HR0947LRB102 29052 LAW 40959 r


  
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Gloria 
4"Mama Gloria" Allen of Chicago, who passed away on June 13, 
52022; and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky 
7on October 6, 1945; she was the child of Alma and grandchild of 
8Mildred; she grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood amid the 
9legendary drag balls on Chicago's South Side; she attended 
10Englewood High School, where she experienced and overcame 
11traumatic violence; she transitioned with the love and support 
12of her mother and grandmother well before the Stonewall Riots 
13of 1969; and
  
 
14    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen became a licensed practical nurse 
15(LPN), and she worked at the University of Chicago Hospital 
16and in private homes as a nurse's aide; and
  
 
17    WHEREAS, In her later years, Gloria Allen established a 
18charm school for young transgender people at Chicago's Center 
19on Halsted, where she offered lessons on love, makeup, and 
20manners and became affectionately known as "Mama Gloria" or 
21simply "Mama" to her pupils; her work inspired the critically 
22acclaimed play Charm, written by Philip Dawkins, which 
 
 
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1premiered at Steppenwolf Garage Theater in Chicago in 2015 
2before traveling to Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Los 
3Angeles, and New York; and
  
 
4    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen famously appeared on the cover of 
5Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre's book To Survive on This 
6Shore, featuring photographs of  and interviews with trans and 
7non-binary elders; she became the subject of the 2020 
8acclaimed documentary feature Mama Gloria, directed by Luchina 
9Fisher, which was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award; 
10through the documentary, she rose to national prominence, 
11gaining new audiences and fame; her life and work were 
12featured in the Chicago Tribune, People magazine, the 19th 
13News, the BBC, NowThisNews, the Washington Post, and other 
14publications; and
  
 
15    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen received a number of accolades for 
16her activism, including the Living Legend Award by Janet Mock 
17and Precious Brady-Davis at the 2014 Trans 100 Awards and 
18SAGE's Carmen Vázquez Advocacy Award for Excellence in 
19Leadership on Aging Issues at the National LGBTQ Task Force's 
20annual Creating Change Conference in 2021; and
  
 
21    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen's life and the impact she had on the 
22LGBTQ community were highlighted by President Joe Biden at the 
23signing of an executive order to advance equality for LGBTQI+ 
 
 
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1individuals at the White House two days after her death on June 
215, 2022; and
  
 
3    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen lived her life as an out and proud  
4Black transgender woman; she will be remembered as a  
5trailblazer, an activist, an icon, and a beloved elder of her 
6community; and
  
 
7    WHEREAS, Gloria Allen is survived by her brothers, 
8Herbert, Albert, Michael, and Phillip, and her sister, Sharon 
9Smith; therefore, be it
  
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
11HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
12we mourn the passing of Gloria "Mama Gloria" Allen and extend 
13our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who 
14knew and loved her; and be it further
  
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
16presented to the family of Gloria Allen as an expression of our 
17deepest sympathy.