Duckworth calls for economic justice during meeting with Peoria NAACP President

PEORIA, IL — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Peoria NAACP President, Pastor Marvin Hightower, this week to discuss the need for economic justice throughout Central Illinois and across the nation. Duckworth spoke about the importance of supporting minority-owned businesses, making education more accessible and affordable, as well as the need to strengthen the nation’s criminal justice system.

“We know that the true strength of this country lies in the diversity of its people, which is why I go to work each day to help ensure every American, no matter where they’re from, has the same opportunity to get a quality education, earn a decent living and create a life for their children that is better than their own,” said Duckworth. “Too many young people, particularly young people of color, have their dreams and their ambitions stifled by lack of hope. To address this, we need economic justice. I will continue to do my part in the Senate to expand economic opportunity, make education more accessible and help foster trust between law enforcement and the communities they protect.”

Duckworth has been a strong advocate for a several criminal justice reforms, including comprehensive sentencing reform, “ban the box” initiatives and federal investments in additional training for law enforcement. In April, she introduced the Police Training and Independent Review Act to help prevent police-involved deaths and encourage independent and impartial investigations into law enforcement officials’ use of deadly force. She also helped introduce Senator Benjamin Cardin’s (D-MD) End Racial and Religious Profiling Act (ERRPA), which would help eliminate racial profiling and enforce the constitutional right to equal protection under the law.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Duckworth is also working in the Senate to advance her economic opportunity agenda to revitalize economies in communities around the state that have been ignored by many for too long. By investing in infrastructure, education programs and minority- and women-owned businesses, Duckworth’s economic development plan seeks to support working families across Illinois, increasing access to jobs and opportunity and helping provide community wealth that will stabilize neighborhoods struggling for a brighter future.

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