llinois Minority Senate leader Emil Jones asked African Americans over the weekend to make their voices heard in the upcoming Nov. 5 election and troop out en masse to place their votes.
"We've got to do it. The vote is your voice. If you don't vote, it means you don't exist, and don't complain afterwards because it is your duty to vote," Jones said Saturday at the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce's award ceremony, held at the Renaissance Hotel.
"Get everybody out. Get your friends, neighbors and families to participate in the election. It is important we vote. Doing business and networking with one another is good. We must elect our political leaders to help us in time of need," he told over 300 participants at the event.
"Senator Jones has the best chance of becoming the Senate president and the most powerful politician in the state. We've got to do," Democratic State Rep., 22nd District, Monique Davis said, adding that Blacks are more than half the population in Chicago.
Primerica Senior Vice President and winner's of a special recognition award, Earline Thomas-Hubbard also advised African Americans to use their population advantage to better their lives and build a Black Wall Street.
"There are more Blacks in Chicago than the total city population of Detroit, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dallas and Atlanta," she said, describing them as "Chicago's hottest market."
"Thirty one percent of Blacks here are college graduates, more than any other group in the city. Thirty-two percent of Blacks hold professional and managerial positions and we are more than 50 percent of the city's population," she said.
Blacks would be in a better position if they utilized the figures and do business "with one another. We have too much talent, too much knowledge and too much experience to lose," she said.
Ariel Capital Management CEO John Rogers advised small business entrepreneurs to utilize the great legacy of Black entrepreneurs in Chicago to launch their business ideas, explaining that the existence of John Johnson, publisher of Ebony magazine, encouraged him to set up Ariel here after graduating Princeton University in 1980.
Others honorees included Cook County Board President John Stroger and Linda Landman-Gonzalez of Darden Restaurant. They received the public service and member of the year awards. Norma J. Williams got the Eloise Award while the groundbreaker award went to Theresa Jamison and the Lewis Caldwell Award went to William Harvey, president of Black Tie Travel.
Photograph (Emil Jones)
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