Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Black Mayors Roundtable - December 9, 2023

Tiffany Hightower, Executive Director of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, and Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Chairperson, Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons (103rd District), were joined by over 1,000 elected officials, civic leaders, clergy leaders, and various other key stakeholders of the African American communities throughout Illinois and the United States in an impactful two-day Policy Summit.

This year’s theme for the ILBCF gathering is “In It For The W.H.Y.” The focus is through advocacy, fellowship, and networking, championing respective “W.H.Y.s,” while pushing forward with innovative ways to achieve equitable outcomes for Black Illinoisans.

Through the yearly challenges of enhancing the upward mobility of the African American community through collective legislative efforts in Springfield, the ILBCF understands firsthand the impactful but often moderate gains within the black experience. However, with that same collective effort, the ILBCF also understands the enormous challenges and consistent roadblocks that continue to plague African Americans throughout Illinois.

The conference will allow leaders to engage in extremely difficult discussions that expose, illustrate, and offer suggestions for resolution through legislation and grassroots organizing.

“Chicago is one of the true meccas of the Civil Rights movement and has benefited from many vanguard organizations birthed in our neighborhoods. Therefore, it’s fitting that lawmakers, civic leaders, and African American business leaders from around the nation come here to discuss political and health issues, and address gun violence, generational wealth, and enhance our educational system,” says Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Executive Director Tiffany D. Hightower.

Joint ILBC Chairperson Representative Ammons adds, “This year’s summit will serve as the catalyst to engage, encourage, and empower African American leaders and policymakers to create policies and deliver desperately needed resources to our communities. No longer can we just have gatherings and write political love letters of hope to the black constituency. We must deliver! Political maturity is needed to ensure progress for our communities.

Therefore, this summit will have challenging, honest, and transparent conversations that use our quantitative and qualitative experiences to address housing, healthcare, unemployment, entrepreneurship, and the healthcare needs of our community.”

The two-day summit will offer numerous panel discussions that will bring attention to hardcore disparities in healthcare, economics, social programs, voter suppression, generational gaps, crime, gender equality, and the criminal justice system. The National Conference of Black Mayors will be in Chicago to take part in a much-needed panel discussion concerning the state of urban America and its future challenges and goals.