HR0992 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0992 LRB100 21554 ALS 38497 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Izola White of Chicago, who passed away on April 10, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Izola White was born in Kenton, Tennessee; she came north to Chicago in the early 1940s as part of the Great Migration; she worked as a waitress in other restaurants before opening her own in 1957; and

WHEREAS, Izola White's soul food restaurant opened at a time when black patrons were not welcomed in many restaurants outside the city's Black Belt; it was a landmark in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood until it closed in 2010; she offered home-style cooking and a friendly atmosphere that drew generations of locals, business owners, police officers, and politicians; and

WHEREAS, Many people got their first jobs from Izola White; she hired people who could not get hired anywhere else and trained them to cook; she became a mother figure to many of the younger patrons; she often gave people credit or let them eat for free; and

WHEREAS, Izola White hosted regular political fundraisers at her restaurant and provided a meeting place for politicians, both established and those on the way up, including Barack Obama, the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and the current mayor, Rahm Emanuel; she sponsored a number of Little League baseball teams; and

WHEREAS, Izola White and her restaurant were staples of the community; she believed in giving back to her community, and her restaurant was symbolic of charitable endeavors; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Izola White and extend our sincere condolences to all who knew and loved her.