Submitted by Ms. Gray
| Action Alert: Support Illinois Black Farmers |
 , Raise your voice in support of a historic Black farming community fighting to maintain their livelihood, and protect their land from a potentially hazardous gas pipeline. Public comments are being accepted by the Illinois Commerce Commission to determine whether the Nicor Gas Company will be allowed to go against the wishes of the Black farmers to install a gas pipeline through farmland in Pembroke Township, Kankakee County. Click the button below and under the comment section, encourage the commissioners to deny Nicor’s application to build a pipeline in Kankakee County. |
| You can also call 1 800-524-0795 to ask that the application be denied for Case 21-0698. Pembroke Township, Illinois, was once the home of the largest Black farming community North of the Mason-Dixon Line. Founded in the 1860s by runaway slaves, Pap and Mary Eliza Tetter, Pembroke Township became a Black agricultural hub. Many Chicago residents can tell stories of farmers from Pembroke providing fresh fruits and vegetables to families on the West and South sides of Chicago. However, through the cumulative effects of structural racism in government agencies at the local and federal levels, most Black families have lost their farms. Those families that remain are not allowing this latest attack to stop the progress they’ve been making to rebuild their community. Join KOCO in supporting a fight for our future. |