PEORIA MAGAZINE February 2023

C O V E R C O M M E N T A R Y

PROGRESS IN PEORIA? PERHAPS In economic opportunity for all, cultural diversity and urban entertainment, Peoria feels like it’s at a turning point

BY DE’MARCUS HAMILTON

P eoria, is that you? OK, so maybe we don’t look that much different, but Peoria is certainly in a place that could be a turning point. The outlook for 2023 feels quite optimistic! This shift in momentum is especially true for Black Peorians. For many years, the general consensus was that Peoria wasn’t designed with us in mind. This was evident in the lack of economic opportunities, minimal urban entertainment, and intolerance for cultural expression. It was further realized in the 24/7 Wall St. list of “Worst Cities for Black Americans.” Peoria came in at #1 in 2016, at #2 in 2017, #5 in 2018, #7 in 2019, #8 in 2020, and #5 in 2021 and 2022. If you grew up Black in Peoria, you knew! I remember a time when my friends and I had to make sure we didn’t ride with a full car of people or wear our baseball caps in traffic when we saw police, because we were bound to get pulled over. Only three people in the car at a time — max! Certain clothing automatically made us a target. For a millennial growing up in Peoria, it often felt like Black culture had been illegalized. Now, it seems the powers that be are slowly expanding their comfort zones and beginning to understand a simple concept: You either

evolve or evaporate. Meaning, you can’t stay stuck in the ways of the past and expect to flourish in the future. Over the last 18 months, there seems to be a slight loosening of the reigns. I believe we owe the subtle, positive shifts to two things: new and evolving leadership in both the public and private sectors, coupled with a broad acceptance and appreciation of the arts. And I’d be remiss if I glossed over the national moment of introspection brought on by the pandemic and the George Floyd case. It appears there’s a city effort to help steer the progress, too. Change starts with city leaders, elected and non-elected. At the moment, Peoria has a number of Blacks and minorities in positions of leadership – a Black mayor for the first time in the city’s history, a Puerto Rican chief of police who embraces Black culture, two Black City Council members, a Black superintendent of Peoria Public Schools, a Black School Board president at PPS, a Black state representative who also is speaker pro tempore of the Illinois House, a Black township supervisor, a Black Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce CEO, a Black director of school safety for PPS, a Black county clerk, a Black county auditor, three Black Peoria County Board members, and a Black editor-in-chief at the Journal Star. We have new diversity,

equity and inclusion (DEI) officers at the city and county. Many of these are firsts. Several of these leaders are under 40. YOU CAN‘T STAY STUCK IN THE WAYS OF THE PAST AND EXPECT TO FLOURISH IN THE FUTURE Eachhas demonstrateda commitment to the communities he or she represents by being present. Chief Eric Echevarria has been spotted at more Black events than I’d expect any police chief to be, including his modeling debut at the Sophisticated Ratchet Art Affair fashion show, put on by The YANI Collective. Though the changing of some Peoria school names, spearheaded by former PPS Board President Gregory Wilson, was met with pushback, the new names now represent a better reflection of our city’s history. Representation matters! As for the arts, it couldn’t be a more exciting time. Don’t get me wrong, Peoria has always appreciated the arts, to a degree. But now, organizations are inviting young, Black creators to the table that would not have gotten tapped just a few years before. Murals are slowly popping up on different buildings, reflecting the rich, diverse population that resides in Peoria.

50 FEBRUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE