Well-known activist Heather Marie McMeekan, 56, died October 6, 2024, at Carle Methodist Hospital in Peoria, Illinois, surrounded by family and friends after a brief illness and complications from surgery.
Heather was born in 1968 in Lake Ridge, Illinois to Iris and George Platt. During her religion-affiliated junior high school years, she and classmates were repeatedly harassed and abused and the perpetrators got off despite being brought to trial. This situation where her dad was also a school board member became a movie filmed about it called "Cast the First Stone" in 1989. She was one of the most long-lived of the students in that class and forever retained an abiding passion for being the adult she needed during her tumultuous early years. She graduated from Marengo High School then received a B.A. in General Studies from Western Illinois University in 1990 and later a M.S. in Health EducationCommunity Health in 2000.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister. She is survived by a sister. Her children Iris McMeekan and Kellen McMeekan and her beloved dog, Joey also survive.
In her more than 30 years living in Macomb, Illinois, Heather was a powerful force using her considerable skills and resourcefulness to help others--leading Girl Scouts, producing free kid-friendly kite festivals, serving as a safety instructor at Park Programs, and supporting university student groups.
She worked as an EMT and ER tech at McDonough District Hospital for more than ten years, and during that time transitioned to becoming the EMT Program Coordinator at WIU, including EMTv for virtual statewide training of EMTs through WIU network. She was a full time Instructor of General Studies as well. Because of her facility for the virtual world, she moved into on line internet work, working in some capacity as a Webmaster at WIU until her retirement in 2022. She helped her union fight against layoffs at WIU, and used her vacations multiple times to speak to legislators at the statehouse for higher education funding and jobs, rights for women, oppressed persons, and protections for impoverished, disenfranchised, and vulnerable people.
In Macomb, Heather was the founder of Western EMS Basic Life Support Services through WIU, a communications administrator for the Art Center's Facebook page, and an organizer for various events including the successful Kite Festival and the 2019 "Buy into WIU" campaign. In 2001 she received the Macomb Journal's "Citizen of the Year" award.
She was a Democratic Precinct Committeeperson, a founding member of Indivisible West Central Illinois, and the founder and president of the Democratic Women of McDonough County. From that base, she went on to found the Racial Justjce Coalition, credited for holding dozens of extremists accountable for hate incidents around the state of Illinois. She started Macomb Pride leading to the first Pride Fests in Macomb. Through these organizations Heather helped countless others who had been forgotten or oppressed.
After retiring from WIU, Heather moved to Peoria where she continued her organizing, serving as the Co-President of the Peoria Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). A digital media expert and a community organizer, she was quoted in "Digital Civil War: Confronting the Far-Right Menace" by Hillary Clinton Strategist Peter Daou. She was selected to run as a delegate for Kamala Harris's 2020 Presidential Campaign in the IL18th district. She served as the Digital Media Director for the Illinois Democratic Women from 2019 until her death. She served on the boards of the ACLU of IL - Peoria, who awarded her their Humanitarian Award for her years of work to help people organize against structural and systemic oppression in their communities. She was an advisory board member for SheVoteslL PAC and the digital media/com ms representative for the Obama Legacy Initiative for years. She also was a Commissioner for the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity for the city of Peoria, serving as a Steering Committee member and IT liaison. In this role, she worked hard to secure a community plan for free internet service for 500 low income families in the Peoria area. She also continued her love of kite-flying with kids, and ran two well-attended, free kite events at Donavan Park with the Peoria Park District. She also initiated a welcoming monthly drum circle for adults and kids at her church and she enjoyed the CUUPS pagan group holiday celebrations as one of the Keepers of the Great Grove where the annual Haunted Forest will be held this year on Saturday, October 19th.
Heather held several positions throughout her life including Paramedic, Educator, and Webmaster. She taught hundreds of students during her years as the EMT program coordinator at Western Illinois University. She was the lead instructor for EMTv, a television series providing continuing education for Illinois EMT-Bs. She was also the founding faculty advisor for Western EMS, a student-run EMS service on the WIU campus.
Heather was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship while in Macomb and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Peoria. She served on the church’s Women’s Connection Council for six years, introduced other members to her love of kites and drumming, and led several workshops through the Fellowship.
Heather had many passions in her life. She loved her children, kites, drumming, painting, sculpting, and scrapbooking. She loved to share her interests with others, and did so through the foundation of the Macomb Kite Festival, the Macomb Community Drum Circle, Macomb Pride, and many other organizations throughout her years.
Cremation rites have been accorded by Schmidt-Haller Burial & Cremation Services. A Celebration of Life will be held from 1 - 3 pm on November 16, 2024 at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria, 3000 W. Richwoods Blvd, Peoria IL.
https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local/2016-11-17/presidential-election-sparks-rally-in-macomb
https://www.instagram.com/shevotesil/p/DA0vho2RoE_/
http://www.mcmeekan.net/art/wmrab/index.php
Heather was a member of the Macomb Unitarian Fellowship and more recently the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria at 3000 W. Richwoods Blvd, Peoria IL 61604.