Peoria report evaluates effects of systemic racism on residents
City of Peoria, Illinois Reginald Hardwick/Illinois Public Media
From slavery to sundown towns, redlining to disinvestment, and other institutional biases, the reality described today as “systemic racism” has been present in one form or another in our society for centuries. But it can be difficult to quantify just how systemic racism affects Black populations and other people of color in the present day.
That’s one of many questions a commission in Peoria County has been trying to answer over the past few years. The Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity was formed in late 2020 in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. The first phase of the commission’s efforts culminated at the end of last month, when it released a 30-page report outlining racial inequalities in both the city and the county.
To talk about what they found and what they’re doing, The 21st was joined by the co-chairs of the commission’s steering committee.
GUESTS:
Mary Peterson
Co-Chair, Steering Committee, Peoria Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity
Timothy Bertschy
Co-Chair, Steering Committee, Peoria Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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