SPRINGFIELD - In partnership with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias presented the 2nd annual John Lewis Youth Leadership Award (JLYLA) to 21-year-old Ivoryana Neal and 23-year-old Anthony Ray Wright Jr.
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“It’s wonderful to honor the impact of the late Congressman Lewis by recognizing two incredible young Illinoisans for their significant service to our communities,” Giannoulias said. “Ivoryana and Anthony are truly carrying out the spirit of Congressman Lewis’ legacy.”
Neal, a Bellwood native and a December 2024 graduate of Spelman College, is passionate about criminal justice reform and has helped educate peers on the need for more re-entry support for formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. Neal’s firsthand experiences interning with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office in Atlanta and with the Broadview, Illinois, police department have informed her calls for reform with real-life facts.
Wright, the author of two self-published novellas focused on Black History, grew up in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. After graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2024, he returned to continue the work he had begun as an intern at Introspect, a not-for-profit. He helped re-envision a Black History curriculum that engages today’s teens by having students interview their grandparents about their part in the Great Migration. Wright also worked tirelessly in 2024 as a newly trained voting deputy registrar, helping many Chicago youth register to vote, study the issues and cast their first ballots.
Giannoulias also named 22-year-old school social worker Reagan Johnson of Vienna, Illinois, as first runner-up in the 2024 program. Johnson, born and raised in Illinois’ southern coal country, was recognized for raising funds for bus transportation so that the 400 high school students living in Johnson County’s remote and isolated 340 square mile service area could have access to after school programming in nature and the arts.
This is the second year of Illinois’ participation in the NASS JLYLA program. Competitors must be between the ages of 18 and 25, Illinois residents and have established a record of service and leadership that meets the ethos of Congressman John Lewis’ legacy. Giannoulias plans to accept nominations for the third annual Illinois John Lewis Youth Leadership Award in Fall 2025.
