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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was | ||||||
3 | founded on December 4, 1906, by 7 college men, respectfully | ||||||
4 | known as the "Seven Jewels", on the campus of Cornell | ||||||
5 | University in Ithaca, New York, becoming the first | ||||||
6 | intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by and for | ||||||
7 | African-Americans; and
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8 | WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Fraternity, Henry Arthur | ||||||
9 | Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George | ||||||
10 | Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, | ||||||
11 | and Vertner Woodson Tandy, recognized the need for a strong | ||||||
12 | bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country | ||||||
13 | while stressing academic excellence among its members; the | ||||||
14 | founders recognized the need to help correct the educational, | ||||||
15 | economic, political, and social injustices faced by | ||||||
16 | African-Americans and other people of color; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and | ||||||
18 | support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, | ||||||
19 | both educationally and socially, at Cornell University; the | ||||||
20 | Jewel Founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in | ||||||
21 | laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of | ||||||
22 | scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of | ||||||
23 | humanity; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has | ||||||
2 | consistently supplied its voice and vision to the struggle of | ||||||
3 | African-Americans, people of color, and issues of civil rights | ||||||
4 | around the world; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha are manly deeds, | ||||||
6 | scholarship, and love for all mankind; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop | ||||||
8 | leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and | ||||||
9 | provide service and advocacy for communities, as exemplified | ||||||
10 | through its national programs, which include "Go to High | ||||||
11 | School, Go to College", which focus on the educational | ||||||
12 | achievement of students in elementary, secondary, and | ||||||
13 | post-secondary schools and has given thousands of dollars in | ||||||
14 | scholarship funds to deserving students; "Project Alpha", | ||||||
15 | which teaches teenage pregnancy prevention and sexually | ||||||
16 | transmitted disease prevention to young males, and the "A | ||||||
17 | Voteless People is a Hopeless People" voter registration and | ||||||
18 | education program, through which thousands of voters have been | ||||||
19 | educated and registered; Alpha Phi Alpha also focuses on | ||||||
20 | providing service through its strategic partnerships with Big | ||||||
21 | Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of America, the March of | ||||||
22 | Dimes, the American Heart/American Stroke Association, and the | ||||||
23 | American Cancer Society; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, For over 107 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a | ||||||
2 | fundamental role in the positive development of the character | ||||||
3 | and education of more than 200,000 men; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni | ||||||
5 | chapters in the United States of America, the District of | ||||||
6 | Columbia, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe; this total | ||||||
7 | includes 141 chapters in the Midwestern Region, including 32 in | ||||||
8 | Illinois; the Midwestern Region includes the states of | ||||||
9 | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, | ||||||
10 | Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, West Virginia, Wisconsin, | ||||||
11 | and Canada; Alpha Phi Alpha's presence started in Illinois, | ||||||
12 | with the founding of the first college chapter in Illinois, the | ||||||
13 | Theta Chapter, in 1910, and the first alumni chapter, the Xi | ||||||
14 | Lambda Chapter, which was founded in 1924, both located in | ||||||
15 | Chicago; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include many noteworthy | ||||||
17 | leaders in the areas of government, business, entertainment, | ||||||
18 | science, and higher education, including the likes of Dr. | ||||||
19 | Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John | ||||||
20 | Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson, Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew | ||||||
21 | Young, and Cornel West; its membership also includes State and | ||||||
22 | local elected officials, including former U.S. Senator Roland | ||||||
23 | Burris, former Cook County Board Presidents John and Todd |
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1 | Stroger, and former Mayor of Chicago Eugene Sawyer, among | ||||||
2 | countless others who have long stood at the forefront of the | ||||||
3 | fight for civil and human rights and social change for all | ||||||
4 | Americans; and | ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha members have served in the | ||||||
6 | Illinois General Assembly, including the following members of | ||||||
7 | the 98th General Assembly: Senator Donne E. Trotter and | ||||||
8 | Representatives Al Riley, Arthur Turner, Jr., Emanuel "Chris" | ||||||
9 | Welch, and Elgie R. Sims, Jr., who also serves as the 26th Vice | ||||||
10 | President of the Midwestern Region; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha continues to enrich the lives of | ||||||
12 | its members, who, in turn, provide service and advocacy for the | ||||||
13 | communities they serve with a commitment to service and the | ||||||
14 | uplifting of humanity; therefore, be it
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15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
16 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
17 | we recognize and honor the 2014 Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the | ||||||
18 | Illinois State Capitol and welcome the members of Alpha Phi | ||||||
19 | Alpha to the Capitol; and be it further
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20 | RESOLVED, That we designate the date of May 14, 2014 as | ||||||
21 | Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha | ||||||
22 | Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and its continued service |
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1 | and impact on the communities it serves; and be it further | ||||||
2 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
3 | delivered to Elgie R. Sims, Jr., Esq., Midwestern Regional Vice | ||||||
4 | President; Adarious D. Payton, Assistant Regional Vice | ||||||
5 | President; and the Illinois District Director and the Assistant | ||||||
6 | Illinois District Director of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, | ||||||
7 | Incorporated, District of Illinois.
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