Join us to discuss clean water access and Black maternal health. Our featured speaker is Chakena D. Perry, Senior Policy Advocate for the Safe Water Initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
This event is free to attend and open to the public. We will gather at Oakdale Covenant Church. The event will also be presented virtually.
You must register to attend. A link to participate in the program virtually will be sent to registrants 24 hours in advance.
Organized by LWV Chicago’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.
This event is part of our Chicago in Focus lecture series, which seeks to highlight and explore the most important issues facing Chicagoans today.
About the Speaker
Chakena D. Perry is a voting rights champion and a clean water & environmental policy advocate. She currently serves as Senior Policy Advocate for the Safe Water Initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where she’s responsible for assisting in the development of cross-programmatic strategies, partnerships, and advocacy efforts to ensure water is safe, sufficient, and affordable from source to tap.
In January 2022, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker appointed Perry to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board of Commissioners to fill a vacancy once held by former MWRD Commissioner Deb Shore. She was the youngest MWRD Commissioner and youngest countywide elected official in Cook County—the second most populous county in the U.S.
Chakena earned her B.A. in History at Connecticut College as a Posse Full-Tuition Leadership Scholarship Recipient and Holleran Center for Community Action Scholar. She served as Young Alumni Trustee on Connecticut College’s Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2019. In 2022, she earned her M.A. in Public Policy at the University of Chicago and currently serves as a Harris School Alumni Admissions Ambassador. She’s a board member of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action and co-chairs the newly-developed Black Maternal Health Task Force.
In her free time, she enjoys studying videography and filmmaking, playing basketball, bowling, and exploring coffee shops throughout Chicago. Chakena is the proud wife of Christian Perry and resides in Oak Forest, IL with their son and dog.
Past Chicago in Focus Programs
Chicago’s Migrant Crisis
Featured speakers Johannes Favi, Deputy Director of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants, and Alisa Bhachu, CEO of the Chicago Refugee Coalition, discuss the current situation of new asylum seekers arriving in Chicago and how local organizations are helping.
The Electoral College
The League of Women Voters has long advocated for abolishing the Electoral College in favor of a national, direct vote for president. This lecture from League expert Joyce Williams explores how the Electoral College impacts our presidential elections and discusses the arguments given for and against keeping the Electoral College.
Gun Violence Prevention
Following an increase in gun violence in Lake County, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office was awarded $1.5 million in funding for the Lake County Gun Violence Prevention Initiative (GVPI), which takes a public health approach to violence prevention. Joining us to discuss the initiative are Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart and GVPI Chair Sara Knizhnik.