Monique D. Davis
Encyclopedia
Monique D. Davis is a Democratic
member of the Illinois House of Representatives
, representing the 27th District since 1987. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she trained as and worked as a teacher
and an education
al administrator in the Chicago Public Schools
system before entering politics. She graduated from Chicago State University
. She is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ
.
from the Congress of the United States, Davis was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the by-election
. Although Davis received endorsements from previous seat holder Gus Savage
and Nation of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan
, Jesse Jackson, Junior was the eventual winner of the primary.
companies that do business in Illinois to publish all records they have on historical insuring of slaves as property through the state's Department of Insurance. This made available a wealth of genealogical
information to the descendants of slaves. Illinois became the second state to implement such a law, after California
.
Davis and Illinois Senator Barack Obama
co-sponsored a pair of successful bills in 2003. The first, House Bill 223, mandated that all police interrogations on homicide
investigations be recorded. The bill was motivated by the release of thirteen suspects convicted of murder and sentenced to death who'd later been exonerated by DNA
evidence. Previously interrogations could only be recorded with the suspect's permission. The second bill co-sponsored by the pair, Senate Bill 30, required police in Illinois to record the race of all people subjected to traffic stops, to provide information for efforts to eliminate racial profiling
by police.
when it was threatened with closure. Negotiations with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
over his proposed budget for 2006 led to an agreement to fund the center in exchange for Democratic support on the budget. The center received $300,000.
reported on April 3, 2008 that Davis interrupted and criticized atheist
activist Robert I. Sherman during his testimony before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield
:
Davis' remarks drew great controversy. For example, the Council for Secular Humanism
said it was "appalled by Davis’s apparent belief that atheists and other non-religious individuals are not entitled to the same rights and liberties as other citizens." A director said, "She is unfit to serve in her office, just as a representative who told a Jew or a Hindu
to ‘get out of that seat’ would be unfit to serve. If she does not resign, the Illinois House has an obligation to expel her." That same night, MSNBC
journalist and commentator Keith Olbermann
, on his show Countdown
, declared Davis the "Worst Person in the World," calling on Davis to either apologize or resign.
On Thursday, April 10, it was reported on Countdown with Keith Olbermann
, that Representative Davis called him personally to apologize for her remarks, and that he accepted her apology. She stated that she was angry because of the shooting deaths of two students earlier that day.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
, representing the 27th District since 1987. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she trained as and worked as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and an education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al administrator in the Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
system before entering politics. She graduated from Chicago State University
Chicago State University
Chicago State University is a state university of the U.S. state of Illinois, located in Chicago.-History:Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867, largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for Cook County...
. She is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ
Trinity United Church of Christ
Trinity United Church of Christ is a predominantly black church with more than 8,500 members, located on the southwest side of Chicago. It is the largest church affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a predominantly white Christian denomination with roots in Congregationalism, which branched...
.
1995
In 1995, after the resignation of Mel ReynoldsMel Reynolds
Melvin Reynolds is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois. His political career ended in scandal.-Early life:...
from the Congress of the United States, Davis was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. Although Davis received endorsements from previous seat holder Gus Savage
Gus Savage
Augustus Alexander "Gus" Savage is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois....
and Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
leader Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
, Jesse Jackson, Junior was the eventual winner of the primary.
2003
In 2003, Davis sponsored legislation which was signed into law and forced insuranceInsurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
companies that do business in Illinois to publish all records they have on historical insuring of slaves as property through the state's Department of Insurance. This made available a wealth of genealogical
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
information to the descendants of slaves. Illinois became the second state to implement such a law, after California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Davis and Illinois Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
co-sponsored a pair of successful bills in 2003. The first, House Bill 223, mandated that all police interrogations on homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
investigations be recorded. The bill was motivated by the release of thirteen suspects convicted of murder and sentenced to death who'd later been exonerated by DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
evidence. Previously interrogations could only be recorded with the suspect's permission. The second bill co-sponsored by the pair, Senate Bill 30, required police in Illinois to record the race of all people subjected to traffic stops, to provide information for efforts to eliminate racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
by police.
2004
In 2004, Davis sponsored a bill to limit low-income household electricity or natural gas bills to no more than six percent of the household income.2005
In 2005, Davis led the effort to secure funding for the Student Financial Assistance Outreach Center at Chicago State UniversityChicago State University
Chicago State University is a state university of the U.S. state of Illinois, located in Chicago.-History:Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867, largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for Cook County...
when it was threatened with closure. Negotiations with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
over his proposed budget for 2006 led to an agreement to fund the center in exchange for Democratic support on the budget. The center received $300,000.
2006
In 2006, Davis was re-elected to the Illinois House of Representatives' 27th district after she ran unopposed for re-election.2007
In the 2007-2008 term, Davis served as chair of the Appropriations-General Services Committee, the vice-chair of the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee, the sub-co-chair of the Rapid Growth Districts & Special Education Issues Subcommittee and the sub-chair of the School Code Waivers, Elementary and Secondary Subcommittee. She was also a member of the Appropriations-Higher Education Committee, Committee of the Whole, Financial Institutions Committee, Public Utilities Committee and the Registration and Regulation Committee.Comments on atheism
The Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
reported on April 3, 2008 that Davis interrupted and criticized atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
activist Robert I. Sherman during his testimony before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
:
Davis' remarks drew great controversy. For example, the Council for Secular Humanism
Council for Secular Humanism
The Council for Secular Humanism is a secular humanist organization headquartered in Amherst, New York. In 1980 CODESH issued A Secular Humanist Declaration, an argument for and statement of belief in Democratic Secular Humanism...
said it was "appalled by Davis’s apparent belief that atheists and other non-religious individuals are not entitled to the same rights and liberties as other citizens." A director said, "She is unfit to serve in her office, just as a representative who told a Jew or a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
to ‘get out of that seat’ would be unfit to serve. If she does not resign, the Illinois House has an obligation to expel her." That same night, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
journalist and commentator Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
, on his show Countdown
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
, declared Davis the "Worst Person in the World," calling on Davis to either apologize or resign.
On Thursday, April 10, it was reported on Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
, that Representative Davis called him personally to apologize for her remarks, and that he accepted her apology. She stated that she was angry because of the shooting deaths of two students earlier that day.
Blagojevich remarks
In August 2008, Blagojevich criticized Davis and nine other Chicago Democrats for, in his opinion, collecting dual salaries from the city of Chicago and from the state of Illinois as a lawmaker. Davis said she had retired from her education job three years previously.External links
- Illinois General Assembly - Representative Monique D. Davis (D) 27th District official IL House website
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Monique D. Davis (IL) profile
- Follow the Money - Monique D Davis
- Illinois House Democrats - Monique D. Davis profile