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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of poet, Maya Angelou; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renowned and
5influential voices of our time; hailed as a global renaissance
6woman, she is a celebrated poet, novelist, educator, producer,
7actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928 in
9St. Louis, Missouri and raised in St. Louis and in Stamps,
10Arkansas; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou was once hailed as "America's
12most visible black female autobiographer"; her first and most
13highly acclaimed work, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"
14(1969), brought her international recognition and was
15nominated for a National Book Award; she has been awarded over
1630 honorary degrees and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for
17her 1971 volume of poetry, "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water
18'Fore I Diiie"; the list of her published verse, non-fiction,
19and fiction now includes more than 30 bestselling titles; she
20was a trailblazer in film and television; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou served on 2 presidential

 

 

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1committees - one for President Gerald Ford in 1975 and one for
2President Jimmy Carter in 1977; President Bill Clinton
3requested that she compose a poem to read at his inauguration
4in 1993 and her reading of her poem "On the Pulse of the
5Morning" was broadcast live around the world; in 2000, she was
6awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton; she
7received the Lincoln Medal in 2008 under President George W.
8Bush and has received 3 Grammy Awards; in 2010, she was awarded
9the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor
10in the U.S., by President Barack Obama; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou's words and actions will forever
12live in our souls, energize our bodies, liberate our minds, and
13heal our hearts; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
16poet, Maya Angelou, and extend our sincere condolences to her
17family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
18further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to the family of Dr. Maya Angelou as an expression of
21our deepest sympathy.