Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Mayor Johnson, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7th), Rep. Robin Kelly (D-2nd), Ben Jealous and others vowed to never allow Trump’s oligarchs to cause Illinois to go backwards with their threats of mass deportations and drastic cuts in education and other needed programs needed by youth and the elderly. (Photos by Amaya Jackson)
More than 1,000 people gathered at Soldier Field on January 20, 2024, to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday is on January 15. The event included Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Ben Jealous, and others, all vowing never to allow Trump’s oligarchs to take Chicago and Illinois backward.
In a call for unity and action inspired by Dr. King’s last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, the 34th annual PUSH Excel Dr. King Breakfast was held at Soldier Field in Chicago on the same day as President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Gov. Pritzker made it clear that Dr. King’s fight for social justice would continue despite Trump’s threats to send ICE agents to Chicago to deport large numbers of immigrants or cut essential services for the poor.
This year’s PUSH Excel Dr. King theme was Save Our Children. Pritzker vowed to push back if Trump attempted to carry out mass deportations in Chicago or slash vital services needed by vulnerable communities.
He thanked Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition for continuing Dr. King’s unfinished civil rights and social justice agenda, saying their hard work “brought us real progress in the fight for racial and economic justice.”
However, Pritzker noted a different scene was unfolding in Washington, D.C., an event that would impact the entire nation. “Across America, our most vulnerable communities are about to contend with new uncertainty about their future.”
Referring to threats from the Trump administration to scale back federal funding for children with disabilities, Pritzker said, “Black children in public schools are facing the loss of hard-won trained parent special education programs. Black college students are at risk of losing critical grants.”
“Black workers who have finally gained a measure of power to bargain for better wages are about to have their power taken away,” he warned.
“I have seen genuine advances because of the vision and courage of Dr. King and those who follow in his footsteps.”
“In Illinois, let there be no doubt—we will not go back,” Pritzker declared to prolonged applause. Speaking to people of color, including the disabled, women, and first-generation Americans, Pritzker emphasized, “To all who are being made to feel unsafe and reduced by a federal takeover orchestrated by those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the good people of Illinois, we will not stand idly by.”
“The lessons of Dr. King are about the struggle. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor,” he said. Quoting Dr. King, he added, “Freedom must be demanded by the oppressed.”
Speaking on racial, economic, and environmental justice, Pritzker said, “Progress has been hard-won here in Illinois,” referencing improvements in these areas.
As an example, Pritzker highlighted that, over the past six years, with partners like the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Illinois enacted the highest minimum wage in the Midwest.
Despite fiscal challenges, Pritzker said Illinois invested more money in schools, particularly in Black and brown communities. “We created more jobs for our young people than ever before. We banned assault weapons in Illinois, and we no longer hold people in jail for money simply because they lack $1,000 for bail, while keeping violent offenders in jail even if they have enough money to buy their way out.”
More funds are now available for Black women to choose midwives or give birth in their communities—even in their own homes.
Pritzker also touted Illinois’ ban on book bans and the state’s expungement of 800,000 marijuana-related arrests, ensuring that individuals would no longer be rejected for jobs or housing due to past convictions.
Illinois also expanded vocational training and workforce development to attract more people of color than ever before and improved access to mental healthcare and substance abuse services.
In a warning to the Trump administration, whose Project 2025 opposes these advancements, Pritzker said, “We did all this so we could fight like hell to keep the crazies in Washington from taking it away from us.”While acknowledging Illinois’ fiscal challenges and its ongoing struggle against the legacies of disinvestment, Pritzker made it clear, “We are not going back. Dr. King’s legacy demands that of us… We will show up for this fight, and we will win.”
Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, warned that with Trump’s return to office, “It’s already been predicted that sometime this week in Chicago, evil will bring darkness and division as he attempts to attack the most vulnerable members of our American families.”
Jealous recalled first meeting Rev. Jackson at the age of 14, and again at 15 at a rally. At 26, Rev. Jackson welcomed him to a leadership table when he led the NNPA. At 38, he traveled with Jackson to Senegal, and at 44, he was among 36 Black men in Silicon Valley. He emphasized the importance of investing in youth.
“You make more money investing in healing the world and strengthening communities than you do tearing them apart and destroying the world,” Jealous said.
He praised Rev. Jackson for challenging the exclusion of Black professionals in Silicon Valley, a push that led to increased Black representation in major tech companies.
During the PUSH Excel breakfast, two young orators captivated the audience. Christiana H. Gray, 14, recited a poem about hope, while eighth-grader Bradley Holt delivered excerpts from Rev. Jackson’s 1988 Democratic National Convention speech. Their powerful performances left Mayor Johnson momentarily speechless.
Recognizing both Rev. Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, Mayor Johnson said, “This transition we are experiencing is only a moment in time.” Quoting the Bible, he said, “Before that great day, the lawless men have to be revealed first, and when lawlessness is revealed, one of the things we can anticipate is that the great day is nearer than what is being discussed.”
True leadership is often controversial, Johnson noted, especially when advocating for social justice, public housing, and workers’ rights—struggles that Dr. King and Rev. Jackson fought for. “We must work hard toward that agenda.”
As an example of bold leadership, Johnson credited the City Council for passing the largest paid time off ordinance in America—10 days off. “I did what is right. That is the controversial leadership that even those consumed by their own oligarchs resist. But as the city of Chicago, we will not bow down to the oligarchs. We will not bow down to a golden calf. We will stand up in the midst of these challenges and work to build a better, stronger, and safer economy together.”
Before the Dr. King breakfast began, Rev. Janette Wilson, national executive director of PUSH Excel, along with Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Jealous, Chicago Urban League President and CEO Karen Freeman-Wilson, and Rev. Tanya Lozano Washington, spoke about continuing Dr. King’s unfinished business.
Honorees at the event included Rev. Martin Deppe (Founder’s Award), Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (Public Policy Award), Kim Fields (Trailblazer in Entertainment Award), Mike Goden (Urban Development Award), former Senator Emil Jones, and Roosevelt University President Ali R. Malekzadeh (Visionary Educator and Advocate for Diversity Award).
Three Rainbow PUSH Coalition volunteers—Hazel Thomas, Eunice Whigfall, and Bertha McMorris, all in their 90s—were also honored for their decades of service.