Southland Black Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Dr. Cornel Darden Jr. (center) and Membership Director Burneva McCullum speak with Sen. Sue Rezin (left) in October 2020. | Facebook
Southland Black Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Dr. Cornel Darden Jr. (center) and Membership Director Burneva McCullum speak with Sen. Sue Rezin (left) in October 2020. | Facebook
A local Black business leader said he was “livid” when he first heard the news of a reparations resolution proposed by the Democrats on the Will County Board.
“It’s for show,” Cornel Darden Jr., president & CEO of the Southland Black Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the Will County Gazette. “They [board members] can’t possibly know what they are getting into with this.”
The proposed resolution will create a committee of nine to determine projects eligible for the county’s share of the marijuana tax. Members of the Committee to Repair the Transgenerational Damage Done Through Slavery, the Black Codes, the War on Drugs, and Mass Incarceration in Will County will each receive a $500 a month stipend under the proposal.
“They tax will bring in at most $70,000 or so a year,” Darden said. “Their salaries will cost $54,000 [to be paid out of separate county funds under the resolution]. This is all about patronage.”
Few details of the implementation of the resolution are known, such as when the board will vote on the measure (Democrats hold a 14-12 board majority), guidelines for determining projects eligible for the funds, and a determination of who will be eligible to serve on the committee.
Regarding specifics, Democratic board member Rachel Ventura of Joliet said in an email that answers will be forthcoming at a news conference to be announced soon.
Republican board member Steve Balich of Homer Glen said he was “appalled” at the language in the resolution. The first line reads: “Whereas, the state of Illinois has a history of enslavement and oppression of Black and African Americans, as well as overall promotion of white supremacy.”
“It’s like saying that all white people are racists,” he said.
Darden said Blacks are “very touchy” about how to address history of slavery in America and the Black codes, enacted in 1853 to prohibit Blacks from outside the state to stay in Illinois for more than 10 days.
“Instead of spending time on reparations the board should look into how they built a new courthouse in Will County with Black taxpayer dollars but no Black hands,” he said.
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