Black leaders in DuPage: Fight poverty, maybe not make Juneteenth a holiday

Several Black community leaders say DuPage should focus on increasing the county's minimum wage, promoting economic development and supporting minority-owned businesses.

They disagree, however, when it comes to making Juneteenth a paid holiday for county employees.

In what officials are calling a first step in a dialogue about diversity and inclusion, representatives from the DuPage NAACP and other groups this week spoke to members of the DuPage Complete Count Committee, which aims to educate residents about the importance of the 2020 census.

County board member Sadia Covert, who serves as chairwoman of the Complete Count panel, said one of the county's missions is to ensure its communities are desirable places to live "where all are welcomed, accepted and valued."

But the protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have officials acknowledging more needs to be done to improve race relations.

"From this dialogue, I hope we can determine some suggestions for actions our county, our business and municipal leadership can take to improve race relations and make every DuPage resident feel welcome and included," said Covert, a Naperville Democrat.

The Rev. James Miller, senior pastor of DuPage AME Church in Lisle, said the county must work to eliminate poverty and urged officials to increase the minimum wage.

Guaranteeing a living wage, he said, would improve people's circumstances and lessen the chance of confrontations with police.

Theodia Gillespie, president and CEO of the Quad County Urban League, talked about the importance of economic development. She said officials need to fill economic gaps to ensure everyone has the opportunity to pursue a career that will provide a livable wage.

"We should not have policies or structures that would not allow that opportunity," said Gillespie, adding there needs to be a willingness to accept change.

Michael Childress, president of the DuPage NAACP, said he wants to know if DuPage has an affirmative action plan. He said he also wants to know if the county has awarded contracts to Black-owned businesses and has a process to recruit minority contractors.

"What's that plan?" he said. "Because it's not widely known in the community if there is one."

In addition, Childress addressed a proposal to give the county's nearly 2,200 employees a paid day off on Juneteenth. The holiday marks the anniversary of the day when the last slaves learned of their emancipation, on June 19, 1865.

"I do support Juneteenth as a holiday," Childress said. "But I don't support it as just a day off work. I support it as a day of education and a day of service."

Miller, meanwhile, urged DuPage officials not to add Juneteenth to the county's holiday schedule for 2021.

"Please do not make Juneteenth a holiday," he said. "We don't need another empty symbol."