Painting a portrait of direct democracy
Earlier this month, I walked through the Hall of Governors in the Illinois State Capitol, looking at the official portraits of the governors who have led our state over the past two centuries.
Some are inspirational. John P. Altgeld, an immigrant farm boy, served as governor from 1893 to 1897, standing up for working people and passing the nation's most strict child labor and workplace safety laws. Self-educated, Altgeld saw higher education as the cornerstone of our democracy, and he successfully led dramatic increases in funding that brought Illinois' public universities into the highest ranks.
Other portraits offer cautionary tales: Shadrach Bond, our first governor, tried to bring slavery to Illinois. And Lennington Small was arrested while in office in 1921 on charges that he embezzled more than $1 million in state funds.
As I watched my official portrait take its place in this gallery of governors, both good and bad, I started thinking about portraits - about what they mean, and what we can (and should) learn from looking our history in the face.
With my own portrait, we wanted to do more than create a formal memorial of one person's tenure in office. We wanted to create a lasting reminder that, in a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen.
So the portrait's background features dozens of "found items" that symbolize people, issues and events that have been important to our state. To make the portrait a more powerful tool for civics education, we created a new website, GovernorQuinnPortrait.org, where visitors can click on the items and follow links to historical documents, videos and other information about the issues the items represent.
Among these "found items" is a photograph of the bill signing that put an advisory referendum on the November 2014 ballot, asking voters whether the state's minimum wage should be increased to $10 an hour. The photo shows the committed, diverse group of supporters who came together for the signing - a "portrait within a portrait" that depicts the first images of people of color ever included in the Hall of Governors.
That photo is more than a prized memento from my past. It's a reminder to everyone who walks through the Hall of Governors that when we look at the faces of all these men who were elected to lead the state of Illinois, we should remember all the women and men whose votes brought them into office.
Importantly, the portrait's background also includes a clipboard. Because in a democracy, a clipboard can be used as a crowbar by people who need leverage against public servants who have lost their way. As President Obama said in his farewell address, "If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures."
I learned the power of the clipboard years ago, when my fellow volunteers and I launched the biggest petition drive in Illinois history, collecting 635,158 signatures in support of the Political Honesty Initiative. Our efforts ended a century-old practice that allowed Illinois legislators to collect their entire year's pay in advance on their first day in office.
Since then, I've been a constant advocate for direct democracy - giving people the power to shape their laws through citizen initiatives, which give legislative authority to any group of everyday people who are willing to pick up their clipboards and gather the necessary number of signatures to put a binding referendum on the ballot.
This idea - that citizens should have the power to write their own laws - has a long, honorable history in Illinois. The Hall of Governors includes a portrait of Edward Dunne, who was elected to office in 1912 on a platform that called for an Initiative and Referendum amendment to our state Constitution. Although the legislature refused to follow his lead on direct democracy, Dunne went on to become a progressive hero, signing a bill to give Illinois women the vote in 1913 and creating a commission to protect Illinois consumers from unscrupulous utility companies.
Today, the Hall of Governors serves to remind us of Governor Dunne, Governor Altgeld, and many other governors who have served our state with honor and distinction. I hope this latest addition to the Hall will build on that legacy, teaching the fundamentals of civics and providing new insights into the power of direct democracy.
Most of all, I hope this portrait will inspire the people of Illinois to demand an amendment to our state Constitution that will empower us to make our voices heard directly, through ballot initiatives with the power to rewrite our laws and reshape our government.
Because I believe that every person in the Land of Lincoln has the right - and the responsibility - to stand up, speak out and start taking action to improve our government and make the will of the people the law of the land.
Pat Quinn served as the Governor of Illinois from January 29, 2009 - January 12, 2015. Information on his interactive portrait can be found at GovernorQuinnPortrait.org.