Ald. Sophia King (4th) has represented Kenwood, Oakland and parts of Bronzeville since 2016, and she was a leading proponent of the Empower Communities for Public Safety community police oversight ordinance.
King successfully pushed to rename Lake Shore Drive and Congress Parkway, after Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable and Ida B. Wells, respectively. She also backed an increase in the city’s minimum wage to $15 and the redevelopment of the vacant Reese Hospital site.
Throughout King’s campaign, she has touted her collaborative personality and her experience on City Council representing a diverse swath of Chicago that stretches from The Loop to Hyde Park.
King grew up in Evanston and has a graduate degree in education and social policy from Northwestern University, according to her website. She previously worked for The Latin School in Chicago and founded the Ariel Community Academy, a public school in Kenwood that opened in 1996.
King has also served as vice president of Planned Parenthood Chicago and started a nonprofit called Harriet’s Daughters to increase African-American employment opportunities.
