A former journalist and Emmy award-nominated editor at CBS-TV, Senator Jacqueline “Jacqui” Collins has used her experience and communication skills to support a progressive agenda to create economic and social welfare policies that reduce inequality, expand opportunity and strengthen communities. She is a graduate of Northwestern and Harvard Universities.
A recipient of the prestigious Scheinfeld Award from the Woodstock Institute in recognition of her lifetime achievement in promoting economic justice, Collins has used her role on the Senate Financial Institutions Committee to ensure the passage of legislation that protects Illinois consumers and their families. In addition, she has played a vital role in addressing predatory lending and high foreclosure rates in Chicago through legislation protecting homebuyers and homeowners with subprime mortgages.
Her significant legislative accomplishments include the historic Predatory Loan Prevention Act and the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act, the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, the landmark Sudan Divestment Act and the 2005 Payday Loan Reform Act. In addition to serving on the Senate Financial Institutions Committee, she sits on the Transportation and Criminal Law committees.
The primary election is on June 28. The general election is on November 8.
N’DIGO: You have been a State Senator since 2003, and now you are running for Congress. Can you tell N’DIGO’s readers why?
Jacqueline ‘Jacqui’ Collins: I am running for Congress to renew, restore and revive the American dream of good-paying jobs. I support dependable and decent health care, which means I support Medicare. I also support safe and affordable housing. I believe I am the only candidate supporting medicare for all. My campaign slogan is “Jacqui for Justice.” Because it is rooted in social, economic, and racial justice, I am running for congress to give the judge a seat at Washington’s policy table. I was born in Mississippi, a state that Dr. King described as “swelling in the heat of injustice.“ I have personally encountered the humiliation of drinking from segregated water fountains labeled “colored.” This childhood experience gave birth to my thirst for justice.
What have you learned in your 19 years as a State Senator that would transfer to a congressional seat?
I have learned to be persistent and have the courage to stand on my values and principles. I’m not intimated by the money, the elite, or the lobbyist to fight for my constituency. Based on my legislative accomplishment, it has proved possible to take on the tough fights and win for the people. For example, I lead on nursing home reform to ensure that our loved ones received the quality of care they rightfully deserved. I am guaranteeing that nursing homes do not put profit over people. I am fighting to make sure that the increased funding received from the federal government benefits the front-line workers. As chair of financial institutions, it has been my passion and pursuit to close the wealth gap between black/brown and white communities. I stopped predatory lending and capped all payday loans, title loans, small installment loans, and auto loans. They are all limited to a 36% interest rate. Before that payday, lenders were charging 167% in interest rates, and some auto loans were as high as 200%. It kept families in a cycle of debt and poverty. I am most proud of this legislation. Unfortunately, entities are lobbying to repeal these laws. I established the Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force to focus on the lack of equity in investigating missing Black girls and women. Why is there a bias in the first place is what I am looking for?
You majored in journalism in college; did you want to be a reporter?
I read the book, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, a study on labor abuse in Chicago stockyards. I view journalism as a way to empower, inform and educate the public. That is why I went into journalism. I spent 20 years at CBS-TV News as an editor; I became disillusioned about where the media was headed with sensationalism. I was not too fond of the narrative on Black people. The idea was that if it bleeds, it leads, and I found that disappointing.
As a State Senator, you have passed important gun control laws that are now desperately needed for the country; what would you do as a congressman?
Illinois has stringent gun regulations. The problem is our surrounding states, like Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The majority of the guns we find coming into Chicago come from states with very lax gun laws. That’s why we must put common-sense gun laws in place. Eighty percent of the American public support, for example, universal gun law checks and the banning of assault weapons. Unfortunately, we are being held hostage by the Republican leadership. ‘GOP’ stands for Guns Over People. I was the only legislator in the midwest to ban “ghost guns.”
What congressional committees would you like to serve on?
I want to serve in financial services; that’s where I could hold federal banks accountable. I have been able to hold state charter banks, mortgage companies, and credit unions accountable. I have been able to hold them responsible for the State of Illinois. I want to take the fight to the federal level. For example, I have dealt with the black tax employed by insurance companies based on zip codes and not driver records. I had learned about this discrepancy.
In your opinion, what has happened to our violent youth?
It’s a multi-faceted problem. Unfortunately, we have resorted to locking our kids up and throwing away the key to dealing with our delinquent children. Those past policies have not been productive and what we are experiencing is the effects of decades and decades of disinvestment while turning a blind eye to the root cause. Parenting is paramount; however, when you have starved our schools of adequate funding and deprived our community of job opportunities, you have created institutional barriers of racism that stifle the future of our youth who feel they have no hope, and no escape.
What’s your favorite pastime?
When I get a chance for free time, I love gardening and watching a movie.
Name three people you would most like to have dinner with when you get to Washington.
I would have loved to have dined with Congressman John Lewis, a champion for social justice and civil rights. I want to meet Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Congressman Maxine Waters of California; I would enjoy meeting with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Who are your favorite three politicians?
The late Congressman Gus Savage was my first mentor. I worked for him at the Citizens Newspaper when he was the publisher; I was his press secretary when he went to Congress. Secondly, Congressman Shirley Chisholm. I admire her tenacity. She had the courage, and she fought. She was not held by society’s definition of who she was. Thirdly, from a faith position, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed America’s political, economic, and social landscape.
What are your thoughts on abortion rights?
Reproductive rights are an issue of justice. I fought and advocated for Illinois to codify Roe vs. Wade. Whatever they do about the Supreme Court decision, Illinois women will still be protected to make choices to benefit themselves and their families. Because of my work in this arena, I have an A-plus, a 100 % rating with planned parenthood. It is a matter of ensuring that we uphold the privacy decisions a woman makes between her God, her doctor, and herself.
