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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 learned with deep regret of the death of Lutrelle "Lu" Fleming
4 Palmer Jr. of Chicago on Sunday, September 12, 2004; and
 
5     WHEREAS, For most of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the voice
6 and pen of Lutrelle "Lu" Fleming Palmer Jr. were synonymous
7 with the battle cry of black power; his message was passionate,
8 agitated, and often angry, but he is also remembered as a
9 sometimes soft-spoken man; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer's most significant legacy was being the
11 man behind the slogan "We Shall See in '83" that mobilized
12 black voters to elect Harold Washington as the Chicago's first
13 black mayor; and
 
14     WHEREAS, He is remembered as a very effective communicator
15 and a forceful advocate for Chicago's African-American
16 community, as a persuasive writer, a fine public speaker, and
17 an excellent political strategist; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer was born in Newport News, Virginia to
19 Lutrelle and Virginia Palmer; he graduated from Virginia Union
20 University, and went on to earn a master's degree from Syracuse
21 University; he also attended the University of Iowa, but prior
22 to completion of his degree moved to Fisk University in
23 Tennessee, where he headed the communications department; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer moved to Chicago in 1950 and got a job
25 at the Chicago Defender; he held other newspaper jobs,
26 including a stint at the Chicago American, where he worked the
27 overnight shift, before landing a job at the Daily News in the
28 1960s; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer spoke out when Black Panthers Fred

 

 

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1 Hampton and Mark Clark were slain in 1969 by Chicago Police in
2 a nighttime raid directed by State's Attorney Edward V.
3 Hanrahan; he resigned from the Daily News on January 15, 1973,
4 the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; he said
5 his departure was due to several incidents where his copy was
6 altered or his column was changed or killed; following his
7 resignation, the Chicago Newspaper Guild gave him an award for
8 his service to the newspaper industry for his "effective voice
9 in the press and radio for the needs of the black community";
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer founded an independent paper, the
12 X-Press; the first paper hit the streets on May 9, the birthday
13 of Malcolm X; it closed in 1974; a strident black nationalist,
14 he founded the Chicago Black United Communities in 1979 and the
15 Black Independent Political Organization in 1981; and
 
16     WHEREAS, His passing has been deeply felt by many,
17 especially his wife, Jorja English Palmer; his daughters,
18 Trudy, Darien Simon, and Karen English; his sons, Lu Palmer III
19 and Jamie English Jr.; his five grandchildren; and his two
20 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
22 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
23 Lutrelle "Lu" Fleming Palmer Jr., a man who will be remembered
24 as one of the ablest spokesman for freedom and justice for
25 African Americans; and be it further
 
26     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
27 presented to the family of Mr. Palmer as an expression of our
28 sincerest condolences.