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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Josie B.
4Childs of Chicago, who passed away on February 13, 2023; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Josie Childs was a vibrant, no-nonsense, dynamic,
6and highly engaging 96-year-old South Side Chicagoan whose
7entire life encompassed both a historical and present-day
8living memoir of influential, insightful, and inspirational
9importance; she was a beloved citizen, a faithful woman, a
10friend of multitudes, and the founder and president of the
11Chicago-based nonprofit, the Mayor Harold Washington Legacy
12Committee (MHWLC); further, she was an exemplary woman who was
13celebrated and widely respected as a civic institution by
14generations of Chicagoans for her visionary leadership,
15serving as inspiration to multigenerational trailblazers of
16political, business, and community leaders, emerging,
17next-generation advocates, and future change-agents; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Josie Childs was born to Julia Brown and Charles
19Washington in Clarksdale, Mississippi on October 13, 1926; her
20grandparents were Black southern landowners and teachers;
21although born in Clarksdale, she grew up in Memphis, Tennessee
22and Vicksburg, Tennessee; after graduating high school and
23attending LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, she

 

 

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1moved to Chicago in the late 1940s and married James "Jack"
2Childs Sr., who preceded her in death; she was a founding
3member of The Congregational Church of Park Manor, UCC, where
4both she and her husband were lifelong members until their
5respective passing; they were worldwide travelers, partners in
6church, social, and civic activities, and lovers of fine
7dining, the theater, the arts, card games, and jazz music;
8their massive dining room table served as the setting for the
9coordination and implementation of many successful Chicago
10political campaigns, civic engagement and community plans, and
11other events; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Josie Childs worked on the congressional
13campaigns of Abner Mikva, Ralph Metcalfe, Rod Blagojevich, and
14Harold Washington; she was an Illinois organizer for the
15presidential campaigns of Adlai Stevenson Sr., John F.
16Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter; she was also an
17Illinois Democratic delegate at the 1980 Democratic National
18Convention (DNC) in New York City; she worked with the late
19Honorable Harold Washington on his original 1977 mayoral
20campaign and his successful 1983 mayoral campaign; following
21his historic election, she served in administrative positions
22with the City of Chicago's Special Events and Cultural Affairs
23departments for many years; and
 
24    WHEREAS, Josie Childs served as a passionate, stabilizing

 

 

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1social force during turbulent times in Chicago and the United
2States, when rampant social change was on the horizon
3virtually every week, and into recent similar civic
4incursions; while simultaneously fighting for causes in which
5she believed, she additionally advised, nurtured, and
6represented new generations of Black and multicultural
7activist objectors from the neighborhoods of Chicago; over the
8years, her reputation for dedication, fairness, integrity, and
9accuracy grew exponentially; she was also revered for her deep
10personal concern and commitment to the overall community as
11well as her unique ability to establish lasting relationships
12among high-level local and nationally elected public servants,
13business leaders, and cultural influencers, in addition to
14everyday community leaders and residents; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Josie Childs was a cultural, arts-focused, and
16progressive political firebrand; she exposed many young people
17to programs she supported at such institutions as Columbia
18College Chicago, the Goodman Theater, and Harold Washington
19College; she also encouraged youth to become civic-minded and
20involved in ongoing efforts of political organizers, striving
21towards a more just and equitable Chicago; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Josie Childs remained active throughout her
23entire life; in 2013, she partnered with a coalition of local
24political and civic activists to establish the Mayor Harold

 

 

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1Washington Legacy Committee (MHWLC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit
2organization that is an educational and civic engagement
3entity, which is dedicated to preserving the integrity and
4authenticity of the progressive policy messages of former
5Chicago Mayor Harold Washington; through her efforts, the
6MHWLC established the Mayor Harold Washington Legacy
7Scholarship at his alma mater, Roosevelt University, among
8other initiatives, and it continues to amplify the memory and
9historical legacy of this great political statesman and
10Chicago's first Black mayor for generations of change-agents
11today and tomorrow; her date of passing, February 13, 2023,
12has gained further significance to many local leaders and
13activists as Chicago concludes its year-long centennial
14celebration of the late Mayor Harold Washington's birth and as
15the city approaches the 40th anniversary of his historical
161983 election as Chicago's first Black mayor; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Josie Childs was involved with many
18organizations, including the Chicago Urban League, the
19National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
20(NAACP), the Board of the Friends of the Chicago Public
21Library, Planned Parenthood, T.R.U.S.T. Inc., the Board of
22Know Your Chicago, the Joint Negro Appeal, the National Board
23of Council on Lay Life and Work, the Duke Ellington Society,
24the Executive Service Corps, and the Christ Hospital Nursing
25School; she was also the former president of her condominium

 

 

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1board; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Josie Childs was the recipient of numerous awards
3and honors; in 2013, she was honored by Congressman Danny K.
4Davis with the Georgia Palmer Advocacy Award; she was last
5honored in February of 2019 by the DuSable Museum of
6African-American History and Comcast as one of the "Voices of
7the Civil Rights Movement"; she had also recently donated the
8Josie Brown Childs Papers, a collection of documents
9consisting of her family history, her political and social
10advocacy work, and her efforts to promote enhanced awareness
11of African American cultural and historical achievements, to
12the Chicago Public Library; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Josie Childs was exceptionally respected and
14popular all over the City of Chicago but particularly on the
15South Side, maintaining an impressively large base of
16supporters among multicultural coalition groups and women; she
17was a fierce and vocal advocate for Black political
18empowerment in Chicago and across the United States and a
19trailblazing woman focused on power and equality; she
20possessed a suave, confident persona and a never give up or
21give in approach, perfected as a longtime South Side resident,
22aptly earning the title as the "Matriarch of the Movement";
23her undeniable passion, contagious spirit, and tireless
24dedication will be missed; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Josie Childs is survived by her son, James M.
2(Bonnie Collins) Childs Jr.; her grandchildren, James A.
3Childs, Claudia L. (Adrien Houndje) Houndje, and Elysia R. (L.
4Almestica) Childs; her great-grandchildren, Semenou, Mense,
5Fifa, and Hontongou Houndje; and countless friends,
6associates, public officials, church members, and admirers;
7therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10we mourn the passing of Josie B. Childs and extend our sincere
11condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
12her; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Josie Childs as an expression of our
15deepest sympathy.