Sean Tenner- Leading the Obama Legacy Initiative

Sean Tenner has spent his career working for organizations and officials dedicated to social justice and public interest. Tenner served on President Obama’s campaign staff during both his U.S. Senate and Presidential campaigns and has worked for 20 years to successfully elect Democrats at every level of government. In addition to leading the Uptown-based consulting firm KNI Communications, he has held leadership roles in a wide variety of innovative non-profit organizations.

As Chairman of the Board at the Obama Legacy Initiative, Sean helps maintain the legacy of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michele Obama by promoting urban gardens and eliminating food scarcity. OLI also looks to produce, collect, and deliver fresh produce through a variety of networks.

To learn more about OLI, go to https://www.obamalegacyinitiative.org/

Former Slave Discusses Practice of Slavery in Mauritania

A former senior consultant at M+R Strategic Services in Washington, D.C., Sean Tenner has led the Chicago, Illinois-based KNI Communications as president since 2008. In leading the company, Sean Tenner provides consulting services to political campaigns and nonprofits working to pass critical human rights legislation. He is particularly passionate about fighting slavery in Mauritania.

Mauritania didn’t abolish slavery until 1981. It was the last country in the world to do so and, while it is now illegal, the practice still exists in the African country. According to the United Nations, between 10 and 20 percent of its 3.4 million citizens are enslaved. Boubacar Messaoud was once a slave in Mauritania and is now president of the country’s most prominent anti-slavery organization, SOS Slaves. He spoke about slavery in Mauritania in 2008 at an event hosted by the Wilson Center.

Slavery in the African country isn’t associated with human trafficking, nor does it conjure images of individuals locked in chains, he stressed. Instead, it is generational. Slaves are generally descendants of slaves. They have some level of freedom, but depend on their masters for financial security. The practice, despite being abolished by the government, has been difficult to completely eradicate due to a variety of cultural factors. masters teach slaves that they will be rewarded in the afterlife for their obedience.

Invalid Signatures on Kanye West’s Ballot Petition in Illinois

Leveraging a background in politics, Sean Tenner has served as the president of KNI Communications in Chicago since 2008, achieving numerous political victories for a diverse range of nonprofit groups and advocacy efforts. As the Democratic committeeman of the 46th Ward, Sean Tenner raised questions about the validity of the signatures on Kanye West’s petition to appear on the 2020 presidential ballot in Illinois.

After declaring his candidacy for the presidency in July, Kanye West submitted petitions to 10 different states in an effort to appear on ballots for this year’s election. Thus far, he has gained entry to the ballot in only one state: Oklahoma. Elsewhere, his petitions have come under question for their legitimacy, including in the state of Illinois.

In order to secure a place on the Illinois ballot, a candidate must submit 2,500 signatures. Although Kanye West submitted his signatures prior to the state’s filing deadline, a subsequent review of his signatures showed the majority of them to be invalid. A hearing officer who surveyed the petition declared only 1,200 as valid, leaving West far short of the signature requirement.

The state gave Kanye West and his team until August 21 to defend the signatures, which indicate the possibility of voter fraud. However, no official charges of voter fraud have yet been filed against him.

Judge Joel Chupack’s General Election Victory in 2018

The recipient of a bachelor’s degree in American government from Georgetown University, Sean Tenner is an experienced Chicago, Illinois-based public policy advocacy strategist who has served as president of KNI Communications since 2008. Through this firm, Sean Tenner has helped secure political and judicial campaign victories for clients, such as Jamie Shapiro, Robert Harris, and Joel Chupack.

Serving a six-year term as judge for the 12th Subcircuit of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court, Chupack was appointed to the position in 2018 after defeating Republican candidate David Studenroth in the general election. Chupack received 71,171 of 124,912 votes for a 57 percent share. He received 49.5 percent of the vote share in the three-candidate Democratic primary election, which included Thomas Molitor and Carmine Trombetta. He is one of 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court.

Prior to this appointment, Chupack served as partner at Heinrich & Kramer, PC, where he specialized in general commercial litigation and real estate law. He has more than 35 years of legal experience and has also represented clients in cases concerning guardianship, personal injury, and eviction. In addition, he is vice chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Real Property Law Committee.