Elmhurst Official Addresses Racial Injustice

ELMHURST, IL — At an Elmhurst City Council meeting two weeks ago, local Black Lives Matter supporters asked the mayor and aldermen to give their views on the movement. The officials had no response. Perhaps they were following protocol — the council often does not respond to public comment during meetings.

But at Monday's council meeting, Ward 7 Alderman Mike Brennan came forward to say he wanted to take part in the effort to fight racial injustice. He thanked the Elmhurst residents who shared their views about the issue with the council.

"Personally, I am working hard to open my mind, educate myself and participate in a movement to address racial injustice," he said in a statement near the end of the meeting.

Brennan cited one of his main influences as his employer, Workday, a software company where he is an executive. The company, he said, has inspired him to become a better leader by focusing on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

"My eyes have been opened by fellow Workday colleagues sharing how they have been discriminated against in their lives," Brennan said. "My workmates are well-educated, very successful and respected, yet they are still subject to discrimination. It is clear something is broken."

He said he found the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police "very upsetting and unacceptable." He said he has been reading and listening to podcasts to educate himself and that one phrase has come up more than once: "People aren't born with racist ideas or attitudes. Racism is something that is learned."

Brennan also said he believes everyone has subconscious biases.

"The more we understand that, the better citizens we will become in our community," he said. "The topic of racism can be uncomfortable to openly talk about. It can be a polarizing topic. It can be extremely emotional. For our society to address racial injustice, we must come together, control our emotions and discuss the problems, understand them and put measures in place to fix them."

He said the city staff, including police and fire, do a "fabulous" job in serving residents. At the same time, he said opportunities for improvements always exist.

At the council meeting earlier this month, Black Lives Matter supporters pressed for the mayor and aldermen to state their positions on Black Lives Matter. They also wanted to know when the city would hold a promised forum involving the police department. The city has not set a date.

During a mid-June meeting, the mayor and two aldermen praised local Black Lives Matter protesters.

African Americans make up 1.4 percent of Elmhurst's population.