SR0252 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0252 LRB103 31363 LAW 58957 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Josie (Brown) Childs of Chicago, who passed away on February 13, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs was born to Julia Brown and Charles Washington in Clarksdale, Mississippi on October 13, 1926; she graduated high school and attended LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee before moving to Chicago in the late 1940s; she married James "Jack" Childs Sr. in 1968; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs was a civic leader, an activist, and a community organizer; she worked for the congressional campaigns of Abner Mikva, Ralph Metcalfe, Rod Blagojevich, and Harold Washington; she served as an Illinois organizer for the presidential campaigns of Adlai Stevenson Sr., John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter; she also served as a delegate of the Illinois Democratic Party at the 1980 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in New York City; she additionally worked with the late Harold Washington on his successful mayoral campaigns in 1977 and 1983; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs was committed to the arts and cultural excellence of the City of Chicago; after leaving her administrative position with the City of Chicago's Special Events and Cultural Affairs Departments, she created and promoted various events, including an acknowledgment event for Great Lakes African American naval musicians entitled "The Great Lakes Experience" and the Ellington International Conference; she also guided many young people into becoming civic minded and was involved in supporting programs at such institutions as Columbia College Chicago, Goodman Theater, and Harold Washington College; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs founded The Mayor Harold Washington Legacy Committee (MHWLC) in 2013, where she served as president until her passing, remaining passionate on ensuring the legacy of Mayor Harold Washington; she was a member of several organizations, including The Chicago Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Friends of the Chicago Public Library Board, Planned Parenthood, T.R.U.S.T. Inc., the Know Your Chicago Board, the Joint Negro Appeal, the National Board of Council on Lay Life and Work, the Duke Ellington Society, the Executive Service Corps, and the Christ Hospital Nursing School; she was also the former president of her condominium board; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs was a founding member of the Congregational Church of Park Manor, United Church of Christ (UCC), where both she and her husband served as lifelong members; together, they were national and international travelers, partners in church, social, and civic activities, and lovers of fine dining, the theater, the arts, a good card game, and jazz music; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs received a number of accolades for her work, including being honored with the Georgia Palmer Award by Congressman Danny K. Davis in 2013 and being named one of the Voices of the Civil Rights Movement by the DuSable Museum and Comcast in February 2019; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs' legacy will live on through her donation to the Chicago Public Library of the Josie Brown Childs Papers, a collection of documents consisting of her family history, her political work, and her efforts to promote African American cultural and historical awareness; she will be remembered as deserving of the title "Matriarch of the Movement"; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs was preceded in death by her husband; and

WHEREAS, Josie Childs is survived by her son, James M. (Bonnie Collins) Childs Jr.; her grandchildren, James A. Childs, Claudia L. (Adrien) Houndje, and Elysia R. (L. Almestica) Childs; and her great-grandchildren, Semenou, Mense, Fifa, and Hontongou Houndje; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Josie (Brown) Childs and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Josie Childs as an expression of our deepest sympathy.