- Pritzker Fellows
- Current Fellows
- Kam Buckner
Kam Buckner
Illinois State Representative
Biography
Kam Buckner is a native of the Southside of Chicago; the son of a law enforcement officer and a Chicago Public School teacher. He has had the honor of representing the 26th Legislative District in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2019. The district, completely situated in the city of Chicago, contains parts of South Shore, Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Downtown, River North, and the Gold Coast. During his tenure in the IL General Assembly, he has served as the House Black Caucus Chair and Majority Whip for the House Democratic Caucus. He currently serves as Assistant Majority Leader. Kam sits on numerous committees, including the Executive, Judiciary and Revenue Committees. He is the founding Chair of the Lakeshore Caucus - a bicameral group of legislators formed to deal with environmental issues surrounding Lake Michigan.
He was instrumental in bringing an elected representative school board to Chicago and was a chief negotiator on the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act - the most comprehensive clean energy legislation in the history of America. He also was the first legislator in the Midwest to pass a bill prohibiting deadly and untraceable ghost guns.
He previously served as executive director of World Sport Chicago, an organization that served over 20,000 Chicago youth and in the front office of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. He spent a number of years in the public sector on the staffs of Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Kam has taught Public Policy at the University of Chicago and holds a BA from the University of Illinois and a JD from DePaul University. He is a proud husband and father who continues to fight for the future.
Seminars
“An Insider’s Look at the New Springfield: America’s Laboratory for Democracy”
For decades, the Illinois State Capitol was an opaque place - a quiet town nestled 300 miles south of Downtown Chicago. Yes, everyone here knew of its existence. Hey, Lincoln came from there, right? But it was hardly a symbol of power and prestige. This was by design.
But the nuanced convergence of the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movements helped peel away the strategic anonymity for the place in Illinois where money and power most emanated. Illinois ushered in a new system, with new leaders and new rules, rivaling California on the national stage as the petri dish of prescriptive progressive policy.
The state got its first Black speaker of the house, a new senate president and the first Latina and first woman as head of the state Democratic party. Since 2019, the legislature has passed an unprecedented slate of generational legislation: legalizing cannabis, enacting minimum wage increases, banning assault weapons, supporting reproductive health in myriad ways and eliminating cash bail. Its governor - fresh off a successful convention - is now among the highest profile in the nation.
Seminars are open to current UChicago students only.
*This seminar will take place on Thursday, October 10 at 3:30pm. Kam's normal schedule will resume on October 16 with seminars on Wednesdays at 3:30pm
What was the path for JB Pritzker and for me? In this first seminar, I will introduce myself and how I moved from the South Side of Chicago to Washington to the Chicago Cubs to Springfield, with a variety of stops in between. We will then look at a brief history of Illinois governors - the greatest hits and biggest bombs - and how it led to this moment with Gov. Pritzker.
Special Guest: Patrick Quinn, former Governor of Illinois (2009-2015)
A deep look at the Cannabis, Casinos and Capital Bills and the behind the scenes - and often bare knuckle tactics - that brought about these progressive policy wins.
Special Guest: J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois
Chicago wields a lot of power in this state, but that doesn’t mean the rest of Illinois likes it that way. Let’s unpack the Big City vs. the Capitol!
Special Guest: Greg Pratt, Chicago Tribune Political Reporter & Author of 'The City Is Up for Grabs'
Precisely how did new leadership on Both Ends of the Dome in the state Capitol come to pass? Who are the new leaders, and what is their significance? I will talk more about my decision - as well as the one to run for mayor - and what new power looks like.
Special Guest: Emanuel Chris Welch, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representative
As states around the country scrambled to respond to the Dobbs decision in the Supreme Court, Illinois doubled down as a safe haven for those who seek an abortion. What did that look like from my vantage point?
Special Guest: Kelly Cassidy, Illinois State Representative
How would YOU solve the looming transit fiscal cliff in Illinois? The stakes couldn't be higher; with federal COVID-19 relief funds running out, the state's public transportation systems are teetering on the edge, and next spring the legislature must make critical policy decisions to avoid a potential collapse. Prepare for a complex debate framed by taxes, power and the classic Chicago versus downstate and suburban divide. Some of your ideas might even help fix what's broken. Together, let’s explore how Illinois can navigate financial, safety and political pressures while maintaining a resilient and equitable transit system.
Let’s talk about the road ahead for this state, the implications for its residents and the city we all call home (at least between October and May for y’all!).