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I'm John Levy.

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It's my distinct honor,

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particularly in its 50th year,

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to serve as the 10th chair
of the board of directors

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of the nation's
Legal Services Corporation.

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And on behalf of our outstanding issue
with the board.

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Thank you for spending part

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of 2024 as bonus day

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at this special.

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Take a Leap for Justice Symposium.

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I do want to thank
the MacArthur Foundation

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for generously supporting this program

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and Northwestern's Pritzker School of Law

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for making this terrific auditorium
available today

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as this is my home city.

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I need to say thank you to
so many of you here

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who I've leaned on
from joining our leaders.

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Counsel and emerging leaders, counsel
serving on task forces

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and initiatives
and part of a host committee for today.

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And of course, my law firm, Sidley Austin,

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that has been with me the entire way.

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And what an

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extraordinary group
of distinguished state and local leaders

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we have speaking here today,

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including our governor, J.B.

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Pritzker, MacArthur Foundation
Board of directors, Chair,

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and Elsie's former vice chair,
Martha minow.

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Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice
Mary Jane Tice,

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Chief Judge of the United States
District Court for the Northern District.

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Rebecca Palmer, the president of the
American Bar Association in Chicago.

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And Mary Smith,

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the president of the American Law
Institute.

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In its 100th year, my brother

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David LaVey,
and of course, our host, Ari, associate

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dean of Northwestern Pritzker
School of Law.

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We welcome us at the reception.

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Senator Dick Durbin,
Congressman Darren LaHood.

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And Los Angeles Chargers
head coach Jim Harbaugh

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join us today by video.

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Our program also features
four wonderful panels.

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The executive directors from Ellis's

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outstanding leading Illinois grantees
covering our entire state

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legal age, Chicago, Land of Lincoln, Legal
Aid and Prairie State Legal Services.

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They're here with us to discuss
their organization's continued efforts

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to close the justice gap

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for low income Illinois. And

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with profound thanks

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to ACS leader Council member Mike Lubrano.

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Chicago Cubs Executive Vice President.

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We have a panel of executives
from Chicago's sports organizations,

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including the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls,
Fire and Blackhawks,

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who will discuss their views on access
to justice and business leaders

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from power within Mondelez International,
the Commercial Club in Chicago.

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And Joseph P
Kennedy Enterprises will join us

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in a panel discussion
on the role of the corporate sector.

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Finally, there's the distinguished deans

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from all of the law schools in Chicago.

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We'll discuss the development and impact
of the legal aid clinics at their schools

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and their efforts to encourage
the next generation of lawyers

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to be engaged with and do what they can

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to help narrow the nation's justice gap.

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Over the last decade,

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as our own seaboard has recognized
the gravity of the crisis in access

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to justice as it exists for low
income Americans, we wanted to make sure

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that this 50th anniversary year
called attention to the crisis.

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And with the help of private support,
we're developing

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an outreach campaign
protecting the promise

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during this anniversary period,

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LSC will seek to raise greater awareness

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of the importance of access to justice.

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The gravity of the crisis
for low income Americans help to support

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our stakeholders across the country
and educate and recruit new voices

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for many sectors of our society

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to advocate for civil legal aid.

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This effort will particularly focus

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on the country's persistent failure
to make equal access to justice

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in our civil justice system a reality

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for so many Americans else's justice.

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Gap Report that's most recent,
which the University of Chicago's NORC

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helped to develop, quantifies this failure

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and sums up the dire situation.

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Low income Americans do not receive

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any or enough legal help

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for 92% of their substantial civil
legal problems.

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And here in Illinois, statistics
show that only 7%,

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7% of low income

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residents
receive adequate legal assistance.

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The significance of leaving

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these low income Americans
to fend for themselves is illustrated

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in matters involving potential eviction,

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which currently represent, on average,

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40% of the cases handled by our grantees
across the country.

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And LSC statistics alarmingly show

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that when those

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individuals
or families have a trained representative,

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they receive a favorable outcome

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90% of the time,

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while those on their own

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sadly are evicted

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in 90% of such matters.

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We cannot continue to kid ourselves,
folks.

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The serious chronic underfunding of LSC

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and its grantees all across the country

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is helping to fuel this crisis
in civil legal aid.

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It was these extraordinary network

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of 131 grantees
with more than 900 officers

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across our country
employing 10,000 over 10,000 lawyers.

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Paraprofessionals are stretching
their limited resources

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to cover as many individuals and families
as they possibly can.

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But the statistics and studies confirm
they just have to turn away

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so many qualified individuals

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because of a lack of resources.

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So as grateful as we are

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that Congress last year increased LSC

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funding to 560 million.

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Clearly,
much more is needed to close the justice

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gap after years
of wholly inadequate resourcing.

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Just think about this.

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30 years ago, 1994, Congress

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appropriated 400 million for LSC.

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So you can see over the past three decades
our appropriation,

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which goes to support
direct field services,

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has increased only modestly,

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not remotely enough
to keep up with the demand.

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Well, I'm sure that LSC founders
would be very proud of the work

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of our grantees,
but I think it is fair to say

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they would be dismayed,

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dismayed at the lack of appropriate

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funding to remedy this ACS

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bipartisan board

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unanimously last March requested Congress

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increase our budget to $1.5 billion

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in today's program.

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We will discuss the significance of this
justice gap for low income Americans,

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which in my view, threatens
both our justice system

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and the rule of law.

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That truth was articulated

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to an ABA audience nearly 60 years ago

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when the then director of the Office

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of Economic Opportunity, Sergeant Shriver,

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longtime head of Chicago's Merchandise
Mart,

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addressed the ABA's annual meeting

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in Chicago in 1965.

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And I quote

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The extension of legal services
to the poor

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is only a means of a more universal end
one we both share.

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The establishment of the rule of law,

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he said, adding It
is that ordered quest for dignity,

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for justice and for opportunity,
which is the central concern

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of society today.

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Well, a year
before that, Shriver's brother in law

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and the father of one of our presenters
today, then Attorney General

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Robert Kennedy, gave a Law Day speech

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at the University of Chicago Law School.

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Now, you're going to have to

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meet some of you know this,
but most many of you don't.

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You have to forgive me. A personal moment.

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I was in high school at that time,

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and you can imagine how annoyed
I was at my parents

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that I was not invited up
to here, Attorney General Kennedy.

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But they said, well, if space is tight,
then it's for the law students.

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Well,

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around 7:00 that evening, our house
phone rang.

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There were no cell phones back there.

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And it was Bobby Kennedy for me
inviting me to come up and hear him speak.

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If I could get there in 10 minutes.

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I said, Well,

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Attorney General Kennedy,
I'm too young to drive.

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And we live too far from the law school,
so I can't get up there.

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He said, Well, don't worry,
I'm just staying down the block from you.

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So when the talk is over,
come down and meet me.

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And I met him that evening,
and here we are 60 years later.

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And his son
Chris joins us today in this program

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and in his powerful words that day,

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Kennedy called for lawyers
to do to provide more legal assistance

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for the poor, noting that
and I quote him, each time

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a man stands up for an ideal

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or acts to improve the plight of others

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or strikes out against injustice,

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he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,

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and those ripples

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build a current wave which can sweep down

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the mightiest walls.

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Well, ten years later,

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the ripple.

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Bobby Kennedy described in his remarks

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became the wave known
as the Legal Services Corporation.

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And for five decades,
it has joined with many of you

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in working so hard to sweep away

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many barriers to equal access
to justice for low income Americans.

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And as we recognize Lacey's
50th anniversary,

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we all of us
need to redouble our commitment

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and our efforts to protect the promise

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of equal justice in America

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and live up to the closing words
of our Pledge of Allegiance

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by making justice for all

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a lived reality in our land.

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Thank you very much.

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It is now my distinct privilege

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to introduce the remarkable governor
of the state of Illinois, J.B.

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Pritzker.

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Governor Pritzker was first
elected to this office

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in 2018 and reelected in 2022.

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Before becoming governor,

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J.B. founded 1871,

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a nonprofit small business
incubator in Chicago, bringing together

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the educational and civic resources
to support startup businesses.

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And 1871 has helped entrepreneurs
create thousands, thousands of jobs

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and hundreds of new companies in Illinois
since 1870.

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One's creation.

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Chicago has been named one of the top ten

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technology startup hubs in the world

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by KPMG, Forbes and others,
and it was named

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the top incubator in the world
by UBI Global.

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Governor Pritzker has also been a key
supporter of the Center

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on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern
University, a center I know

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well as a founding member
of its advisory board

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and with the support of Governor Pritzker.

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The center has become a national leader

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fighting to reform
our criminal justice system and help

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those who are wrongfully convicted
or accused prove their innocence.

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Governor Pritzker has also served

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as chairman
of the Illinois Human Rights Commission.

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He received

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his degree in law from this law school

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and is a life member of the Northwestern
Law Board.

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Please join me in welcoming

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my friend and our governor, J.B.

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Pritzker.

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Thank you all very much.

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Thank you very much, John,
and very kind introduction.

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Thanks for inviting me to join you today.

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It is exciting to be here and

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it is truly an honor to be up here
alongside

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some truly great people,

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especially the extremely youthful
John Levy

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Kennedy, ESQ I would say

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who never misses a chance,
by the way, to promote Ellis

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You know, look to me
and the work that all of you are doing.

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So thank you for everything
that you have done and are doing

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for the legal profession
and for to engage so many people

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in this very, very important endeavor.

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Of course, LSC President
Ron Flag and Northwestern Law.

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Dean Harry OLSAVSKY MacArthur Foundation

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Board Chair, Martha Minow Our Illinois
Supreme Court

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Chief Justice Mary Jane Tice,
who swore me in to my second term.

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Thank you for making it official

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and I'll try not to let you down.

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I and and our U.S.

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Special representative
for Ukraine's recovery, Penny Pritzker.

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And finally, to all of you,
distinguished guests here today,

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thanks for all the work that you do
for the people of Illinois.

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I'm in
awe of what LSC does day in and day out.

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Since 1974, standing at the forefront
of equal access to justice, serving

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as the single largest funder of civil
legal aid for low, low income Americans.

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And here in Illinois,
so much is accomplished

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because of Elsie's work
and support for organizations

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like Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Legal Aid,
Chicago

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00:16:18,377 --> 00:16:23,048
and Prairie State, Legal Services,
led by superstars, truly superstars,

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00:16:23,315 --> 00:16:28,587
Clarissa Gaff and Kate Shank and Denise
Conklin, thank you for your work.

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00:16:29,054 --> 00:16:34,693
Also, LSC distributes more than 90% of
its funding to 131 organizations

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00:16:34,693 --> 00:16:38,364
across the country
serving thousands of low income

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00:16:38,364 --> 00:16:42,301
individuals, children,
families, seniors, veterans

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00:16:42,568 --> 00:16:45,337
in every single congressional district

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00:16:45,337 --> 00:16:48,907
across the nation, 850 offices in all,

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whether protecting survivors of domestic
violence or helping low income residents

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00:16:54,847 --> 00:16:56,048
in the wake of disasters,

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00:16:56,048 --> 00:16:59,218
or helping immigrants
who are the victims of serious crimes.

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LSC operates with the guiding principle
that everyone,

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everyone deserves legal representation
and an access to our justice system,

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no matter their zip code
or their socioeconomic status.

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It's a mission

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00:17:14,566 --> 00:17:18,303
that I share and unfortunate
innately the need has never been greater.

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You heard John talk about the fact
that only 7% of Illinois is low income.

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Residents with civil legal problems
receive help,

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00:17:26,945 --> 00:17:30,582
but LSC and its partners
have truly stepped up to meet the moment,

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00:17:30,949 --> 00:17:36,121
having served
more than 63,000 people in 2022 alone,

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00:17:36,688 --> 00:17:40,059
including veterans, seniors
and domestic violence survivors.

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00:17:40,292 --> 00:17:45,431
And in 2023, LSC
disbursed over $17 million

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00:17:45,664 --> 00:17:50,302
in funding to continue
helping tens of thousands more Illinoisans

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with everything
from housing disputes to child custody.

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Many of you in this room
are the ones on the ground making sure

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that our most vulnerable Illinoisans
have access to high quality legal aid.

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This work isn't easy,
and sometimes it's thankless.

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But I want you to know that I see you
and I

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00:18:13,058 --> 00:18:16,562
see how you have improved the lives
of so many of our people.

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00:18:17,062 --> 00:18:20,432
And I want you to know that I'm committed
to making sure that we carry

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forth your work of realizing a more just

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00:18:23,635 --> 00:18:27,372
and equitable
legal system at the state level.

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We are your allies in providing
crucial legal and financial

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00:18:32,010 --> 00:18:36,181
aid to Illinoisans
in need in a variety of ways.

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While the LSC focuses on providing

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00:18:39,318 --> 00:18:43,222
critical civil legal
aid to low income Americans.

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I'm working to advance legal rights
for our residents

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00:18:47,426 --> 00:18:48,227
more broadly

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00:18:48,227 --> 00:18:52,798
across our criminal justice system
to working with the General Assembly

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00:18:52,798 --> 00:18:55,801
and with many advocates,
some in the room today.

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00:18:56,368 --> 00:18:57,569
Over the last five years,

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we truly have made
some extraordinary strides in our state.

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00:19:01,740 --> 00:19:06,445
I expunge more than 800,000
low level cannabis arrest records,

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00:19:12,317 --> 00:19:14,219
and I've pardoned nearly

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00:19:14,219 --> 00:19:18,357
20,000 people
with cannabis convictions and

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00:19:21,426 --> 00:19:23,028
I've also pardoned

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00:19:23,028 --> 00:19:25,998
many, many others for nonviolent offenses.

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00:19:25,998 --> 00:19:30,836
And during my time in office,
Illinois has reduced our prison population

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because of the work that we've done
by more than 26%.

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00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:44,283
We've invested
hundreds of millions of dollars to lift up

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00:19:44,283 --> 00:19:47,819
communities
most harmed by the failed war on drugs.

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00:19:48,053 --> 00:19:49,922
And we've opened and expanded mental

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00:19:49,922 --> 00:19:53,725
health and substance
abuse treatment facilities and services.

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00:19:54,026 --> 00:19:57,396
We've transformed our mandatory supervised
release system,

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00:19:57,629 --> 00:20:00,766
focusing on creating successful outcomes

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00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:05,604
for those who were formerly incarcerated,
our returning citizens.

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00:20:05,804 --> 00:20:10,742
We expanded voting rights
also for detainees awaiting trial

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in the face of an eviction cliff
during the pandemic.

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00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,617
I directed the Illinois
Housing Development Authority to begin

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00:20:18,617 --> 00:20:22,688
the court based rental assistance program
to help residents

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00:20:22,688 --> 00:20:26,625
in eviction proceedings
pay their debts and stay in their homes.

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And we continue that work today supporting

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00:20:29,895 --> 00:20:33,232
access to counsel programs
for folks in eviction court.

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This work done in partnership
with organized actions

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00:20:37,202 --> 00:20:41,139
like LSC sponsored
ones, is a crucial lever

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to prevent homelessness in our state
and lift families out of crisis.

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00:20:46,578 --> 00:20:51,883
And I have to say, I'm very proud
that we have outright eliminated

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a wealth
based system of pretrial detention,

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00:21:03,161 --> 00:21:03,495
and we

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00:21:03,495 --> 00:21:07,532
replaced it with one that's
based on the threat that a defendant poses

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to the community or their likelihood
of fleeing prior to trial.

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That's how it ought to be done.

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Community safety ought to be
what guides our criminal

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justice system, not a defendant's wealth.

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00:21:20,045 --> 00:21:24,082
That principle goes hand-in-hand
with ensuring equal access

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00:21:24,082 --> 00:21:28,253
to the justice system for all,
not just those who can afford it.

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And that is the work that LSC does.

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00:21:31,189 --> 00:21:35,060
And I cannot tell you how important it is
that we allow people

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to get their equal rights
by having equal access.

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00:21:38,664 --> 00:21:43,001
As many of you know,
our state has welcomed tens of thousands

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00:21:43,001 --> 00:21:46,972
of new arrivals from the southern border
over the last year and a half.

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00:21:47,339 --> 00:21:49,741
Chicago's legal community has stepped up.

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00:21:49,741 --> 00:21:53,979
I know it's not the work, direct
work of LSC, but many of you are engaged

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00:21:53,979 --> 00:21:58,750
in that work anyway, or your firms are,
and it has made a big difference.

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00:21:58,784 --> 00:22:01,887
We've expanded crucial access to immigrant

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00:22:01,887 --> 00:22:04,890
immigration related legal services

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00:22:04,923 --> 00:22:08,694
that so many of those individuals
need to navigate.

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00:22:08,694 --> 00:22:12,030
Our nation's
complex and daunting immigration system.

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Just a reminder,
because there are people outside this room

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00:22:15,534 --> 00:22:18,537
who may be watching,
who don't know this, but

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00:22:18,870 --> 00:22:23,241
the asylum seekers that are here,
they are legally in the United States.

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These are not undocumented people.

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00:22:25,243 --> 00:22:26,511
They're here illegally.

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00:22:26,511 --> 00:22:30,749
And we should treat them as we do
every resident of Illinois.

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00:22:31,049 --> 00:22:32,951
But we should treat them as such.

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00:22:32,951 --> 00:22:35,620
And and that's been one of my missions.

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As part of these efforts,
the Illinois Department of Human Services

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00:22:39,391 --> 00:22:42,794
partnered with the United States
Citizen and Immigration Services

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00:22:43,095 --> 00:22:46,631
to stand up legal clinics
that help eligible individuals

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00:22:46,932 --> 00:22:50,302
apply for Temporary Protected
Status and work authorization.

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00:22:50,635 --> 00:22:52,504
Over a thousand and volunteers.

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00:22:52,504 --> 00:22:56,408
Pro bono attorneys
and staff members from our community

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00:22:56,408 --> 00:22:59,411
based partners have made this possible.

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00:22:59,544 --> 00:23:02,280
In Illinois,
we've accomplished quite a lot.

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00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,650
Yet, to be honest,
our work is far from over.

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00:23:06,184 --> 00:23:10,722
I know that more needs to be done
to dismantle the structural racism

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00:23:10,722 --> 00:23:14,393
and classism that has plagued our civil

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00:23:14,393 --> 00:23:17,462
and criminal legal systems
for far too long.

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00:23:17,929 --> 00:23:21,433
You are on the front lines of this fight
and you are,

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00:23:21,767 --> 00:23:26,037
I know, battle worn, but
never seem to be battle weary, any of you.

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00:23:26,671 --> 00:23:31,309
Together, we are advancing real justice
and accountability in Illinois.

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00:23:32,043 --> 00:23:33,345
Business leaders.

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00:23:33,345 --> 00:23:35,213
Academics, lawyers.

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00:23:35,213 --> 00:23:37,215
Human rights providers.

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00:23:37,215 --> 00:23:40,051
Human services providers.

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00:23:40,051 --> 00:23:46,024
This audience is made up of partners
from different backgrounds and career

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00:23:46,024 --> 00:23:50,595
paths, bringing unique perspectives
into a broad coalition

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00:23:50,996 --> 00:23:54,166
to accomplish a mission
that demands our attention.

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00:23:54,633 --> 00:23:57,636
The collective power that you wield for
the common good

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00:23:57,936 --> 00:24:01,306
gives me truly great hope for generations

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00:24:01,740 --> 00:24:05,310
who will live in this state
and in this nation.

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00:24:06,211 --> 00:24:10,582
And they will increasingly live up to
as a result of the work that you're doing,

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00:24:10,982 --> 00:24:15,720
increasingly live up to the promise
of liberty and justice for all.

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00:24:16,221 --> 00:24:19,424
That is what our nation should be
reminding itself every day.

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00:24:19,591 --> 00:24:22,594
Maybe a especially in 2024,

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00:24:23,094 --> 00:24:27,265
on behalf of the land of Lincoln,
the greatest state in the nation.

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00:24:27,299 --> 00:24:30,302
For those of you from out of state,
welcome back.

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00:24:30,702 --> 00:24:32,904
You can stay in the
greatest state in the nation.

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00:24:33,972 --> 00:24:34,940
And thank you for your

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00:24:34,940 --> 00:24:38,276
dedication to our people and communities
and our future.

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00:24:38,477 --> 00:24:39,478
Thank you all very much.