@starbound64 : As opposed to before!?!

@Chama : In what world is it OK to say this? How do you open a campaign for mayor by saying you are mentored by old white guys? Do the old white guys know you call them that? Does saying some are good people make it alright? What if we defined you in this way would that be OK? This is very brazen and out of touch. Good luck with that campaign. Hope you can inspire the old white guys. Definately not off to a good start

@Chilikadrotna : I think you're missing the comment in which I was responding to. The lady above mentioned that her dad and grandpa are old white guys who are great people who worked hard etc. I agreed with her, I also stated that my comment was never geared toward individual people, but a system that has historically been excluding women and people of color. My original statement was something to the effect of: "political power (historically)has been usually male, white and wealthy, I was making it CLEAR, that I don't have a problem with "old white guys." I have been mentored by "old white guys" who have referred to themselves as that. I have a problem with a system that has HISTORICALLY only allowed WHITE WEALTHY MEN to be in leadership positions. I stand by that.

@starbound64 : That's fair, and I don't mind. People can interpret how they see fit. I can also explain what I meant 😊

@Chilikadrotna : I personally love Fat Old Orange Dudes!

@mypeez : Do they count toward your daily vitamin C intake? I couldn't resist.

@kraziebill : That's wrong and incorrect.

@Chama : I looked at your website and your FB page, but I'm still left with questions?
Where did you go to High School? I read you were sent to "the boarding academy" at the age of 14. I'm not sure what that means.
Where did you go to college?
Past work experience? Non political?
I'm not trying to be an **** with these questions. I'm curious as I assume others are as well.

@Funnylady : I went to high school at Manual until second semester of my sophomore year. I then went to Great Lakes Adventist Academy in Cedar Lake MI where I graduated from. I then went to Andrews University in Berrien Springs MI (because I got a partial scholarship to attend for academics) in my junior year, I decided teaching wasn't for me, and took a full time position back home in Peoria with the ILBCC where I was introduced to politics. Here is where I learned about how a lot of things I was passionate about changing were actually systemic issues and policy changes could be made to improve conditions. I stayed at the Black Chamber of Commerce for 12 years as the executive assistant and then the director of marketing and PR. I Became the youngest president of the Peoria Black a Chamber of commerce at age 26 and became the youngest chairwoman at age 28. When I left the chamber, I was a self employed political consultant and worked several political campaigns around the state including the highly publicized successful re-election campaign of the cook county clerk of the court. I did this from 2014-2017 until I became the Central IL Coalition Organizer for Grassroots Collaborative via the Peoria People's Project, which I still do now. In addition to that, I own my own aerial arts and dance studio here in Peoria where we teach both children and adults dance and aerial arts. We also offer yoga, PoundFitness and stretch and conditioning classes for senior citizens. All of this info can also be found on my Facebook page. Below is my official bio...

Chama St. Louis, 34, is the Central Illinois Coalition Organizer for the Peoria People's Project. She's the founder of the Black Justice Project and the Communications Director for Change Peoria. She is an entrepreneur, she owns Euphoria Aerial & Dance Studio in Peoria, IL. Chama spent 12 years at the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce and was the Marketing & Public Relations Director when she left. She was the youngest president of the Peoria Black Chamber of Commerce at age 26 and the youngest Chairwoman of the same organization at age 28. She was the public relations director and spokeswoman for the successful re-election campaign for the Honorable Dorothy Brown, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. She is the president of the Sunset Hills Neighborhood Association in Peoria, IL.She was a board member of the Sierra Club and the Board of Directors for the East Bluff Community Center. In 2019 she was awarded the Grassroots Award from the City of Peoria, IL for her work with the Peoria Peoria People's Project in the Fall 2018 GOTV work in which she lead a team that knocked on over 12,211 doors in 7 weeks increasing voter participation in areas that have been historically low by 26%. In April of 2019 she was awarded the Sam Belfer Award from the ACLU in recognition for outstanding service in the cause for Human Rights and Civil Liberties.She was also awarded the Unsung Shero Award for her contributions to the community in June of 2019.In December of 2018, she was selected to be apart of the Women Innovating Labor Leadership (WILL Empower) Emerging Leaders program and completed the program successfully in October of 2019. WILL Empower is a national program, jointly housed at Rutgers University's Center for Innovation in Worker Organization in the School of Management and Labor Relations in New Jersey and Georgetown University's Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor in Washington, DC.Most notably, she is the mother of Ryann, Eliana and Pharaoh.

@Chama Sounds like a full time Politician.

@goob : .. and not just disenfranchised armchair rantings on social media as others have claimed .@Chama : Thanks for posting and getting your message out to a forum that likely would not have have heard it unfiltered.

@mypeez : No problem. I don't mind answering people's questions and concerns. I am not above doing that, especially when it's genuine and comes from good intentions. I've pretty much laid everything all out on the table I am an (open book, on purpose). But this will most likely be my last comment here. Peace & Blessings to you

@Chama : Except the revenue part. Wont answer those questions....

The most important thing for IL and Peoria is businesses and jobs. When will politicians get it.