CHICAGO – After calls from advocate groups and state legislators, the Chicago City Council finalized a vote Wednesday to make Emmett Till’s home an official landmark. State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), who was among those calls several months ago, is celebrating the council’s decision.

“I am proud to see that the City Council voted to preserve Emmett Till’s childhood home as a landmark,” Hunter said. “Though heartbreaking, Emmett Till’s lynching must be remembered, especially as we navigate race relations in these times of racial unrest.”

State Senator Mattie Hunter’s plan to include African-Americans in the planning process of minority-focused programs was signed into law today. The law changes the composition and objectives of the Illinois African-American Family Commission.                    

“Including African-Americans in the development and planning process of policies is another step toward promoting equality within Illinois,” said Hunter, a Chicago Democrat and member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. “With collected statistics, we can address problems often overlooked within the African-American community.”

Plans to create a youth substance abuse working group and juvenile justice advisory council sponsored by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) gained Senate approval this month. The plans aim to reduce substance abuse among teens and end minority disparities in the juvenile justice system.

“Ignoring signs of youth substance abuse leads to preventable health problems once they are adults,” said Hunter, member of the Senate Public Health Committee. Hunter saw the ill effects of unaddressed youth substance abuse firsthand during her years as a drug and abuse counselor. “Intervening once children are adults is too late. That’s why the working group will help families and communities educate our youth about addiction.”

When authorities in July found the tortured, broken body of 8-year-old Gizzell Ford lying among trash in an Austin apartment, it became yet another heartbreaking example of the failings of the state’s child welfare system.

It’s a tragic scene that happens far too often in Illinois. Over the past five years, more than 450 children have died from abuse and neglect, and recent numbers from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services show the annual death toll is rising.

State Senator Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat and longtime child welfare advocate, wants changes.