Fair Economy Illinois

Fair Economy Illinois is a coalition of four social justice groups, in the United States, that advocates against state budget cuts and for higher income taxes on wealthy individuals and businesses in Illinois by organizing urban, suburban and rural residents.[1] It began in May 2011 as Make Wall Street Pay until it changed to its current name in March 2013.[2][3] The group has also worked to pass a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing and protested against financial support for the Illinois coal industry.[4][5] Fair Economy Illinois organizes Moral Mondays Illinois protests.

## Affiliated Groups

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The members of the Fair Economy Illinois alliance are The People's Lobby Education Institute, formerly known as the Illinois-Indiana Regional Organizing Network (IIRON), Illinois People's Action (IPA), Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside (ONE Northside), and Jane Addams Senior Caucus. It is also affiliated with National People’s Action (NPA), a community organizing network that partners with labor unions and left-wing activists.[1]

## Leadership

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Fair Economy Illinois is led by Toby Chow.[6] Chow is a socialist and has been affiliated with a number of other left-wing groups including IIRON, National People’s Action, People’s Lobby and Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation.[7][8][9][10] He participated in Occupy Chicago, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street.[11] Chow was a panelist at the International Socialist Organization’s Socialism 2015 conference and has advocated for “class war.”[12][13]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Who We Are | Fair Economy Illinois". www.faireconomyillinois.org. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
2. ^ "About Us". Retrieved 2015-09-23.
3. ^ "We changed our name from Make Wall... - Fair Economy Illinois | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
4. ^ "Illinois Fracking Vote Pushed To November | Progress Illinois". progressillinois.com. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
5. ^ "Illinois Activists Protest Against State Budget Cuts, Coal Industry Subsidies | Progress Illinois". www.progressillinois.com. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
6. ^ "'Moral Monday' Activists Arrested While Protesting Rauner's Proposed Budget Cuts (VIDEO) | Progress Illinois". www.progressillinois.com. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
7. ^ deBoer, Fredrik. "Is Bernie Sanders a Socialist in Name Only?". Retrieved 2015-09-23.
8. ^ "Demanding 'Just and Sustainable' Economy For all, Thousands March on Congress". Retrieved 2015-09-23.
9. ^ "Does US Need a Free-Trade Deal with Europe?". Retrieved 2015-09-23.
10. ^ "Chicagoans Hold MLK Day Rally, Discuss Socioeconomic Issues & Legislation | Progress Illinois". progressillinois.com. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
11. ^ "Occupy Wall Street, other movements channel anger, frustration". Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
12. ^ "Give voters what they want: class war". The People's Lobby. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
13. ^ "My schedule for Socialism 2015". socialism2015.sched.org. Retrieved 2015-09-23.