John, Thank you. Thank you all so much. We were fierce competitors for these last few months but I will be rooting and praying for our next Mayor to deliver for the people of this city for years to come. Four years ago, I looked into the camera and spoke directly to young people of color who looked like me, and to every kid who felt like I did or grew up like I did. I told you back then that anything is possible with hard work I want you to know that, no matter what happens along the way, you should always believe it. Believe that you can bring about change. Believe that you matter. Believe that you can love who you want to love…do what you want to do and be who you want to be. You will not be defined by how you fall. You will be defined by how you rise, how hard you work, and how much good you do. Obviously, we didn’t win the election yesterday but I stand here with a head held high and a heart full of gratitude. I’m grateful for the millions of Chicagoans who came together as we made tough decisions, saw the struggles of our frontline workers, and beat back a deadly pandemic. I’m grateful that we worked together to remove a record number of guns off our streets, reduced homicides and started making real progress on public safety. I’m grateful that we were able to connect youth to mental health services, housing, education, job training, and legal services. To invest in communities that had been neglected for decades with our INVEST South/West program, putting over $2.2 billion in commitments into our neighborhoods. To deliver on the city’s largest ever investments in affordable housing. And to achieve record investments in our public schools, adding school social workers, nurses and special education case managers. And you better believe I am grateful that we took on the machine and put this city on a better path. In the end, you don’t win every battle. But you never regret taking on the powerful and bringing in the light. Thank you to my family for inspiring me. To our campaign team and volunteers for fueling this campaign. To everyone who gave us their time, support, money or prayers… Thank you from the bottom of my heart. God Bless you and God Bless the city of Chicago. -Lori
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