Full Text of HR0027 96th General Assembly
HR0027 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to congratulate Rev. Geri Solomon | 4 |
| on the occasion of her 75th birthday; and
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| WHEREAS, Geri Solomon was born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi | 6 |
| and was raised in Chicago; she earned her Bachelor of Science | 7 |
| degree in Religious Education from St. Stephen's Baptist | 8 |
| College in Los Angeles, California and was ordained in 1977; | 9 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, From 1979 to 1987, Rev. Geri Solomon served as | 11 |
| Executive Director of the "WE THE PEOPLE" program for the | 12 |
| needy, where she was responsible for the operation of food | 13 |
| pantries, shelters, and clothing and transportation programs; | 14 |
| she has been an advocate for the homeless for over 15 years, | 15 |
| serving their needs in St. Paul, Minnesota, Los Angeles, | 16 |
| California, Chicago, and Aurora; and
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| WHEREAS, Rev. Geri Solomon has been an active participant | 18 |
| in various social movements, including the civil rights | 19 |
| movement, peace movements, anti-war movements, and the fight | 20 |
| for the ratification of the ERA; in furtherance of her numerous | 21 |
| causes, she has marched on Washington, D.C. and other American | 22 |
| cities and counties 31 times from 1954 to 1988; in 1963, she |
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| helped organize Chicago's West Side for Dr. Martin Luther | 2 |
| King's March on Washington; from 1996 to 1997, she participated | 3 |
| in Aurora's City-Wide Peace Coalition, a group dedicated to | 4 |
| creating an agenda of peace in the City of Aurora; and
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| WHEREAS, Rev. Geri Solomon has been an active participant | 6 |
| in local and national politics; in 1984, she actively worked | 7 |
| with Minnesota's A.M.E. church to elect the Reverend Jesse | 8 |
| Jackson President of the United States; she also served as a | 9 |
| Democratic precinct captain in St. Paul, Minnesota and was the | 10 |
| first black woman to chair a State-wide presidential campaign, | 11 |
| having worked for Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich during | 12 |
| his 2004 Presidential bid; and
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| WHEREAS, Rev. Geri Solomon currently serves as pastor at | 14 |
| Temple of Wisdom Evangelistic Ministries; she is the Founder | 15 |
| and Executive Director of the Inner-City Advocates for the | 16 |
| Homeless, a homeless program that operates day shelters for | 17 |
| women and children; she is also president and co-founder of the | 18 |
| Midwest Evangelistic Team, an evangelistic team organized to | 19 |
| unify efforts in soul-winning throughout the Midwest; and
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| WHEREAS, Rev. Geri Solomon has been the recipient of | 21 |
| numerous awards for her work with the homeless; in 1983, she | 22 |
| was the recipient of a "11 Who Care" Award from NBC Channel 11; | 23 |
| that same year, she received a medallion from Jackie Kennedy |
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| Onassis for her work with the needy; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, In 1996, Rev. Geri Solomon wrote and published | 3 |
| "Soul Winner's Handbook", a book about everyday evangelism that | 4 |
| can be done by everyone; and
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| WHEREAS, Rev. Geri Solomon is a member of the Mount Olive | 6 |
| Church of God in Christ; she is the mother of four girls and | 7 |
| two boys; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 9 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 10 |
| congratulate Rev. Geri Solomon on the occasion of her 75th | 11 |
| birthday and wish her many more happy and healthy years to | 12 |
| come; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 |
| presented to Rev. Geri Solomon as a symbol of our esteem and | 15 |
| respect.
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