It's Teacher Appreciation Week! This has been a school year like no other for our educators, students, and families, and I want to take a moment to thank teachers and staff for giving their all to help us all navigate it. In addition to keeping students engaged and supported in the classroom, I saw so many teachers taking on the work of connecting students and their families with food, financial help, vaccines, and so much more. A special thank you to my son's champions at Hibbard Elementary for all the care and solidarity shown towards families and to each otherContinue

Today, more than 1,000 neighbors got vaccinated at our Northwest-side community clinic! This was a collaboration between multiple state representatives, aldermanic offices and community health partners, and a great example of how we can get more residents vaccinated by making it as convenient as possible.  Speaking of which, if you haven't gotten your vaccine yet, it's now easier than ever. A great, nearby option for 33rd Ward residents is Erie health's location at 5215 N California Ave (Foster and California), which is now taking walk-ins on Tues - Friday from 10 AM - 12 PM. All city-run vaccination sites, includingContinue

As part of the American Rescue Plan passed by the U.S. Congress in March, Chicago will soon receive $1.8 billion to help us recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.  Our last round of federal funds did not go towards the relief we needed--instead, the city gave $280 million to CPD, and millions more sat unspent. At this week's City Council meeting, Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor and I introduced a resolution calling for this round to go directly towards recovery for Chicago residents. From walk-in neighborhood vaccination sites, to funding for summer jobs and violence prevention, to stimulus checks for undocumented families--there areContinue

Yesterday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) released the police body camera footage of the tragic shooting death of Adam Toledo. The body camera footage shows Adam Toledo with his hands up when he was shot by a Chicago police officer. My heart goes out to Adam’s mother and all the Black and Brown mothers who have lost a child to police violence and the systemic violence that comes with poverty, disinvestment and the neglect of our communities. This is a very traumatic event for the whole city and I want to extend my love and solidarity to theContinue

This week, our staff and volunteers were busy making calls to 33rd Ward seniors, and today we were able to get 100 more people vaccinated through our partnership with Oak Street Health! While we are making progress in vaccine equity in Chicago, vaccination rates in our neighborhoods and those on the South and West sides are still lower than those in neighborhoods in and around the Loop.  We are continuing to advocate for more community vaccination sites, but in the meantime, please spread the word: our office and volunteers can help eligible residents find appointments! Illinois is currently seeing theContinue

This week, Chicago entered Phase 1C of its vaccine rollout. That means adults with underlying conditions and all essential workers--such as restaurant employees, hotel workers, clergy members, hairdressers, and construction workers--are now eligible. If you are eligible for vaccination but haven't been able to find an appointment, we've assembled a team that can help! Call our office or submit your information here. Next, Friday, April 9, we will also be hosting a community vaccination event here in the ward specifically for seniors and Medicare recipients. Pre-registration is required and; please submit your information here and you will get a call back toContinue

In the wake of the horrific violence in Atlanta this week, it's critical that we stand with our Asian-American and Pacific Islander neighbors. We are so lucky to have here in the 33rd ward the HANA Center, which organizes with Korean American and multiethnic immigrant communities. Today, I want to share some resources from them and other organizations doing this important work.  I encourage everyone to read the HANA Center's powerful statement on the murders of Asian American women in Atlanta, and how anti-Asian violence is inextricably linked to broader white supremacy and U.S. militarism.   Asian Americans Advancing Justice will also be holdingContinue

This week marked the one-year anniversary of Covid-19 being declared a global pandemic. I want to take a moment to acknowledge everyone who has struggled through illness, the loss of family or friends, and so many other hardships the past year has brought. We have a long road ahead to start to repair the harms inflicted on individuals, families, and communities.   At the same time, this has been a hopeful week. Some fabulous volunteers are now dedicating their time to helping our office find vaccine appointments for our seniors and frontline workers. As more doses become available in Chicago, we willContinue

This week, the city opened registration for a new mass vaccination site at the United Center. The site will begin administering Covid-19 vaccines next Tuesday, with capacity to administer 6,000 doses per day.   Vaccine supply from the federal government is still limited. The initial round of 110,000 appointments are limited to seniors aged 65+. If appointments still remain at 4PM Sunday, and if there are still appointments open and we have heard that many are still struggling to navigate the city's appointment system. As of Friday, appointments still remain, and you can sign up through zocdoc.com/vaccine or by calling 312.746.4835. CallContinue

We have just wrapped a special Friday afternoon City Council meeting where we passed an ordinance appropriating $377 million in federal dollars for Covid-19 relief. I voted in favor of this ordinance, which includes approximately $79 million for emergency rental assistance, $23 million for vaccination, and $155 million for the Chicago Department of Public Health. However, I remain extremely concerned that the city’s administration opted to spend more than $280 million of Chicago's CARES Act dollars on the police department–that’s more than 60% of the discretionary funds that Chicago got from the federal government for our Covid-19 response in 2020.Continue