Full Text of HR0104 102nd General Assembly
HR0104 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Karen GJ | 4 | | Lewis of Chicago, who passed away on February 8, 2021; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis was born in Chicago to Geoffrey | 6 | | Jennings and Martha Gakins on July 20,1953; she attended | 7 | | Kozminski Elementary School and Kenwood High School, until she | 8 | | accepted early admission at Mount Holyoke College; she later | 9 | | transferred to Dartmouth College, where she earned the | 10 | | distinction of being the only African American woman in the | 11 | | class of 1974; she married John W. Lewis; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis was a chemistry teacher in the | 13 | | Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system, where she taught at both | 14 | | King College Prep High School and Lane Tech High School, for 22 | 15 | | years; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis became a member of the Chicago | 17 | | Teachers Union (CTU) in 1988, where she served as a member of | 18 | | the House of Delegates, as High School Functional Vice | 19 | | President, and as a member of the Illinois State Certification | 20 | | Board; she was elected president of the Chicago Teachers Union | 21 | | (CTU) on June 11, 2010; she was reelected to a second term in | 22 | | May 2012; she successfully led a nine-day strike against the |
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| 1 | | Chicago Board of Education in 2012, which resulted in a fair | 2 | | and equitable contract for her members and board agreement to | 3 | | implement many of CTU's recommendations to enhance the | 4 | | learning process; under her direction, the CTU published the | 5 | | study entitled The Schools Chicago's Students Deserve, which | 6 | | argued for education reforms within Chicago Public Schools; | 7 | | and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis further served educators nationwide | 9 | | and throughout Illinois; she was the vice president of the | 10 | | American Federation of Teachers, representing more than 1.7 | 11 | | million members; she was elected executive vice president to | 12 | | the more than 100,000 members of the Illinois Federation of | 13 | | Teachers in 2010; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis received numerous awards and | 15 | | recognitions for her relentless fight for education equity and | 16 | | for giving Chicago's students the schools they deserve; she | 17 | | received National Board Certification in 2002; she was | 18 | | recently presented with a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the | 19 | | National Labor College and her alma mater Mt. Holyoke College; | 20 | | and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis worked tirelessly to foster | 22 | | excellence in the teaching and learning experience, to guard | 23 | | against opportunistic self-interest groups who would eradicate |
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| 1 | | public education, to advocate for equal quality education for | 2 | | all students, and to protect the rights of educators | 3 | | throughout the State of Illinois; she gave strength to tens of | 4 | | thousands of Chicago Teachers Union educators who followed her | 5 | | lead and live by her principles to this day; she will be | 6 | | remembered as a true champion and a powerful, prolific | 7 | | advocate for educators, students, their families, and the | 8 | | communities in which they live; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis enjoyed watching foreign films, | 10 | | playing tennis, reading, and traveling; she spoke three | 11 | | languages; she loved opera and show tunes; she will be dearly | 12 | | missed; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Karen Lewis was the doting daughter of the late | 14 | | Geoffrey Jennings and Martha Gakins; the beloved wife of John | 15 | | W. Lewis; the loving stepmother of Antionette, Randolph, and | 16 | | Adolph; the proud grandmother of Kariah, Aaron, John, Jade, | 17 | | Jasmine, and Journey; the caring great-grandmother of Angel | 18 | | and Michaela; the dear sister of Keli Jennings; and a friend to | 19 | | many; therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 21 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 22 | | we mourn the passing of Karen GJ Lewis and extend our sincere | 23 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved |
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| 1 | | her; and be it further
| 2 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 3 | | presented to the family of Karen Lewis as an expression of our | 4 | | deepest sympathy.
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