Last November, two-thirds of Illinois' voters agreed that if you work full-time, you and your family should not live in poverty. We in the Senate heard the message loud and clear, and in December, we responded, passing the minimum wage increase I co-sponsored. Unfortunately, the House declined to vote on the measure last year, and it died. We have reintroduced the minimum wage increase in the new legislative session, and last Thursday, the Senate reaffirmed our commitment to giving relief to the working poor who have seen costs rise as their pay stagnates. Senate Bill 11 would raise the minimum wage from $8.25 now to $9 starting this July, $10 by 2017 and $11 by 2019. In contrast to the governor's call for a $10 minimum wage by 2022, our legislation will make a real, tangible impact on the lives of working families struggling to escape poverty.

The political realities are different today than they were in December 2014, and the rhetoric has been heated and divisive, but the needs of the working people of Illinois remain the same. During the debate on the Senate floor, I reminded my colleagues that the needs of the working poor and the wishes of the voters we represent ought to guide our consciences and our votes.

Recently, Governor Rauner took action to freeze most Youth Development Programming grants, instructing afterschool and youth employment programs to cease all operations funded with state money, even though the funds had been appropriated and contracts signed.

Ninety-two percent of Black males in Chicago between the ages of 16-19 are unemployed, and the situation isn't improving as these youth reach adulthood. In Chicago, nearly 23 percent of 20-to-24-year-olds were out of school and out of work, and young adults of color were eight times more likely to be disconnected from school and work than their white counterparts. Meanwhile, the number of shootings in Chicago increased 14 percent last year.

This is the state of the state in my district. I invite Gov. Rauner to tour my neighborhood, to see how defunding is destabilizing communities, diminishing hope and deferring dreams.

The organizations that lost funding serve Black and Brown communities where opportunities are few and hope is fleeting. They have been the foot soldiers on the ground, transforming lives and equipping young people for better and more productive adulthood.

Gov. Rauner says he wants Illinois to become the most competitive and compassionate state in the nation. Where is the compassion? And without mentoring, job training and a chance to work, how can the next generation of low-income minority youth hope to compete?

My colleagues and I who represent chronically disadvantaged communities are seeking answers. In yesterday's speech, we heard about opportunities for minorities. But what we've seen so far is those opportunities denied for our youth. Let's move beyond rhetoric to solutions — to uplift not just an economy, but communities that work to create a society that is both competitive and compassionate.

"Where is the compassion? And how can the next generation hope to compete?"

SPRINGFIELD — Immediately following today's State of the State address, State Senators Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) and Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago 20th) stood with a group of their House and Senate colleagues to highlight the urgent need for youth employment programs stripped of state funding last week. The legislators, members of the House and Senate Black and Latino Caucuses, challenged the governor to square his actions with his rhetoric.

"In today's speech, we heard about opportunities for disadvantaged communities," Collins said. "But what we've seen so far is those opportunities denied. Let's move beyond rhetoric to solutions."

"Youth and after school programs are critically important for keeping young Latinos healthy and safe, and I am committed to ensuring that these programs are funded in the future," Martinez said. "The governor ran on a platform of making Illinois a more 'competitive and compassionate' state, but his administration's decision to rescind grants for youth programs is troubling and inconsistent with his campaign's theme."

More than 30 Chicago-area agencies providing youth employment and afterschool programming were informed last week that they were no longer allowed to spend state funds they were awarded in December as part of the Department of Human Services' Youth Development Grant program. Their state contracts took effect January 1. The decision froze nearly $8 million in funds that had already been budgeted for afterschool and summer programs, mentoring, job training and job opportunities for young people, particularly in low-income and high-crime neighborhoods.

"You tell us you want Illinois to become the most competitive and compassionate state in the nation," said Collins, who also invited Rauner to visit her district and view the impact of his decision. "We are asking you – where is the compassion? And without mentoring, job training and a chance to work, how can the next generation of low-income minority youth hope to compete?"

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One hundred and fifty years ago this week, members of the 24th Illinois General Assembly made Illinois the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. Today, I stood - the great-granddaughter of a slave and a member of the 99th General Assembly - to recognize our predecessors' courage and the significance of the Thirteenth Amendment in driving the freedom train farther down history's long track. Following a moving ceremony commemorating the ratification vote, the Senate adopted a resolution I sponsored to designate February of 2015 as Thirteenth Amendment Ratification Month in Illinois.

Here are the remarks I gave in presenting the resolution.

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