Governor Pritzker has failed to deliver on his promises to the Black Community in Illinois, especially when it comes to wealth creation and job opportunities. Illinois ranked last in the nation for racial inequity, measured by employment and wealth. The Black unemployment rate in Illinois is the second highest in the country at 9.4%, and more than double that of white residents. We must hold Governor Pritzker accountable for his commitments.

• Since 2019, when Governor Pritzker signed the Cannabis Regulation Act pledging prosperity and employment for communities hardest hit by the War on Drugs, white entrepreneurs have disproportionately reaped the rewards of this burgeoning industry, amassing over $1 billion in profits before a single social equity license had been issued.

• According to his own administration’s report, only 1% of licensed dispensaries were Black-owned in 2022, numbers so damning that the state left them out of its next report, instead listing the percentage “majority owned by people of color.”  Meanwhile Black entrepreneurs suffered significant financial losses while waiting for Pritzker to rectify the program.

• Pritzker's broader commitment to generating 63,000 jobs remains unfulfilled as Illinois has yet to achieve even half of that target, with the most recent estimate standing at 30,000. Alarmingly, the percentage of Black individuals employed in the Cannabis industry has dwindled over time, now resting at a mere 9%.

• With the signing of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021, which also promised economic empowerment for Black Illinoisans, the outcome has been far from auspicious. Despite lofty assurances, not a single new job has materialized since the law's enactment, leaving its efficacy in question.