HR0838 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0838 LRB102 27216 MST 38846 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Anthony James Bradford; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford was born to Dorothy Joiner and Thomas Fields on November 2, 1964; he was raised in Chicago along with his four siblings by his mother Dorothy and Robert "Pops" Joiner; he attended First New Mt. Olive Baptist Church, where he previously served as an usher; he attended Gillespie Elementary School and Julian High School; after graduation, he briefly attended Grambling State University and then returned home, where he became employed in the Northwestern University Mail Services department; he was affectionately known as "Amp" or "AJ"; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford dreamed of becoming a lawyer and also of joining the United States Peace Corps; after nearly eight years, he resigned from his position at Northwestern University and enrolled in Western Illinois University, where he was a member of the Black Student Association, the Political Science Club, and the Pre Law Club; he served as an aide to then-Mayor Tom Carperand and assisted with his political campaigns; he also volunteered in the community and within other campus organizations; he made history when he became the first African American student to serve as student representative on the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees; he received his bachelor's degree in May 1995; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford returned to Chicago and, along with nine other students from across the United States, was selected to participate in the prestigious Pre-Law Summer Institute at John Marshall Law School; one of his most cherished memories was having an opportunity to argue through mock trial the groundbreaking civil rights case Dred Scott v. Sanford in the presence of a room filled with judges, lawyers, law professors, other members of the legal community, and his fellow program participants; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford was sworn in as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in the fall of 1996; during his years of service, he served as an agro business consultant and liaison, ESL teacher, and a grant writer in Grand Goave, Haiti; he was instrumental in securing funding for many local water and agricultural projects; he loved Haiti and embraced many aspects of Haitian culture; an incident in which he ran his bike into a six year old orphaned boy, Chelot, would change the trajectory of both of their lives and hearts; as his Peace Corps end of service date approached, he focused on legally adopting Chelot and bringing him back to the United States; in 2001, he married Ge'ylah Jones Allen and gained two sons and a daughter, Aaron Oschea, Johnathan Lee, and Shauntia Caprice; in 2006, Chelot joined his family in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford held many jobs in social service management, but his passion was education; he taught for over 20 years within the Chicago, Baltimore, and Florida public school systems; he was an exceptionally gifted historian and political scientist; his specialty was foreign policy and civil rights; he was an avid reader and enjoyed watching political news; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford served as president of the 9600 Princeton Block Club for several years; he pioneered the city's prestigious Garden of Excellence Award; he received numerous acknowledgments for his unending service, including the Roseland YMCA Community Service and Volunteer Award and the Western Illinois University Black Student Union Volunteer of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Bradford loved his family; as a first generation college attendee and graduate, he was a trailblazer; he influenced and assisted his siblings and many of his cousins, nieces, and nephews with the college enrollment process; he also had a strong bond with his grandmothers; his cousins were like siblings, and his friends were like cousins; he will always be remembered for his willingness to help anyone and everyone; and

WHEREAS, Posthumously, Anthony Bradford's family will finalize the publication of his memoir, From the Hood to Haiti, a companion project to the many high school and collegiate speaking appearances that bore the same title; his long-standing message within the project was that as an inner city, non-Ivy League college graduate, despite the obstacles and challenges he faced, he was able to endure and complete the rigorous Peace Corps application process and live out one of his biggest dreams; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Anthony James Bradford and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Anthony Bradford as an expression of our deepest sympathy.