Alka's Angle

June 19, 1865, was the day when the enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom for the first time, even though President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, which declared that as of January 1, 1863, all enslaved people in the United States shall be free. Ever since, the day has been commemorated in Black communities everywhere. More than 150 years later -- Congress has finally made June 19th a federal holiday by passing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. And just before the Congress made their decision, Governor Pritzker had signed a House Bill, recognizing Juneteenth as National Freedom Day in Illinois.

Today (Friday) the city of Chicago has entered PHASE 5 of the Restore Illinois plan. With that -- businesses are no longer required to mandate masks, or ensure social distancing between parties, however, all businesses reserve the right to enforce their own policies regarding unvaccinated patrons. Please post these policies on your door. Folks are still required to wear masks inside hospitals, CTA, schools and other places as they may require.

On June 2nd, several local officials gathered near Belmont Rocks for the ground-breaking ceremony for the AIDS Garden in Lakeview. The garden has been in the plans for more than a decade but funding kept delaying the process until now.

One year ago today, George Floyd was killed by a police officer, and even though this was not the first incidence, it did bring national and international attention to the racial inequity in our country. That attention did not put a stop to the racial profiling and killing but it did cause some folk to believe what many of us BIPOC experience everyday.

As you know our state is slowly relaxing the restrictions and getting ready to open beaches, in-door dining, and changing limits for large gatherings where vaccinated people will not count towards the limit. While this is exciting, it also means that we keep working to get as many people vaccinated as possible.