CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter is excited to welcome the St. Laurence Arts Incubator project in Grand Crossing, a $1.7 million initiative to open doors for Chicago’s artists of color.

The St. Laurence Arts Incubator is the newest and largest project to date from the Rebuild Foundation, which has worked to preserve cultural sites like the Stony Island Arts Bank, the Retreat at Currency Exchange Café, Kenwood Gardens, and the Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative. 

“The work that artists do is impactful, and I am glad the city has invested in this new opportunity to support them,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “In particular, this incubator uplifts Black and Brown artists and entrepreneurs, and will be located right here in the Southside.”

CHAMPAIGN – On Wednesday, May 4, Illinois will be celebrating Firefighters’ Day in Illinois thanks to a resolution supported by State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign).

“Firefighters risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe,” Bennett said. “Although firefighters deserve our community’s respect throughout the year, designating a day statewide is important to recognize their efforts and contributions to protecting our communities.”

Firefighters’ Day honors the fearless men and women who not only run toward burning buildings and risk their own lives to save others but are often the first response when medical attention is required in homes and businesses.

CHICAGO – A number of members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus spoke out Tuesday to condemn the leaked Supreme Court opinion draft overturning Roe v. Wade, which would put the legality of abortion in the hands of individual states.

“As long as there is a Democratic majority in the State Senate, a woman’s right to choose will be protected in Illinois,” said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Chicago). “We will stand as a bulwark against any efforts to turn back the clock to darker days. “

Monday night, a draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked, which showed the nation’s top court plan to overturn Roe v. Wade. Tuesday morning, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft, but said it was not the final opinion. Should the case be overturned, abortion policy would be left up to individual states.

AURORA – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) released the following statement after learning of the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:

"It’s a sad day when we find the progress we’ve fought so hard to make for women could now be reversed. What more fundamental right could exist in a democracy than the right to make our own decisions about our bodies without interference from the government?

"Generations of women -- and their daughters and granddaughters -- fought for these rights through most of the 20th century. Their work brought us to a safer standard for reproductive health care for all women. Taking away this hard-earned right will cost lives. Lower income women will feel they have no other option but to resort to dangerous and deadly procedures that killed thousands of women before Roe v. Wade was established.

"As a woman leader in the Illinois State Senate, I will continue to work to ensure the rights of Illinois women are defended. I am proud to live in a state that has taken many actions to ensure women's rights will be protected here."

CHICAGO – After a draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“I am dumbfounded by the reports that the Supreme Court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade. This ruling would not only take away women’s rights to their bodily autonomy, but it would also declare a war against working-class women.

“Abortions will continue to happen, they just will not be safe or legal in certain states. Thankfully, abortion rights are protected in Illinois, but the lives of many women will be put at risk elsewhere.

Bush reacts to leak of SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

GRAYSLAKE — A steadfast advocate of a woman’s right to choose, State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) issued the following statement after a draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked:

“No person should be able to dictate or take away a woman’s right to choose. The move by the country’s top court is devastating, disheartening and downright appalling.

“History shows us that today’s move won’t ban abortion — it will ban safe abortion, putting women at greater health risks. When will enough be enough? When will we treat reproductive health care the same as all other forms of health care?

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) issued the following statement Tuesday in response to the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court provisionally ruling to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) decision:

“Today, I seethe with anger over the leaked majority opinion, and I am in fear of women’s safety and our future. This decision is a direct attack on the rights of women, which have been under assault for the majority of our nation’s history. A woman’s right to choose is fundamental, and to remove the protections set forth by the critical 1973 ruling is to create dangerous, undue burden for one of our most vulnerable populations. Removing this precedent would not stop people from seeking abortion, but it would make them far less safe for those who employ their inalienable bodily autonomy to decide the course of action that is best for them.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) issued the following statement Tuesday in response to the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court provisionally ruling to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) decision:

“I want to make this very clear: this proclamation is a vicious, deliberate attack on women –on poor women, on women of color, and on young women. The future we feared is here, and now is the time for clarity, intention and action. The highest court in the land is saying to women, ’You have no power.’ The highest court in the land is saying to women, ’You have no value.’ The highest court in the land is wrong, and we here in Illinois will stand for equity. We here in Illinois will always protect the reproductive freedoms of Illinoisans.”

“Today, that is not enough. In 2019, more than 7,000 non-residents came to our state to obtain legal, safe abortions –more than two times the number of women who sought refuge in 2014. We need more than just in-state protections. We must speak to the women of our nation sitting at home right now, paralyzed by pure terror. Here and now, let us reassure them that the state of Illinois will remain a beacon of hope. Illinois will not fail them.”