She Runs Illinois 2022! — Lakesia Collins, candidate for IL House of Representatives, District 9
She Votes Illinois is pleased to feature Lakesia Collins, incumbent, running for IL House of Representatives, District 9. Follow our series, She Runs Illinois 2022!, leading up to election day as we showcase and uplift the voices of Illinois women running for public office in the upcoming election, November 8, 2022.
Tell us about yourself
I’m a Chicago native, mother of three sons who attend Chicago public schools, organizer, former youth in care, and member of SEIU Healthcare IL. I, and Bea Lumpkin who is a long-time labor leader and activist, founded Intergen Alliance which is an organization centered to bring different generations together to fight for social justice. This group ranges from students to retirees, labor organizations, and the community. I’m passionate about securing a future that works for all of us. A future that generations to come can truly benefit from, good quality affordable housing, good paying jobs, communities that are equal across no matter the zip code, and retirees can retire in peace. I want a future that will take the burden off the working class and working poor so that families will be able to thrive and restore programs and services that our communities need to do so.
What are the priorities that you intend to focus on in office?
My priorities are housing, mental health, education, and public safety. This past session I’ve focused on youth in care a little bit more because our department of children and family services needs to be reformed. I was a youth in care and I saw firsthand how a child or teen can be re-traumatized. I want to change that by passing meaningful legislation that’s aimed at the youth to give them a voice but to also support their caregiver.
What do you wish you had known before you decided to run for office?
I knew this road wouldn’t be easy but you need to have good people who want to see you thrive around you all the time. Things can become busy so setting boundaries is a must and making sure the days you set for the family are final because you can’t get that time back.
The crisis of domestic violence is closely linked to the widespread and growing use of guns by abusers. What solutions do you advocate to reduce gender-based gun violence in Illinois?
We have to strengthen our laws to prohibit domestic abusers from possessing guns and require abusers to relinquish the guns they already have. Strengthening the federal background check system to keep these guns out of dangerous hands by closing loopholes. There are so many other things we can do and should do to protect victims from people who use firearms to harm others.
What can the ILGA do in Illinois that will help trans children, especially as we see trans children and their families placed on the front lines in other states?
We passed a series of measures to help our trans children here in the state of Illinois to be recognized and have safeguards in place by changing the language to properly address our children and for education on our young LGBTQ community. I personally sponsored and supported legislation on several measures to ensure our young population can receive the support needed. There’s still a stigma that exists, and we have to do everything in our power to protect and ensure that our youth have a voice in society and feel welcomed.
Black women are about three times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related condition as white women in Illinois. With abortion bans and restrictions increasing across our nation, how do you plan to create better protections for people of color knowing that more forced births will likely exasperate the Black maternal health crisis?
We passed a number of measures to protect reproductive rights here in the state of Illinois including measures around maternal health and I sponsored measures for midwives because we know that African American women suffer from a high mortality rate. I am part of a working group to help create more policies for more protection of women’s reproductive health and how our state can continue to be the safe haven for those that will seek professional health and services.
Closing comments
I am a long-time labor activist and advocate for social, racial, and economic justice. I believe that communities that are disenfranchised need vital services and funding to uplift them. I represent communities that have food deserts and lack affordable homes and schools with enrollment down because of the violence, lack of jobs, and environmental issues that went unchecked for decades. Since I’ve been in office, I’ve funded organizations that are doing the work to uplift the youth and give them opportunities in the community, I’ve funded infrastructure to build homes that will be affordable to put families on a pathway to home ownership. Supported small businesses to keep them open during the pandemic because we know that small businesses help to drive our communities. I invested in job creation while passing legislation to help low-income families to receive free dental services which is right here in the 9th district. I’ve expanded childcare to youth in care and passed legislation to address our LGBTQ, aging population, and so much more. I am someone who has everyday lived experiences of being working class and I look at policy through that lens. As a healthcare worker, mother, and advocate for social, racial, and economic justice I’m motivated by the struggles that led me to keep fighting for those whose voices oftentimes go unheard. I believe I am the best candidate for the 9th district because I serve the entire district but I also see the disparities and my goal is to bring equity across the district and bridge communities together for a society that works for all of us.
If you would like to learn more about Lakesia Collins and her platform or volunteer for her campaign, please check out her website at lakesia4rep.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Facebook at @lakesiaforstaterep. Reach out today and help make a difference in the upcoming 2022 election.
(The information contained in this post is provided only as general information and does not imply an endorsement by She Votes Illinois.)
