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Illinois State Representative Constance A."Connie" Howard
In her 10 years in the Illinois General Assembly, State Representative Constance "Connie" Howard has been an advocate for cutting edge issues affecting the Black community, including HIV/AIDS, the digital divide, and expungement.
Representative Howard (34th District, Chicago-Democrat) most recently created, sponsored, and had passed sweeping legislation designed to prevent the spread of the HIV infection among African Americans in her home state.
Called the Illinois African American HIV/AIDS Response Act, the legislation is believed to be the only such of its kind in the entire nation, and was signed into law on August 19, 2005 by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Rep. Howard's law creates HIV/AIDS response officers in the Illinois governor's office and the state's departments of human services and corrections to help coordinate a response to the AIDS epidemic devastating the Black community; requires HIV testing in high-traffic state facilities that serve Black constituents; and makes information on the disease available on Illinois state websites, among other provisions.
As part of her HIV/AIDS agenda, Rep. Howard created the Let's Talk, Let's Test Foundation in 2002, along with the organization's executive director Lloyd Kelly, to increase public awareness of the epidemic among Blacks.
In addition, in 2004, she established the HIV/AIDS Policy and Research Institute at Chicago State University to study the disproportionate incidence of the disease in minority populations in Illinois through policy and research.
Addressing another of her passions -- ending the digital divide between mainstream America and minority communities -- Rep. Howard has passed legislation to secure funding for centers in low-income Illinois communities to provide technology skills training and access to computers and the Internet.
Rep. Howard is also a champion for ex-offenders becoming productive members of society and has sponsored legislation calling for the expungement and sealing of criminal records for certain categories of individuals.
Her legislative assignments have included chairing the House committee on computer technology, as well as sitting on the committees on human services, health care, higher education, and energy management.
Rep. Howard has served as Democratic State Central Committeewoman of the First Congressional District since 1984 and currently serves as 1st Vice Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and as a member of the Democratic National Committee.
Born December 14, 1942 in Chicago, Rep. Howard holds a B.S. in Liberal Arts and a M.S. in Corrections and Criminal Justice from Chicago State University. She and her husband, Phillip Jr., have one son, Phillip III (Cynthia) -- a Southwest Airlines pilot -- and five grandchildren.
Visit State Representative Howard’s website.
LLOYD MERRITT KELLY
Lloyd M. Kelly is executive director of the Chicago-based Let's Talk, Let's Test Foundation, an advocacy group created in 2002 to raise public awareness of the AIDS epidemic affecting America's Black community.
Mr. Kelly developed and helped write the historic Illinois African American HIV/AIDS Response Act, which was signed into law in August of 2005, under the sponsorship of Illinois State Representative Constance Howard (District 34/Chicago - Democrat).
Believed to be the only legislation of its kind in the country, the act provides a variety of measures to help prevent the spread of the disease in the Black community, in addition to protecting the rights of individuals with HIV and AIDS in the workplace and the prisons.
Mr. Kelly was a caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services for 18 years, and a legislative aide to Rep. Howard for a number of years when the two realized the need to create the Let's Talk, Let's Test Foundation in 2002.
The Foundation's mission is to increase public awareness about the disease; encourage testing in the Black community; and provide funding and technical support for HIV/AIDS service providers working in Black neighborhoods.
The Foundation accomplishes much of that through its annual "I Need You To Survive"African-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Walk, which was created by Mr. Kelly. Now in its fourth year, the 5K event is believed to be the only Black AIDS walk in the nation.
Mr. Kelly was born in Jefferson City, Missouri on August 15, 1960. Raised in Denver with his five siblings, he moved to Chicago in 1982.
Mr. Kelly attended Columbia College and Chicago State University and served in the Illinois National Guard for eight years.
He developed an interest in politics and worked on the presidential campaigns of Jimmy Carter and Rev. Jesse Jackson, as well as a variety of local races in Chicago, which is how he became an attaché to Rep. Howard.
