Brandon Johnson’s election as mayor and Illinois’ enactment of liberalized social policies under Gov. J.B. Pritzker served as rallying points for the three-day Netroots Nation conference, the largest national gathering of progressives and a precursor to next year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
More than 3,000 activists and group leaders registered for the conference, which ended Saturday, with speakers including Johnson, Democratic U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Illinois’ Jan Schakowsky, Jesús “Chuy” García and Delia Ramirez.
Outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was featured and performed a reading with author Colette Payne, director of the Women’s Justice Institute Reclamation Project, about the impact the criminal justice system had on Payne and her family. Noting the criminal justice system’s racial bias, Payne detailed how she was arrested in her youth for stealing and then turned to drugs while she received little attention or help from authorities.
