Quote · Up First from NPR
The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state
Where this was said
G.H. Merritt, Lorette Newlin, and the Seed of Separation
At 27:30 · chapter starts 27:20
As the episode nears its close, O'Neill returns to the two women who anchor the movement. Merritt explicitly disavows violence: leaving Chicago is like leaving a bad marriage to avoid killing your partner, she says. Newlin's framing is different — quieter, more stubborn, and arguably more powerful. She doesn't think about failure. She's a farm girl. You plant seeds without knowing the weather, the price, or what storms will come. You plant anyway. And she keeps planting: 8 more county boards have agreed to put the separation referendum on the ballot in the upcoming midterm elections. [1] — Connor Towne O'Neill "8 more county boards added for midterms: Lorette Newlin persuaded 8 additional county boards to add the separation referendum to the ballot…" 28:20 O'Neill's closing question — what happens to all that energy if this doesn't work? — hangs unanswered, because for Newlin it simply isn't a question worth asking. The seeds are in the ground.
Lorette Newlin persuaded 8 additional county boards to add the separation referendum to the ballot in the upcoming midterm elections.
Lorette Newlin doesn't spend time thinking about failure. A self-described farm girl, she plants seeds without knowing what storms or prices are coming. That's how she approaches Illinois separation — and she's already convinced 8 more county boards to put it on the midterm ballot.
