SR0037 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0037 LRB103 27696 MST 54073 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to honor Black women, their accomplishments, and their contributions to the history of the United States; and

WHEREAS, Black women have shaped and molded U.S. history in innumerable and irrefutable ways, from the moment they arrived by means of the Middle Passage as slave labor to their arrival in the White House as the vice president of the United States; and

WHEREAS, Even in the face of unimaginable racism rooted in our violent origins in America, and continued for over 400 years, Black women have risen above their circumstances in the face of adversity, not just to survive but also to thrive, imagine, create, achieve, inspire, and excel; and

WHEREAS, Black women have been the bedrock of the community, the foundation of the family, the cornerstone of the Black church, the innovator, the explorer, the entrepreneur, and so much more; and

WHEREAS, Instead of accepting discrimination as their reality, Black women have instead built, created, developed, implemented, spearheaded, and maintained guilds, sororities, non-profit organizations, clubs, scholarship foundations, medical associations, and philanthropic affiliations that have uplifted, improved, inspired, and supported multitudes of communities with diverse needs; and

WHEREAS, It is time to celebrate "Mama" and the ancestors who taught Black women to be strong, resourceful, and to do good for the greater good; and

WHEREAS, Black women nurture, guide, mentor, and inspire as they rise to unimaginable heights, overcoming intentional and systemic barriers; as Black women soar, communities are uplifted, and we all benefit; and

WHEREAS, Black women have excelled in all areas of life, including but not limited to journalism, education, medicine, art, law and government, and business; this is exemplified in the lives of Black women who hail from the State of Illinois, such as Dr. Carol Adams, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Rev. Willie Barrow, United States Ambassador and Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Burroughs, Bessie Coleman, Rev. Johnnie Coleman, Marva Collins, Lorraine Hansbury, Vivian Harsh, Jennifer Hudson, Mahalia Jackson, Mae Jemison, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Chaka Khan, Annie Turnbo Malone, Mamie Till Mobley, Diane Nash, Michelle Obama, Shonda Rhimes, Georgiana Simpson, Jacqueline Vaughn, and Oprah Winfrey; and

WHEREAS, Black women have stood in solidarity with women and men of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, races, religious affiliations, and ethnicities across Illinois, the United States, and the world in an effort to demand parity and equity of all human beings in all areas of life; and

WHEREAS, February 28th intentionally connects the nationally recognized months of February with Black History Month and March with Women's History Month, uplifting the unique intersectionality of race and gender of being both Black and a woman; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare February 28, 2023 as Black Women's History Day in the State of Illinois to honor the accomplishments, power, beauty, courage, intelligence, ingenuity, stewardship, and leadership of Black women; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all Illinoisans and their families to acknowledge, in word and in deed, the accomplishments of Black women in places where they live, work, and play, because doing so recognizes Black women's history as American history.