Prairie State Wire

Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, expressed concerns on the social media platform X about current progressive identity politics, which she believes compromise the safety of women and children. She emphasized her intention to engage in ongoing discussions with lawmakers regarding women's safety.

"These bootlicking betas were SOOOO glad to see a black lesbian leave the room weren't they," said Shannon M Adcock. "Identity politics only work for them when it's convenient. Meanwhile, women and children are unsafe in Illinois, California, and anywhere wokism seeps into policy. I am hopeful that this is the first of many conversations we will have regarding women's safety."

Debates in Illinois and California over the safety of women and children have become more intense. Critics argue that "woke" or identity-based laws weaken protection, while supporters assert they enhance safeguards. In Illinois, lawmakers recently passed Alicia’s Law to increase funding for online child exploitation investigations, a move that reflects growing concern about child safety, as reported by the Edwardsville Intelligencer.

According to WTTW's reporting on state data, violent harm toward women has increased significantly in Illinois. There were 94 domestic-violence incidents resulting in 120 deaths in 2023—an increase of 110% from 2022. Chicago's dashboards indicate nearly 14,000 female victims of violent crime in 2023, highlighting a multi-year rise that disproportionately affects women and children.

Data from the California Department of Justice (DOJ), reviewed by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), shows a 15.1% rise in violent crime from 2018 to 2023. Although homicides decreased by 13.7% in 2023, robberies and aggravated assaults increased. The PPIC notes these trends mirror fluctuations in other states regardless of political orientation, suggesting that safety outcomes for women and children cannot be attributed solely to identity-focused policies.

Adcock is a Naperville-based activist whose biography states she is a University of Illinois graduate, former school-board candidate, and mother of three. She launched Awake Illinois during COVID-19 school-policy disputes and now advocates for parental rights and greater protections for women and children in education and public-safety policy.

Awake Illinois was founded in 2021 as a grassroots organization focused on education, civic engagement, and family-rights advocacy. Its mission page states that the group opposes critical race theory curricula and gender-identity policies in schools, arguing these undermine women's and children's safety while promoting community-level policy reform.