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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, African-Americans have been a presence in
3 Illinois since the 1700s; in fact, the first outpost on the
4 land that is now Chicago was founded by a black man,
5 Jean-Baptiste DuSable; many are not aware of facts like these
6 and black history in Illinois in general, and that is why Black
7 History Month is so important to share our heritage with not
8 only other African-Americans, but all people, and to foster a
9 sense of pride and respect; and
 
10     WHEREAS, At the beginning of the 93rd General Assembly,
11 January of 2003, Springfield welcomed 9 African-American State
12 Senators and 19 State Representatives; they joined the total of
13 120 African-American legislators to serve Illinois throughout
14 its history; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Illinois' first black State legislator, John W. E.
16 Thomas, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1876; it
17 is important to mention him first, not only because he was the
18 first, but he is often the first to be overlooked; if one takes
19 a tour of the Statehouse in Springfield, there is a statue of
20 the first black State Senator; but many tour guides will tell
21 you the statue represents the first elected black legislator;
22 and
 
23     WHEREAS, John Thomas was born in Alabama in the 1840s and
24 moved to Chicago in 1869; he was an educator and opened the
25 city's first school for African-American children, along with
26 running a grocery store; when he won his election in 1876,
27 African-Americans were less than 2 percent of the city's
28 population, and a minority in his district; but despite the way
29 blacks were viewed at the time, Mr. Thomas put the issue of
30 equality for all on the table; he could have meekly sat in the
31 back of the chamber and remained inconspicuous, but he instead
32 chose to meet the issue of equality head on and was a sponsor

 

 

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1 of the State civil rights law of 1885; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Not much has been written on John W. E. Thomas,
3 but his character and commitment to public service in the face
4 of adversity warrant an understanding of his work and a
5 memorial of his name; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Cecil Partee was the first African-American
7 elected to serve as one of the State's top four legislative
8 leaders; he spent 20 years in the General Assembly and held the
9 positions of both Senate Minority Leader and Senate President;
10 his breakthrough paved the way for African-Americans to reach
11 leadership positions in State government; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Today, Emil Jones, Jr. serves as Senate President
13 and Jesse White, who served in the House of Representatives, is
14 Secretary of State; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor,
16 also started his career in the State legislature; he served in
17 the House of Representatives from 1965 to 1977 and in the State
18 Senate from 1977 through 1981; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Women are also included among the ranks of
20 African-American legislators, and although they are not as
21 common, their achievements are no less worthy of admiration;
22 black women have overcome two barriers in order to serve the
23 State of Illinois, barriers of race and gender; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Floy Clements was the woman who opened the door
25 for African-American women legislators to hold elected office
26 in Illinois, and she did this in 1958, a time when women in
27 general garnered less respect than men; and
 
28     WHEREAS, Carol Mosely Braun has had a long commitment to
29 serving the people of Illinois, through her recent attempt to

 

 

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1 become the first black President, as well as the first female
2 President of the United States; she served in the Illinois
3 House of Representatives from 1979 through 1988, during which
4 she served as Assistant Minority Leader; she left the House to
5 become the Cook County Recorder of Deeds; seeing no boundaries
6 to her ambition, she became the first black woman elected to
7 the United States Senate; and
 
8     WHEREAS, This lesson is taken seriously; all the
9 African-American State Representatives and two Latino members
10 are organized into the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus;
11 and
 
12     WHEREAS, The Black Caucus stresses teamwork in order to
13 achieve equality; this means civil equality, economic
14 equality, educational equality, and political equality; they
15 have fought against racial profiling, the death penalty fiasco,
16 equal funding for schools that serve underprivileged
17 communities, and prejudice; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Unity and cooperation are best means to get things
19 done; since the same basic values and goals are shared, it only
20 makes sense that we fight together in one battle instead of 21
21 separate clandestine missions; therefore, be it
 
22     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
23 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
24 recognize the efforts of African-American legislators and
25 their role in the history of this State.