HR0686 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, African-Americans have been a presence in Illinois since the 1700s; in fact, the first outpost on the land that is now Chicago was founded by a black man, Jean-Baptiste DuSable; many are not aware of facts like these and black history in Illinois in general, and that is why Black History Month is so important to share our heritage with not only other African-Americans, but all people, and to foster a sense of pride and respect; and

WHEREAS, At the beginning of the 93rd General Assembly, January of 2003, Springfield welcomed 9 African-American State Senators and 19 State Representatives; they joined the total of 120 African-American legislators to serve Illinois throughout its history; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' first black State legislator, John W. E. Thomas, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1876; it is important to mention him first, not only because he was the first, but he is often the first to be overlooked; if one takes a tour of the Statehouse in Springfield, there is a statue of the first black State Senator; but many tour guides will tell you the statue represents the first elected black legislator; and

WHEREAS, John Thomas was born in Alabama in the 1840s and moved to Chicago in 1869; he was an educator and opened the city's first school for African-American children, along with running a grocery store; when he won his election in 1876, African-Americans were less than 2 percent of the city's population, and a minority in his district; but despite the way blacks were viewed at the time, Mr. Thomas put the issue of equality for all on the table; he could have meekly sat in the back of the chamber and remained inconspicuous, but he instead chose to meet the issue of equality head on and was a sponsor of the State civil rights law of 1885; and

WHEREAS, Not much has been written on John W. E. Thomas, but his character and commitment to public service in the face of adversity warrant an understanding of his work and a memorial of his name; and

WHEREAS, Cecil Partee was the first African-American elected to serve as one of the State's top four legislative leaders; he spent 20 years in the General Assembly and held the positions of both Senate Minority Leader and Senate President; his breakthrough paved the way for African-Americans to reach leadership positions in State government; and

WHEREAS, Today, Emil Jones, Jr. serves as Senate President and Jesse White, who served in the House of Representatives, is Secretary of State; and

WHEREAS, Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, also started his career in the State legislature; he served in the House of Representatives from 1965 to 1977 and in the State Senate from 1977 through 1981; and

WHEREAS, Women are also included among the ranks of African-American legislators, and although they are not as common, their achievements are no less worthy of admiration; black women have overcome two barriers in order to serve the State of Illinois, barriers of race and gender; and

WHEREAS, Floy Clements was the woman who opened the door for African-American women legislators to hold elected office in Illinois, and she did this in 1958, a time when women in general garnered less respect than men; and

WHEREAS, Carol Mosely Braun has had a long commitment to serving the people of Illinois, through her recent attempt to become the first black President, as well as the first female President of the United States; she served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 through 1988, during which she served as Assistant Minority Leader; she left the House to become the Cook County Recorder of Deeds; seeing no boundaries to her ambition, she became the first black woman elected to the United States Senate; and

WHEREAS, This lesson is taken seriously; all the African-American State Representatives and two Latino members are organized into the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus; and

WHEREAS, The Black Caucus stresses teamwork in order to achieve equality; this means civil equality, economic equality, educational equality, and political equality; they have fought against racial profiling, the death penalty fiasco, equal funding for schools that serve underprivileged communities, and prejudice; and

WHEREAS, Unity and cooperation are best means to get things done; since the same basic values and goals are shared, it only makes sense that we fight together in one battle instead of 21 separate clandestine missions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the efforts of African-American legislators and their role in the history of this State.