SR0439 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The political presence of African Americans in Illinois was first manifested in 1876; John W. E. Thomas of Chicago was elected to the House of Representatives as the first African American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly in that year; then in 1924, Adelbert H. Roberts became the first African American elected to the Illinois Senate; in 1958, Floy Clements became the first African-American woman elected to the State legislature; these three are considered political pioneers who paved the way for other African Americans in the Illinois General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, Fred J. Smith and Corneal A. Davis each spent 36 years in the General Assembly; as the Dean of the Senate, Dean Smith was the longest serving member of the chamber with 24 years; Mr. Davis' entire career was in the House; Harold Washington left the Senate in 1981 to serve as a member of the United State Congress; soon afterward, he was elected to serve as the first African-American Mayor of the City of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Moseley Braun left the House of Representatives in 1988 to become the Cook County Recorder of Deeds; later, she was the first African-American woman elected to the United States Senate; in addition, Earlean Collins was the first African-American woman elected to the State Senate and the first to serve in leadership; and

WHEREAS, The late Cecil Partee was the first African American elected to serve as Senate President, and prior to that, he was Senate Minority Leader; after leaving the legislature, he served as treasurer for the City of Chicago and as the Cook County State's Attorney; the Honorable Emil Jones, is the second African American to serve as both Senate President and Senate Minority Leader; and

WHEREAS, Margaret Smith and Earlean Collins were the first African- American women to join their spouses in service to the State of Illinois; Jesse White, a former member of the Illinois House, became Cook County Recorder of Deeds in 1993, and he has subsequently been elected to two terms as the first African-American Secretary of State in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In the current 93rd General Assembly, there are nine African-American State Senators and 19 African-American Representatives; in 1966, the late Senator Kenneth Hall of East St. Louis was the first African American to be elected to serve from outside of the city of Chicago; he was elected to the Senate in 1970; Wyvetter H. Younge, also of East St. Louis, is the senior member in the House of Representatives having served continuously since her first election in 1974; and

WHEREAS, Appreciation of diversity and unity of purpose directed toward a common agenda was realized in 1966, when Representatives Harold Washington, Louis A. H. Caldwell, Otis Collins, and Calvin L. Smith formed a study group to examine issues affecting African Americans in Illinois and to explore ways to address those issues; they realized early on that by capitalizing on the strengths of individual study groups members much could be accomplished; in that year, the study group grew to include Senators Richard H. Newhouse, Senator Charles Chew, Jr., Representative Raymond W. Ewell, and Representative Kenneth Hall; the group became a more formalized political entity in 1968, as the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus continues to represent the interests of Illinois citizens in numerous ways; it has been particularly instrumental in assuring that the interests of African-American citizens are given equitable representation in the General Assembly and that effective responses are fashioned to address those interests; and

WHEREAS, Today as the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus observes the culmination of Black History month in the year 2004, its members have also established the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation to expand the influence of and serve the best interest of their diverse constituencies of the State; therefore, be it

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