'A Legacy Of Opportunity': Illinois Lt. Governor Stratton Travels The State To Strategize Equality For The Farming Community
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This Black History Month, Illinois' Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is on a mission to make sure minority farmers have access to all the benefits available to people in the agricultural industry.
She's traveling the state, listening to people in Illinois agriculture to put together a strategy for equality in the farming industry, as well as ways to fight food insecurity.
"My ancestors recognized, as we do today, that in uplifting others and ensuring access to food and other basic needs, we can create a legacy of opportunity for generations to come," Stratton said.
Those ancestors she's talking about include her great, great grandfather and his brother. They were given a plot of land in Mississippi after they were emancipated from slavery and they developed that into a community.
I'm deeply connected to #Agriculture because my own history has shown me how #AgConnectsUsAll.
— Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton (@LtGovStratton) February 1, 2022
My great-great-grandfather William Stephens, and his brother Daniel, were formerly enslaved people who were given a plot of land shortly after Emancipation. #LivingBlackHistory pic.twitter.com/6o6NctHzOu