Unity Coalition of the South Suburbs
Template:TOCnestleft Unity Coalition of the South Suburbs was an Illinois based community group.
Founder
Robin Kelly was the co-founder and past president of the Unity Coalition of the South Suburbs.[1]
Activities
Hands Across Southland organizers said in August 2001, they want 20,000 people to sign a unity pledge supporting cultural, economic and religious diversity in the south suburbs.
At a kickoff reception at Lincoln Mall in Matteson, Beverly Sokol, president of Unity Coalition of the South Suburbs, said this is the time to promote racial harmony.
"Just like the `N-word' is no longer acceptable, ethnic jokes will no longer be acceptable," Sokol said.
UCSS, which was first called the Rich Township Unity Coalition, was founded in 1999 to create forums for communication and to celebrate the diversity of the south suburbs.
The coalition includes 27 communities representing some 250,000 residents.
Hands Across Southland, in which people link hands to show unity, was first held in Olympia Fields in 1999, then last year in Park Forest. This year's event will be Sept. 23 at Lincoln Mall. Organizers hope 10,000 to 15,000 people will participate.
State Rep. George Scully (D-Flossmoor) told about 50 people gathered for the kickoff: "Hands Across Southland is a visualization of the manner in which people of the south suburbs are working toward common goals. It's a renewal of our dedication to those goals."
The goals, he added, include economic development and school improvement.
Brian Zakem, chairman of the UCSS education committee, said the group is preparing a resource guide that will list schools, students, teachers and administrators that have developed programs or activities promoting racial diversity.
Zakem said the free book will be available Sept. 17.
The coalition also announced a unity quilt project in which anyone can submit a decorated or designed 6 1/2-inch fabric square.
The squares, said Sandi Black, Park Forest's deputy village clerk, should be submitted to Village Halls by Dec. 31. Plans call for several large quilts to be unveiled at Unity Day 2002.
UCSS also stages unity dinners in April in which families are asked to host ethnically diverse guests. Governors State University provides the food and offers guidance to host families, Sokol said.
The coalition hopes to have more regular community meetings once an executive director is hired, she said.
Hands Across Southland "is a wonderful one-day event," Sokol said. "But what about the rest of the year? We know that people have troubles along racial lines, and we want to help them understand the dynamics of what's happening around them and how they can break the old stereotypes."[2]
References
- ↑ Iowa State University Archives of Womens Political Communications
- ↑ [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-08-28/news/0108280243_1_unity-quilt-project-south-suburbs-southland, Chicago Tribune, Diversity pledges sought Southland group says time right for race harmony August 28, 2001|By Carlos Morales, Tribune staff reporter.]