First, a quick backstory: Awake IL Vice President Helen Levinson, a first-generation Christian Arab whose parents emigrated from Jordan-wrote a letter in 2021 expressing concerns about Jasmine Sebaggala's work with the Abolition Coalition. The mission of the Abolition Coalition is to "abolish anti-blackness and white supremacy that saturate the essential systems of well-being and wealth in our community". Helen requested that the letter outlining Jasmine's disruptive and inappropriate behaviors be placed in the teacher's school district employment file. An example mentioned in Helen's letter is an incident on May 18, 2021, where Sebaggala allegedly stated at a school board meeting that "white nationalists are recruiting children in our community."
In response, Jasmine sued Helen, but her lawsuit violated IL's Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law. It is not permissible to file a lawsuit in an attempt to hinder someone from exercising their constitutional rights. America First Legal partnered with Sorin Leahu, who was already defending Helen, to combat this legal action. In May 2023, the frivolous lawsuit against Helen was dismissed with prejudice. Additional details can be found in the America First Legal press release.
Fast forward to last week, Awake Illinois Vice President Helen Levinson and President Shannon Adcock were attending an advocate summit in Washington D.C. when they received multiple texts and phone calls about an article published in the Chicago Tribune and Yahoo Finance. The headline of the article read:
"Racial equity activist must pay at least $38,000 after judge dismisses her lawsuit alleging harm from Awake Illinois leader."
Interestingly, this time Awake Illinois was referred to as a "conservative organization," in contrast to the defamatory adjectives used in previous articles. It might be worth suggesting that the editors change the headline to read "F%^& Around and Find Out" although refraining from doing so seems appropriate given the significant number of supportive comments on Yahoo, indicating the majority's support for Helen's victory.
The Chicago Tribune article, printed in the Sunday paper, highlights how, on December 14th, Cook County Judge Daniel Kubasiak ordered Jasmine Sebaggala, who currently works as an assistant principal for Evanston/Skokie District 65 schools, to pay the $38,000 after dismissing her lawsuit. Although Sebaggala and her attorney requested an extension until January 24th to make the payment, this would come at a cost of $2,000, resulting in a total liability of $40,000.
A GoFundMe campaign was initiated on December 13th for Sebaggala by a Democratic activist and has been promoted by several radical factions, including the leftist organization "Illinois Families for Public Schools" and Chicago Teacher Union activist Jackson Potter. They even attempted a peculiar "virtual press conference" with Jasmine and her attorney (who goes by the Instagram handle "theleftistlawyer") to garner support. Watch it at your own risk--particularly when they mention George Floyd.
Ironically, the GoFundMe campaign they created is raising funds that will rightfully reimburse Helen's attorneys, and they have already exceeded their $40,000 goal.
Good.
The outpouring of support for Helen Levinson and her case has been immense. So, the message that messing with constitutional rights has consequences has certainly been conveyed.
Awake Illinois has been at the forefront of the bold, grassroots battle to defend constitutional rights and preserve American values. If this issue is important to you, please consider supporting the cause and choosing "First Amendment Protections" as the donation designation. On behalf of the Awake Illinois board and over 25,000 advocates, we thank you for your support in advancing our 2024 advocacy goals.
Commentaires