Monday, October 1, 2012

Yesterday's Gardner jobs march on Western Avenue


[VIDEO] Our local ABC affiliate has this story about Sunday's Jobs rally spearheaded by local businessman Ed Gardner. Last week he held a small protest at construction sites in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood and along the city limits into Evergreen Park.

Mary Mitchell wrote more about the jobs rally on Sunday:
Gardner, 87, founder of the iconic Soft Sheen Hair Products and the man credited with bankrolling the election of Harold Washington, the city’s first black mayor, was joined by a cadre of civil rights and community leaders.

They included activist Webb Evans, former Sen. Roland Burris, Reps. Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago) and Bobby L. Rush (D-Chicago) and Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown. Other marchers represented a cross-section of Chicago’s business and political leaders.

They were young and old, teachers and parents, churchgoers and hell-raisers, politicians and their bashers marching alongside the well-to-do and those not doing so well.

Protesters converged from both directions on Western — at times spilling out into the street and stopping traffic between 95th and 91st and Western, chanting: “If we don’t work. No one works.” One protester waved a handmade sign that said, “Jobs Not Jails.”

“It is important to shine a light on the fact that we need to have jobs in our community,” said John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman and CEO of Ariel Capital Management, as he marched discreetly among the protesters.
BTW, we did get an e-mail from one person who was at the rally. The 6th Ward Republican Committeeman Darrell Macklin sent this note to us Sunday night:
I was there and it was historic.........the start of a new activism.....also present and supporting the cause was Lori Yokoyama, Candidate for State's Attorney. 
So Republicans were also marching out there to help Black workers get jobs on the various construction sites as well! Also his counterpart on the Democratic side Ald. Sawyer - 6th Ward Democratic Committeeman also was out there and you will see this in the photo album courtesy of his official 6th Ward Chicago FB page. Here's one example below!
Again if you have anything to say or even let us know that you were there yesterday near 95th & Western send us an e-mail blog @ thesixthward.us, a tweet @thesixthward, or write on our FB page www.facebook.com/thesixthward. Feel free to share your thoughts or let us know what you observed during the march yesterday.

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