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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was
3founded on December 4, 1906, by 7 college men, respectfully
4known as the "Seven Jewels", on the campus of Cornell
5University in Ithaca, New York, becoming the first
6intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by and for
7African-Americans; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Fraternity, Henry Arthur
9Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George
10Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle,
11and Vertner Woodson Tandy, recognized the need for a strong
12bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country
13while stressing academic excellence among its members; the
14founders recognized the need to help correct the educational,
15economic, political, and social injustices faced by
16African-Americans and other people of color; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and
18support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice,
19both educationally and socially, at Cornell University; the
20Jewel Founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in
21laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of
22scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of
23humanity; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has
2consistently supplied its voice and vision to the struggle of
3African-Americans, people of color, and issues of civil rights
4around the world; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha are manly deeds,
6scholarship, and love for all mankind; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop
8leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and
9provide service and advocacy for communities, as exemplified
10through its national programs, which include "Go to High
11School, Go to College", which focuses on the educational
12achievement of students in elementary, secondary, and
13post-secondary schools and has given thousands of dollars in
14scholarship funds to deserving students; "Project Alpha",
15which teaches teenage pregnancy prevention and sexually
16transmitted disease prevention to young males, and its
17"Voteless People is a Hopeless People" campaign, a voter
18registration and education program, through which thousands of
19voters have been educated and registered; Alpha Phi Alpha also
20focuses on providing service through its strategic
21partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of
22America, March of Dimes, the American Heart/American Stroke
23Association, and the American Cancer Society; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, For over 109 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a
2fundamental role in the positive development of the character
3and education of more than 200,000 men around the world; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni
5chapters in the United States of America, Africa, Asia, the
6Caribbean, and Europe; this total includes 141 chapters in the
7Midwestern Region, including 32 in Illinois; the Midwestern
8Region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
9Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, West
10Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada; Alpha Phi Alpha's presence
11started in Illinois, with the founding of the first college
12chapter in Illinois, the Theta Chapter, in 1910, and the first
13alumni chapter, the Xi Lambda Chapter, which was founded in
141924, both in Chicago; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include many noteworthy
16leaders in the areas of government, business, entertainment,
17science, and higher education, including the likes of Dr.
18Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John
19Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson, Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew
20Young, and Cornel West; its membership also includes federal,
21State, and local elected officials, including U.S.
22Representative Danny K. Davis, former U.S. Senators Edward
23Brooke and Roland Burris, former Cook County Board Presidents

 

 

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1John and Todd Stroger, and former Mayor of Chicago Eugene
2Sawyer, among countless others who have long stood at the
3forefront of the fight for civil and human rights and social
4change for all Americans; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha members have served in the
6Illinois General Assembly, including the following members of
7the 99th General Assembly: Senator Donne E. Trotter and
8Representatives Al Riley, Arthur Turner, Jr., Emanuel "Chris"
9Welch, and Elgie R. Sims, Jr., who also served as the 26th Vice
10President of the Midwestern Region; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha continues to enrich the lives of
12its members, who, in turn, provide service and advocacy for the
13communities they serve with a commitment to service and the
14uplifting of humanity; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
17recognize and honor the 2016 Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the
18Illinois State Capitol and welcome the members of Alpha Phi
19Alpha to the Capitol; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we designate the date of May 4, 2016 as
21Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha
22Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and its continued service

 

 

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1and impact on the communities it serves; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
3delivered to the Midwestern Regional Vice-President and the
4Assistant Regional Vice-President or their designees, the
5Illinois District Director, and the Illinois Assistant
6District Director of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.