Representative Sonya Harper Contact information

Sonya Marie Harper is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. She has been serving since her appointment on October 20, 2015, to replace the late Esther Golar. She represents the 6th district, which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, McKinley Park, New City, and West Englewood in the City of Chicago.

Before her political career, Sonya was a journalist and community activist on the south side of Chicago since she was 16 years old. Her passions include promoting community, economic development, and civic engagement in an effort to create more peaceful and prosperous neighborhoods.

In the Illinois House of Representatives, Sonya Harper is the Chairperson of the Agriculture & Conservation committee, the first black member to serve in that capacity. She is also a current member of several other Illinois Legislative committees including Appropriations – Public Safety Committee, Economic Opportunity & Equity, Elementary Secondary Education. School Curriculum Policies, Energy and Environment, Health Care Availability and access, Revenue and Finance, Sales, Amusement and other taxes subcommittee.

She serves as Joint Caucus Chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and was recently appointed Chairman of the Agriculture committee for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL). She also serves as a board member for the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women and is the Illinois State Director for Women In Government, a national non-partisan organization.

Sonya Harper has been at the forefront of Agriculture Equity by authoring the Illinois Farmer Equity Act, Agriculture Disparity Study, Cannabis Equity Commission and currently working to pass an Agriculture Equity Commission. She passed the Right to Garden Act which protects homeowners rights to grow food on their own property.

In the area of Youth Safety and Empowerment, Harper passed a law that requires all schools in Illinois test for lead in their drinking water. She worked with colleagues to create a statewide taskforce to develop opportunities for disconnected youth who are jobless and out of school. Harper continues to speak up for the equitable distribution of violence reduction funds to grassroots organizations who have consistently been on the front line of serving youth and adults impacted most by the public health crisis of gun violence.