EMILY GILL
Dr. Emily Gill will receive the Sam Belfer Award from the American Civil Liberties Union Illinois Peoria Chapter this month. The retired political science professor from Bradley University was nominated for the honor based on her contributions to civil liberties and her “many columns” in The Community Word.
“She is highly regarded,” Peoria chapter president Jessica Thomas said. “We have some awesome recipients.”
The ACLU Illinois Peoria’s 63rd Meeting and Banquet is scheduled for April 25th at the IVY Club. It will the first such in-person event since the pandemic.
“I was really surprised,” said Gill, who has served on the board of ACLU Illinois Peoria and is a member of the national organization. “I am honored.”
Gill has published four books on civil liberties, including An Argument for Same-Sex Marriage: Religious Freedom, Sexual Freedom, and Public Expressions of Civic Equality (Georgetown U.P. 2012); and Free Exercise of Religion: Conflicting Interpretations (Palgrave 2019). She has written quarterly columns for The Community Word since 2019 and wrote Op-Eds on civil liberties for the Peoria Journal Star on a fairly regular basis in the past.
“I think about what to write for several weeks — what interests me,” said Gill, who took on some of the affronts to reproductive rights in this month’s edition of The Community Word. “Then I decide that I might have something to say that’s suitable.”
Gill’s recent columns for the CW have delved into Christian nationalism, political contradictions in banning transgender care and banning books and banning “woke” curriculums in schools and also the perils of meritocracy.
“I just do what I feel called to do,” she said. “So I did not anticipate this award.”
In addition to Gill, Rev. Irene Wimbley will also receive the Belfer Award, which was established in 1965 in honor of one of the founding members of the ACLU Illinois Peoria chapter.
Wimbley created the Southside Community Center and puts on the annual Juneteenth Weekly Celebration. “She is a catalyst for change,” Thomas said. “A missionary for the City of Peoria.”
Pam Davidson and Carl Holloway earned the Outstanding Achievement Award. Davidson is Knox County Democratic Chairwoman and is politically active throughout the 17th Congressional District.
“I am in awe of her,” Thomas said. “She is super busy. She’s everywhere from Galesburg to Bloomington to Rockford.”
Thomas calls Holloway “a stalwart in the community.” He founded MAY-I Community Outreach, which helps our youth overcome obstacles to success, and hosts MALE MENTOR MONDAY for teenagers and young adults.
Evonne Fleming will receive the David Citron Award, which honors a chapter member. The Peoria County Clerk/Recorder is, among other things, on the board of the East Bluff Community Center and chairs Peoria Neighborhood Alliance and Peoria Democratic Women.
“Just like Pam Davidson, only for Peoria,” Thomas explained.
Email ACLUpeoriaIL@gmail.com or go to the ACLU Illinois Peoria Chapter’s Facebook page for more information on attending the banquet.