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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Great Migration, a long-term movement of
3 African Americans from the South to the urban North,
4 transformed Chicago and other northern cities between 1916 and
5 1970; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Chicago attracted slightly more than 500,000 of
7 the approximately 7 million African Americans who left the
8 South during these decades; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Before the Great Migration, African Americans
10 constituted just 2 percent of Chicago's population, but by 1970
11 African Americans constituted 33 percent of Chicago's
12 population; and
 
13     WHEREAS, What had been in the nineteenth century a largely
14 southern and rural African American culture became a culture
15 deeply infused with urban sensibility in the twentieth century;
16 and
 
17     WHEREAS, What had been a marginalized population in Chicago
18 emerged by the mid-twentieth century as a powerful force in the
19 city's political, economic, and cultural life; and
 
20     WHEREAS, The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area

 

 

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1 Project Steering Committee has worked with Congressman Bobby
2 Rush on federal legislation for the Black Metropolis District
3 National Heritage Area (NHA) and the Great Migration Centennial
4 will serve as one of the benchmarks for the National Heritage
5 Area which focuses on preservation, tourism & economic
6 development, conservation, recreation, education &
7 interpretation; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area
9 Project Steering Committee has identified 10 Major Promise
10 Programs for the next century which include:
11         1. Great Migration Public Art;
12         2. In Motion: African American Migration Experience;
13         3. Great Migration Trail: Rails to Trails Conservancy
14     Project;
15         4. The Rosenwald Building;
16         5. The Chicago Blues Museum;
17         6. The Pullman Porter Great Migration Blues Trail;
18         7. Leadership Development Institute;
19         8. Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships;
20         9. Black Metropolis Social Innovation Fund; and
21         10. Bronzeville Postmark and Postal Sub-station; and
 
22     WHEREAS, The Great Migration Centennial celebrates the
23 promise that Chicago once offered a people in search of a
24 better life 100 years ago; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The theme adopted by the Black Metropolis National
2 Heritage Project Steering Committee, "Creating a New Promise",
3 acknowledges the hope that has been restored through the new
4 political administration and addresses the need for the greater
5 Chicagoland region to deliver on its promise and create a new
6 social compact for the future; and
 
7     WHEREAS, To succeed in the 21st century global competition
8 for jobs, prosperity, and quality of life for all, we must have
9 inspiring and well-accepted plans to produce action; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Great Migration Centennial will challenge
11 children and adults throughout the region to make choices today
12 that will define the way we live for the next century;
13 therefore, be it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
15 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
16 CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Great Migration
17 Centennial Commission is created; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That the members of the Commission shall include
19 the President of the Senate or his designee and the Speaker of
20 the House of Representatives or his designee, each serving as
21 one of the co-chairpersons, the Governor or his designee, one

 

 

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1 vice-chairperson appointed by the co-chairpersons, all of whom
2 shall serve as the Executive Committee and 25 appointed
3 members, with the Governor, the President of the Senate, the
4 Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of
5 the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of
6 Representatives appointing 5 members each; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That the appointed members shall serve without
8 compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
9 necessary expenses if funds allow; and be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That the appointed members shall be from diverse
11 backgrounds so as to reflect the diverse citizenry of Illinois
12 working together for a common democratic cause, and that their
13 individual qualifications shall include varying educational,
14 professional, and civic experiences that bring different
15 perspectives and cooperative outlooks to the Commission; and be
16 it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That the purpose of the Commission is to plan for
18 the Great Migration Centennial to be commemorated and
19 celebrated from January to December 2016 and to:
20         1. Elevate the centennial of the Great Migration to a
21     high profile bi-partisan event;
22         2. Recognize the Great Migration as the largest
23     migration to ever occur in North America;

 

 

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1         3. Stimulate and encourage the creation and growth of
2     programs about the Great Migration;
3         4. Highlight and publicize the institutions in the
4     State that are connected to the Great Migration and their
5     impact;
6         5. Work with coordinated statewide groups
7     commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Great
8     Migration; and
9         6. Encourage communities and citizens to support and
10     get involved in the commemoration; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, The Great Migration Centennial Commission serves
12 to promote a deeper knowledge, understanding and engagement in
13 the life and times of the African American Migration
14 Experience, through conferences, publications, preservation of
15 historic sites, and local, statewide and national observances
16 as well as arts projects, forum, travel & tourism promotions
17 and year long celebration activities; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That the Commission's preliminary goals are to
19 develop:
20         1. a national honorary committee of historians,
21     educators, authors, politicians, celebrities and other
22     notables;
23         2. educational curriculum, events, tours, exhibits and
24     programs at the elementary, high school, secondary,

 

 

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1     graduate and post-graduate level;
2         3. a signature entertainment event for fundraising and
3     broadcast purposes;
4         4. an educational symposium with university partners,
5     the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment
6     for the Humanities, the Illinois Arts Council, as well as
7     private foundations and other philanthropic organizations;
8         5. a year-long cultural promotional event calendar
9     supported by travel packages and other travel or tourism
10     incentives; and
11         6. a logo and trademark design for official use on all
12     Centennial commissioned related merchandise, apparel and
13     products officially licensed; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall meet as frequently as
15 necessary, at the call of the co-chairpersons; and be it
16 further
 
17     RESOLVED, The Commission shall have the option of creating
18 a Council of Advisors and any working groups or committees it
19 deems necessary; and, be it further
 
20     RESOLVED, The Commission shall have the option to
21 collaborate with any Federal or local commissions designated to
22 recognize the Great Migration Centennial commemoration via
23 internet links, shared exhibits, activities and programs; and

 

 

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1 be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, The Commission shall work with and establish
3 opportunities with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
4 and the Mayor's Office of Special Events and Cultural Olympiad
5 2016; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall, while working in
7 coordination with and with the assistance of Black Metropolis
8 National Heritage Area Project Steering Committee, broaden
9 outreach by using established channels, including publicly
10 supported media and electronic, computer-assisted
11 communication systems, and elicit voluntary assistance from
12 educational, legal, civic, and professional organizations and
13 institutions, as well as, notable individuals; and be it
14 further
 
15     RESOLVED, That no later than December 31, 2010, the
16 Commission shall report to the General Assembly and the
17 Governor on its planning progress to commemorate and celebrate
18 the Great Migration Centennial; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20 delivered to the Governor of the State of Illinois.