CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is mourning the death of Rev. Otis Anderson of the Cathedral Missionary Baptist Church, who passed away late last month at the age of 87.

“Rev. Anderson was a strong tower of God and a blessing to all who knew him,” Hunter said. “He always had a strong, abiding faith in God, and that faith was demonstrated in the way he seized each day and lived life to its fullest. He loved his church and church community more than life itself. Even during times of physical difficulty, Rev. Anderson kept his focus and did not complain.”

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) issued the following statement in response to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s State of the State address:

“I am pleased that the governor’s plan has not cut Medicaid and other health service areas, while even increasing spending on some human services. After the hard year we’ve endured, it is vital that our health care and human services are properly funded. January was the deadliest month in the entire pandemic, with disproportionate deaths in Black communities.

“One reason Black people are more susceptible to COVID-19 is because many of our communities lack access to quality, affordable care. Communities still need proper transportation and better care that the working class and underprivileged can afford.

“The quality of health care you receive should not be determined by your race, income or region. Quality, affordable health care should be recognized as a right for all. We need to continue to rethink and reshape the leadership of our state’s health care, leading with diversity, inclusion, and justice at the center.”

CHICAGO – The 2021 Department of Children and Family Services Scholarship Program is now open, and State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is encouraging youth in care to apply.

“I worked hard to expand this scholarship program, and the program can help dozens of youth after an extremely difficult year,” Hunter said. “This scholarship allows students to focus on their studies, rather than carry the burden of paying for their education.”

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The grants are offered by the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation and United Airlines to support West Side businesses.

 
WEST SIDE — Small businesses owned by people of color on the West Side can apply for a recovery grant through Feb. 28 to help them stay afloat through the pandemic.

The Support West program will award $5,000 grants to selected businesses. The program is organized by the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation in partnership with United Airlines.

Business owners can apply for the grant on the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation website through the end of February. Recipients will be chosen in March.

Recognizing that the West Side was hit especially hard by the pandemic and economic slump, the grants aim to “assist in long-term recovery and elevate the economic corridors of West Side communities surrounding the United Center,” Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a news release.

The grants will target people-of-color-owned small businesses that have 10 or fewer employees. Eligible businesses must have less than $250,000 in annual revenue. Applicants must also demonstrate a 25 percent loss in revenues due to the pandemic.

“We are pleased to partner with the Blackhawks to channel our resources to better ensure that the small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic remain a valuable part of our city when we emerge from this pandemic,” Rahsaan Johnson, director of global sponsorship activation at United, said in a news release.

The Support West grants will be a partner program to One West Side, the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation’s efforts to invest in the West Side’s nonprofit community. One West Side has committed at least $2 million to funding leadership development and neighborhood programs in the area.

Nonprofit grantees from the One West Side program include MAAFA Redemption Project, the Austin Childcare Providers Network and West Side United.