HR0617 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0617 LRB103 39687 MST 70099 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the life and legacy of Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone, an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist during the early 20th century; and

WHEREAS, Annie Malone was born in Metropolis on August 9, 1869, the tenth of 11 children of Robert and Isabella Cook Turnbo; she attended school in Illinois but especially enjoyed fashioning her own and her sister's hair, becoming aware of differences in hair texture; by 1889, she had developed her own scalp and hair products that she demonstrated and sold from a buggy throughout Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Annie Malone's business growth led her to St. Louis, Missouri in 1902, which at the time held the fourth-largest population of African Americans; she copyrighted her Poro brand beauty products, and through her business model that used local sales agents, she offered career opportunities and economic independence to African American women at a time when little was available; and

WHEREAS, Committed to community building and social welfare, Annie Malone founded Poro College in 1917, a complex that included her business offices, manufacturing operation, and training center, as well as facilities for civic, religious, and social functions; many local and national organizations, including the National Negro Business League, were housed in the facility or used it for business functions; by 1926, the college employed 175 people and had franchised outlets in North and South America, Africa and the Philippines; by 1930, she had moved from Missouri and settled on Chicago's South Side; and

WHEREAS, Annie Malone is recorded as the first Black woman millionaire in the U. S. based on reports of $14 million in assets held in 1920 from her beauty and cosmetic enterprises; and

WHEREAS, Annie Malone served as board president of the St. Louis Colored Orphan's Home from 1919 to 1943; she donated the first $10,000 to build the orphanage's new building in 1919; during the 1920s, her philanthropy included financing the education of two full-time students in every historically black college and university; her $25,000 donation to Howard University was among the largest gifts the university had received by a private donor of African descent; and

WHEREAS, Annie Malone was treated for a stroke at Provident Hospital in Chicago on May 10, 1957, where she died; at the time of her death, Poro beauty colleges were in operation in more than 30 U.S. cities; and

WHEREAS, Annie Malone's memory is honored in St. Louis with the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children, families, elderly, and the community by providing social services, educational programs, advocacy, and entrepreneurship; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the life and legacy of Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone, an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist during the early 20th century; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Annie Malone as a symbol of our respect and esteem.