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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Black History Month is an annual celebration which
3recognizes that, beginning with the Emancipation Proclamation
4and continuing with the Civil Rights Movement, African
5Americans have made great strides and advancements toward
6equality; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The precursor to Black History Month was "Negro
8History Week" and was started in 1926 by historian and
9University of Chicago alumnus Carter G. Woodson and the
10Association for the Study of Negro Life and History; the second
11week of February was chosen because it marked the birthdays of
12President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglas;
13primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated
14teaching of the history of African Americans in the nation's
15public schools; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In 1970, Black History Week was expanded into
17Black History Month, with the first celebration taking place at
18Kent State University; as part of the 1976 United States
19Bicentennial, Black History Month was officially recognized by
20President Gerald Ford and the U.S. government; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Even with the numerous positive advancements made
22by African Americans since the Emancipation Proclamation that

 

 

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1are documented during Black History Month, many communities
2still suffer from unacceptable conditions such as
3unemployment, poverty, mortgage foreclosures, deficiencies in
4public health services, and crime; and
 
5    WHEREAS, These economic and societal challenges created or
6exacerbated many conditions, including inequalities in access
7to justice in the civil court system, an overburdened and
8ineffective criminal justice system, overcrowding conditions
9in correctional facilities, increased homelessness, increases
10in teen pregnancy, inadequate educational opportunities, a
11lack of affordable housing, insufficient delivery of social
12services to the less fortunate, and deficiencies in the
13delivery of public health services; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Black leaders in Illinois are not alone in
15recognizing that these broad social problems often strike the
16hardest in the black community; it is painful for black leaders
17to ponder the stories of human struggle, despair, and hurt that
18all too often over shadow the stories of success and hope; and
 
19    WHEREAS, State government resources are expended in
20ever-increasing amounts to address these social and economic
21problems, and those expenditures are a significant drain on the
22State's road to financial stability; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we celebrate Black History Month and recognize how far African
4Americans have come; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That we acknowledge the continuing struggles of
6those within the African American communities of the State and
7the country and encourage Governor Pritzker to address the
8ongoing issues affecting those communities; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10delivered to Governor Pritzker.