said. “The program will help them learn work and professional skills, like time management and creating a resume, that will help shape them for years to come.”

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Jones announces $7.1 million worth of newly approved grants from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

CHICAGO – In an effort to help communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Emil Jones, III (D-Chicago) announced organizations that provide support services and resources should apply for a percentage of the $7.1 million worth of newly approved grants from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

“No community has suffered more impact from COVID-19 than underprivileged communities,” Jones said. “I urge local community organizations to apply for the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program to help disproportionate communities recover.”

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CHICAGO – State Senator Emil Jones, III (D-Chicago) applauds the West Pullman Elementary School project being a recipient of the Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, which will allow for the recently-closed school to turn into an affordable housing complex. 

“This program prioritizes revitalization projects in underprivileged communities and will ultimately accommodate the improvement of the local economy,” Jones said. “I fully support any agenda that drives investments to low-income communities and leads to new jobs, better housing, and other ways to redevelop the community.” 

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SPRINGFIELD – In response to House Speaker Mike Madigan’s call for the removal of Stephen Douglas’ statue from the Illinois Capitol grounds, State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) has suggested it be replaced with a statue of Barack Obama to honor our nation’s first Black president.

“We have nothing that commemorates our first Black president, who started his political career here in Illinois,” Jones said. “We have countless statues that honor military and political leaders who fought to preserve slavery. Why not replace this one with Barack, a Black man who tried to lift Black voices in communities across the nation?”

Although Stephen A. Douglas was a Democrat, he owned slaves in Mississippi and held deeply racist views about people of color. Douglas also supported the 1857 ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which stated that enslaved people did not become free when taken into free states like Illinois.

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