The Independent Voters of Illinois – Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) will hold its annual Independents’ Day Dinner Thursday, July 19 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, 2247 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago. The evening will include a reception at 6:00 p.m. followed by a dinner and program at 7:00 p.m.
A Chicago Mayoral Candidates Forum will be featured. All active mayoral candidates are invited including Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; 22-year-old community organizer and entrepreneur Ja’Mal Green; 30-year-old Tech Exec Neal Sales-Griffin; President of Chicago Principals and Administrators Association Troy LaRaviere; former police board president, Lori Lightfoot; former CPS CEO Paul Vallas; and Chicago businessman Willie Wilson.
Organizational awards will also be presented at the dinner. The Legal Eagle Award will be presented to the Travel Ban Attorneys who provided pro bono legal counsel to the protesters at O’Hare Airport protesting Trump’s Travel Ban and later set up an ongoing crisis help line. Recognition will be given to the attorneys coordinating the team: Sufyan Sohel of CAIR; Iman Boundaoui of Drinker, Biddle and Reath; Jamie Friedland of Latham & Watkins; and Matt Pryor of the Cook County Office of Shakman Compliance.
Longtime activist and member Timuel Black, celebrating his 100th birthday this year, will be presented with the Harold Washington Award. The Young Leadership Award will be presented to March for Our Lives – Chicago. Congressman Luis Gutierrez will be presented with the Leon Despres Award. The Barbara Merrill-Rudy Lozano Labor Award will be presented to Roberta Lynch, Executive Director of Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Special recognition will be given to State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie and Cook County Clerk David Orr, who are retiring after many years of public service and many years working with IVI-IPO.
Tickets are $100 for members and $115 for non-members. Bronze Sponsorships are $300 and include 2 tickets and a ¼-page ad. Silver Sponsorships are $600, and include 4 tickets and a half page ad. Gold Sponsorships are $1,200 and include 10 tickets and a full-page ad.
IVI-IPO’s mission is “to achieve social justice through good government by increasing voter participation and knowledge, by providing a framework for candidate evaluation, and by electing responsive government officials.” For more information, you may visit www.iviipo.org.
