The four-person race for the Democratic nomination for Illinois 7th District representative shows that it’s finally time for a change of leadership after 22 years.
Danny Davis’s three young challengers all speak eloquently for change in the district, especially for addressing its vast inequities in everything from life expectancy, public education, and employment to criminal justice and policing.
Kina Collins stands out, however, as the candidate most prepared and able to represent us in Congress and to use that position to tackle the many issues facing the district and the nation.
As a lifelong resident of Austin and a survivor of gun violence, Kina has lived the experience of the district’s most disenfranchised residents. As the child of working-class union organizers, she learned firsthand how to turn grassroots activism into policy objectives and political action that achieves real gains for ordinary people. But Kina brings much more to her candidacy than her background. She has statewide experience in crafting civil rights and gender equity legislation and getting it passed with bipartisan support and under a Republican governor. She has national experience as an organizer for healthcare reform. She has proven skills in community engagement, coalition building and advocacy.
Kina understands that the 7th District’s issues are local but also connected to national and even global issues. She is informed as well as passionate, a listener who engages and connects as well as inspires. She may be the youngest black woman ever to run for Congress from Illinois, but she has already demonstrated the smarts, energy, discipline, and skills necessary to effectively represent the entire 7th District at the national level and to bring urgently needed change to its diverse neighborhoods. That’s why I’m supporting Kina Collins in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, March 17. I hope you’ll join me. To learn more, visit kinaforcongress.com.
Wendy Greenhouse
Oak Park
