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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Black History Month, designated each February, is | ||||||
| 3 | an important time to celebrate the remarkable contributions of | ||||||
| 4 | Black American women while addressing the obstacles that Black | ||||||
| 5 | women still face, both across the United States and in | ||||||
| 6 | Illinois; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Observing Black History Month is a historic | ||||||
| 8 | tradition that began in 1926 to honor and celebrate the | ||||||
| 9 | aspirations and accomplishments of Black individuals; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Even with years of the positive advancements that | ||||||
| 11 | are documented during Black History Month, some Black | ||||||
| 12 | communities still suffer from unacceptable conditions, such as | ||||||
| 13 | higher rates of unemployment, poverty, mortgage foreclosures, | ||||||
| 14 | lack of access to public health services, and crime; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, Black women have experienced the compounding | ||||||
| 16 | impacts of racism and sexism but have nonetheless risen to | ||||||
| 17 | contribute to the improvement of their communities, including | ||||||
| 18 | in the fields of education, health care, government, and many | ||||||
| 19 | others; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Black women face inequities in healthcare, | ||||||
| 21 | including facing worse outcomes during pregnancy and | ||||||
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| 1 | postpartum care; they die from pregnancy-related conditions | ||||||
| 2 | three times more often than white women according to the | ||||||
| 3 | Illinois Department of Public Health; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Black women are less likely to receive thorough | ||||||
| 5 | screenings for breast cancer, such as 3D mammograms; the | ||||||
| 6 | University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign found that living | ||||||
| 7 | in a predominantly African American neighborhood increased | ||||||
| 8 | Black and white women's odds of dying from breast cancer; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Black | ||||||
| 10 | women earn 63 cents for every dollar earned by a white, | ||||||
| 11 | non-Hispanic man; therefore, be it
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| 12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 13 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 14 | we recognize Black History Month as an important time to | ||||||
| 15 | celebrate the remarkable contributions of all Black women in | ||||||
| 16 | United States; and be it further | ||||||
| 17 | RESOLVED, That we acknowledge the continuing struggles | ||||||
| 18 | within African American communities, especially those of Black | ||||||
| 19 | women, and encourage Governor Pritzker to address the ongoing | ||||||
| 20 | issues affecting those communities; and be it further
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| 21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
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| 1 | delivered to Governor JB Pritzker.
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