Apparently choosing Sheila Simon is a slap in the face to black voters:

 

Green Party leaders sharply criticized Governor Pat Quinn and the Democratic State Central Committee for bypassing State Rep. Art Turner and other more qualified candidates in nominating Sheila Simon for Lieutenant Governor.

“Pat Quinn’s message is that he can take the black vote for granted,” said Phil Huckelberry, Illinois Green Party Chair.  “Our message is that those days are over.  Many of our core issues – especially education funding reform and the lack of economic development in the most struggling areas – are at the top of the list across black communities throughout the state.  It’s clearer than ever that those issues are not going to be meaningfully addressed by Pat Quinn and the Democrats. But they’re going to be addressed by the Green Party.”

Simon, a former city council member in Carbondale, is from the same relatively small community as Green gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney.

“Targeting Rich Whitney’s geographical base is a little short-sighted. There are a lot of black voters very upset right now, and Pat Quinn just gave them all even more reason to look to Whitney and the Green Party as a positive alternative,” said Huckelberry.

 

Statewide Green African-American candidates:  1

Statewide Democratic African-American Candidates:  3

Number of African Americans in the US Senate since Reconstruction:  4

Number of those African American US Senators who were Illinois Democrats:  3

I just like to include the last one to remind out of state twits who bemoan the loss of the only African-American seat in the US Senate.  While I’d love to see another African-American from Illinois in the US Senate, the other states might want to join us someday.

None of this means Illinois Democrats can or should  stop pressing for inclusion of African Americans and other underrepresented minorities.  However, lecturing a party on racial inclusion from a party that is fielding fewer African-American candidate and have never elected a candidate to major office is bloviating nonsense.