February 16, 2023

Alderwoman Sophia King

City Club event description:

Alderwoman Sophia King

Alderwoman Sophia King was born in Colorado and grew up in Evanston, Illinois and Jackson, Mississippi. With family roots in rural Mississippi, Sophia spent considerable time in the South. This experience helped to shape Sophia’s convictions on equity, justice, and opportunity for all. Sophia’s parents were extended an opportunity to attend Northwestern University and started a journey that would lead Sophia to a life of community advocacy and public service.

Sophia has a record of building opportunities for youth. As a former educator, Sophia diversified classes at the Latin School of Chicago and promoted co-curricular education at Chicago Public Schools. With an eye on equity, Sophia helped establish the Ariel Community Academy to provide the North Kenwood-Oakland residents with the same quality education that her students at Latin received. As President of the Kenwood Park Advisory Council, Sophia never stopped fighting to expand youth programs to keep children safe and engaged.

As the Alderwoman of the 4th Ward and Chair of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, Sophia led the fight for a $15 minimum wage in Chicago and carried the measure through the City Council. Sophia knows that every Chicagoan deserves a living wage. After her ordinance was passed 400,000 Chicagoans got a raise and 100,000 Chicagoans were lifted out of poverty.

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Sophia King sees firsthand the impact of murders, shootings, and carjackings that plague our city. Chicago deserves bold new leadership that will act quickly to keep Chicagoans safe. Sophia understands that we can have safety and justice, compassion and accountability. We start by re-imagining public safety and renewing community trust in our public safety system. Sophia has bold ideas to partner with the community to address the root causes of violent crime, create investments that revitalize our neighborhoods and deliver a vision to review downtown. As the Alderwoman for the 4th Ward, Sophia works on these ideas everyday representing parts of Downtown, the South Loop, Bronzeville (Douglas, North Kenwood, Oakland, Grand Blvd), Kenwood and Hyde Park.