HJ0020 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0020 LRB096 11725 GRL 22452 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our nation and State in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and

WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life in the State of Illinois by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home; and

WHEREAS, American women have played a unique role throughout the history of Illinois by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the State; and

WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our State; and

WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement; and

WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, particularly the peace movement, which created a more fair and just society for all; and

WHEREAS, Despite these contributions, the role of American women in history, in Illinois, and across the nation has been consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching, and study of American history; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the month of March 2009, and every March thereafter, as "Women's History Month" in the State of Illinois and urge the citizens of this State to educate themselves on the importance of women, not only in our history but also in our future, and to recognize the importance of women in our society today.