Peoria, IL, USA 104.9 The Wolf
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PEORIA, Ill. The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday welcomed Peoria Public Schools District 150 Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat to deliver the annual “State of the Schools” address, virtually.
Kherat highlighted the challenges and achievements the district has met during the pandemic-riddled past year.
“During the first two weeks of March 20 [of 2020], I received a number of phone calls from our community, just concerned about what was happening in our community, our state, and in our city. Essentially, they were really saying to me PPS needed to do something,” she said.
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Jeremy Scott/1470-100.3 WMBD
PEORIA, Ill. President and CEO of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce and the Peoria CEO Council Joshua Gunn joined four other business leaders of color from around the state as part of a Thursday Zoom call, in conjunction with a report by ReadyNation Illinois.
The organization, whose mission is “business executives building a skilled workforce by promoting solutions that prepare children to succeed in education, work, and life,” released the report entitled “Improving Equity & Opportunity in Illinois’ Workforce.”
The point of the report was to highlight inequalities in minority early childhood education in attempt to level the playing field by the time children of color reach the workforce.
(Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool, File)
ReadyNation members see the inequity which harms the development of Black and brown children. WCBU student reporter Jordan Mead tells us why they feel it s urgent to meet the needs of these children.
Illinois human resources veteran Joni Duncan says there are important factors about child development that we must understand. Research makes it increasingly clear that many workforce fundamentals are seeded during the earliest years of learning and life. From technical skills like math, to more social-emotional skills like creativity and teamwork, Duncan said.
Duncan said too many Illinois children do not benefit from early learning opportunities they need to develop their potential.
Courtesy Discover Peoria
Running a small business is hard. Those challenges are compounded for Black small business owners. WCBU Student Reporter Jordan Mead explores how local entrepreneurs are breaking down those barriers.
The Peoria area touts hundreds of Black entrepreneurs. But Black-owned businesses cannot thrive without the support of their surrounding communities.
Monica Arbuckle is executive managing partner for AFE Construction, and a board member of the Black Business Alliance. She says that a lack of startup resources, capital, and mentorship are all major challenges facing Black entrepreneurs in particular. But it s especially harder for minority contractors, just to build the trust, Arbuckle said. The other challenge (is) trying to build the relationships within the community to do the business.