CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) released the following statement following the tragic shootings that occurred over the holiday weekend including the police shooting of Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio and a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois:

“This cannot keep happening. Gun violence is a public health crisis that plagues our nation day after day. One day, it’s a Black man that was shot 60 times by police. The next, it’s a mass shooting at an Independence Day parade. Then, there’s a residential shooting in Parkway Gardens. So many have died, and so many communities have been affected, whether it be gang violence, carjacking, police brutality or an instance of domestic terrorism.

“The common denominator every time is the guns. We must expand gun control, not just in our state, but across the nation. Our residents deserve better than a life of fear at every turn. In America, nowhere is safe. I remain committed to ensuring that this will not remain the case, and that communities can feel safe again.”

CHICAGO – Employers can no longer discriminate based on hair, thanks to a measure led by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

The Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act was signed into law Wednesday by Governor JB Pritzker, which includes hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists to the Illinois Human Rights Act’s definition of “race”.

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CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court officially decided to overturn Roe v. Wade:

“As a Black woman in this country, I am often disappointed by the constant threat to our human rights. It is very disconcerting that the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that will set reproductive rights back by decades. They are essentially telling women that they cannot make up their own minds regarding their bodies.

“Supreme Court justices are selected to uphold the Constitution, including promoting the general welfare of the people, and yet with this decision, they are going against the rights of people to make decisions about their own body.”

“I will fight to ensure that Illinois stays a safe haven for those that need abortions, because reproductive rights are human rights.”