The 95th Illinois General Assembly held a great deal of promise. In the previous session, the state stepped up as a national leader by making health care and affordable preschool programs available to all Illinois children and adopting the country’s strongest protections for day laborers. This session’s first year, in contrast, saw ineffective political leadership—-policymaking came to a standstill while ongoing budget stand-offs pronounced the longest overtime session in Illionois history.
As Illinois becomes increasingly diverse, it is imperative that Illinois’ political leadership addresses the state’s growing racial disparities and prioritize racial equity.
Illinois is home to nearly 4 million people of color—an increase of 10 percent
since 2000—and nearly 1.8 million immigrants.1 While one in three people of color inIllinois is an immigrant, four out of five immigrants are people of color.
2 In 2006, people
of color made up 35 percent of state residents. The Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity forecasts that by 2050 the majority of the state’s population will be
people of color.
Illinois political leaders’ response to these changing demographics will determine the
state’s future. States that have implemented discriminatory policies to exclude people of color
and immigrants have exacerbated racial disparities and tensions, which has even contributed
in some instances to violence. Others have embraced the potential of these new and growing
communities and promoted equity, benefiting the entire state. Illinois immigrants have contributed
to the economic and population growth, without which the state’s Congressional
delegation would have declined by two seats rather than one.3
Labeled by the Associated Press as the nation’s “most average” state4, Illinois—the fifth
most populated—most closely mirrors the country in demographic factors including race,
age, income, education, and immigration.
Racial disparities persist in income, health, and education. For example:
• The median net worth of white households—$111,750—is 6 times that of
households of color—$18,160.5
• Approximately 26 percent of working age Blacks and 30 percent of working age
Latinos are uninsured, compared to 12 percent of whites. Nearly 52 percent of
non-citizen Latinos are unemployed.6
• Less than a quarter of American Indians—but 82 percent of whites—graduate from
high school. Forty-three percent of Black males graduate.7
Racial gaps are widening in Illinois. For example:
• Between 1980 and 2005, the hourly wage gap in Illinois between white and Latino
workers widened by 21 percent; the gap between whites and Blacks widened by
143 percent.8
• Between 2005 and 2006, the health insurance coverage gap between Blacks and
whites grew by 17 percent.
And on some measures, Illinois ranks worst in the country.
• Illinois has the most inequitable school-funding system in the nation—per pupil
spending differences between districts are as high as $19,000.9
• Illinois ranks worst in Medicaid funding per client—with the highest gap between
Medicaid coverage (the amount paid by the Illinois Medicaid system) and individual
costs (the total cost for the service)—leaving individual Illinois residents to pay the
highest amount out of pocket.10
During the 95th Illinois General Assembly, Illinois’ top political leaders have, thus far, failed
to deliver on the most pressing matters affecting the state’s most vulnerable communities,
especially communities of color. Racial disparities in Illinois are pervasive, but they need not
be permanent. As the “most average” state, Illinois has the opportunity to redefine American
standards for racial equity.
Race does matter in Illinois.
Download a PDF of the report here: http://www.arc.org/pdf/ILL_RC_final_3.pdf
Ann
Exactly! It’s the same here in Ohio, but worse, where racial and class gaps are widening every single day.
Steph