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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated was
3founded by seven college men, respectfully known as the Seven
4Jewels, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New
5York on December 4, 1906, becoming the first intercollegiate
6Greek-letter fraternity established by and for African
7Americans; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Alpha Phi Alpha
9Fraternity, Inc., Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman,
10Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison
11Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy,
12recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among
13African descendants in this country and the need to help
14correct the educational, economic, political, and social
15injustices faced by African Americans and other people of
16color; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. initially served
18as a study and support group for minority students who faced
19racial prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornell
20University; the Jewel founders and early leaders of the
21fraternity succeeded in laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi
22Alpha's principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character,
23and the uplifting of humanity; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, While stressing academic excellence among its
2members since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
3has consistently supplied its voice and vision to the struggle
4of African Americans and people of color and to issues of civil
5rights around the world; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. are
7manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
9is to develop leaders, promote brotherhood and academic
10excellence, and provide service and advocacy for communities,
11as exemplified through its national programs, including
12"Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College", which focuses on the
13educational achievement of students in elementary, secondary,
14and post-secondary schools and collectively has given millions
15of dollars in scholarship funds to deserving students,
16"Project Alpha", which teaches teenage pregnancy prevention
17and sexually transmitted disease prevention to young males,
18and its "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" campaign, a
19voter registration and education program through which
20thousands of voters have been educated and registered; the
21fraternity also focuses on providing service through its
22strategic partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy
23Scouts of America, the March of Dimes, the American

 

 

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1Heart/American Stroke Association, and the American Cancer
2Society; and
 
3    WHEREAS, For over 117 years, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,
4Inc. has played a fundamental role in the positive development
5of the character and education of more than 200,000 men around
6the world; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has over 700
8college and alumni chapters in the U.S., Africa, Asia, the
9Caribbean, and Europe; this total includes 141 chapters in the
10Midwestern Region, and 32 of those chapters are in Illinois;
11the fraternity's presence started in Illinois with the
12founding of the first college chapter in Illinois, the Theta
13Chapter, in 1910 and the first alumni chapter, the Xi Lambda
14Chapter, in 1924, both in Chicago; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
16include many noteworthy leaders in the areas of government,
17business, entertainment, science, and higher education,
18including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood
19Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson,
20Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew Young, Robert Smith, Dick Gregory,
21and Cornel West; its membership also includes a long and
22distinguished list of current and former federal, state, and
23local elected officials, including U.S. Senator Raphael

 

 

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1Warnock, U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis, former U.S.
2Senators Edward Brooke and Roland Burris, former State
3Senators Adelbert H. Roberts, the first African American in
4the State Senate, and Donne E. Trotter, former State
5Representatives Al Riley and Art Turner Jr., former Cook
6County Board Presidents John and Todd Stroger, and former
7Mayor of Chicago Eugene Sawyer, among countless others who
8have long stood at the forefront of the fight for civil and
9human rights and social change for all Americans; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. members
11have served in the Illinois General Assembly, and those
12currently serving in the 103rd General Assembly include
13Speaker of the House of Representatives Emanuel "Chris" Welch,
14Representative Justin Slaughter, and Senate Majority Caucus
15Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims Jr., who also served as
16the 26th Vice President of the Midwestern Region; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. continues to
18enrich the lives of its members, who, in turn, provide service
19and advocacy for the communities they serve; and
 
20    WHEREAS, On May 1, 2024, Illinois members of Alpha Phi
21Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will participate in "Alpha Day at the
22Illinois State Capital"; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Alpha Kappa
2Alpha Sorority, Inc. will join together for Alpha Day at the
3Capitol in a collective effort to advance the priorities of
4the respective communities they serve; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 1, 2024
7as Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of
8Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and its continued
9impact on the communities it serves; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That we recognize the 2024 Alpha Phi Alpha Day
11held at the Illinois State Capitol and welcome the members of
12Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to the Capitol.