Full Text of HR0609 93rd General Assembly
HR0609 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Etta | 4 |
| Moten Barnett of Chicago on January 2, 2004; and
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| WHEREAS, Ms. Barnett was a trailblazing singer and actress | 6 |
| who conquered Hollywood and Broadway before becoming a graceful | 7 |
| leader in Chicago's African-American community for decades; | 8 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, She was born November 5, 1901, in Weimer, Texas, | 10 |
| she was the only child of the Rev. Freeman F. Moten and Ida Mae | 11 |
| Norman, both college graduates; she was 5 when, while singing | 12 |
| with a cousin, she realized she had a beautiful voice; her | 13 |
| mother decorated a pink-and-white box for her to stand on, and | 14 |
| she joined the church choir; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, The daughter of a Methodist minister in Texas, she | 16 |
| had plans for college that were derailed when she married one | 17 |
| of her high school teachers; when the marriage fell apart, her | 18 |
| parent's took care of her three young daughters so she could | 19 |
| attend the University of Kansas; after graduating at age 30 | 20 |
| with a degree in voice and drama, she moved to New York City, | 21 |
| where she landed a spot singing with the Eva Jessye Choir; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1934, she married Claude Barnett, head of the | 23 |
| Associated Negro Press; he preceded her in death in 1967; and | 24 |
| WHEREAS, Ms. Barnett rose to prominence in the 1930s with | 25 |
| the film "Gold Diggers of 1933" in which Ms. Barnett sang the | 26 |
| Depression-era tune "My Forgotten Man"; she later sang the song | 27 |
| for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, making her the first | 28 |
| African-American artist to perform at the White House; and | 29 |
| WHEREAS, Although her role in "Gold Diggers of 1933" as a |
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| widowed housewife was ordinary on its face, it was | 2 |
| extraordinary at the time because black actors had been | 3 |
| relegated to roles as domestic servants; and
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| WHEREAS, She was hailed by the press as "The New Negro | 5 |
| Woman"; theaters in black communities gave her top billing on | 6 |
| marquees, even though her name didn't even appear in the | 7 |
| movie's credits; and
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| WHEREAS, She went on to star on Broadway, travel the world, | 9 |
| and play key roles in civic groups; and
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| WHEREAS, The first film where her name appeared in the | 11 |
| credits was 1933's "Flying Down to Rio," which also marked the | 12 |
| first pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on the silver | 13 |
| screen; she played a Brazilian entertainer and sang "The | 14 |
| Carioca," which received an Oscar nomination for best song; and
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| WHEREAS, The role that made Ms. Barnett a bona fide star, | 16 |
| however, didn't come until 1942, when she played "Bess" in the | 17 |
| Broadway revival of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"; it was | 18 |
| a role Mr. Gershwin had long envisioned for Ms. Barnett, though | 19 |
| it didn't fit her she was a contralto, Bess a soprano; but she | 20 |
| trained her voice for the role and played the part for a | 21 |
| multiyear run; the change to the higher range took its toll, | 22 |
| though, and her voice was never the same; and
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| WHEREAS, Her stature as a civic leader rose after she | 24 |
| retired; she held prominent roles with groups including the | 25 |
| National Council of Negro Women, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the | 26 |
| Field Museum, and the DuSable Museum; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Etta Moten Barnett will be deeply | 28 |
| felt by many, especially her daughter, Sue Ish; her five | 29 |
| grandchildren; and her three great-granchildren; therefore, be | 30 |
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 2 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 3 |
| mourn the death of Etta Moten Barnett along with all who knew | 4 |
| and loved her and extend our sincere condolences to her family | 5 |
| and friends; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 |
| presented to the family of Etta Moten Barnett as an expression | 8 |
| of our deepest sympathy.
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