Full Text of HR0828 103rd General Assembly
HR0828 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0828 | | LRB103 40847 LAW 73781 r |
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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 Rickye | 4 | | Denise "Rikki" Jones, who passed away on April 21, 2024; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones was born to Mercedes Jones and Willis | 6 | | Jones in Chicago on August 12, 1950; she was raised by her | 7 | | grandparents, Marie and Wilbur Williams, and her aunt, | 8 | | Patricia "Pat" Williams; she attended St. Martin Catholic | 9 | | School and graduated from St. Thomas the Apostle High School | 10 | | in Hyde Park; she pursued higher education at Illinois | 11 | | Benedictine College and spent a semester at sea through | 12 | | Chapman College, studying and traveling in Asia; she later | 13 | | obtained her master's degree from the University of Phoenix; | 14 | | and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones was a beloved educator, a passionate | 16 | | community activist, and a tireless champion of political | 17 | | empowerment; her teaching career spanned many years at the | 18 | | City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Public School system, | 19 | | where her deep passion and love for young children were | 20 | | evident in her unwavering availability and willingness to help | 21 | | whenever and however she could, remaining dedicated to | 22 | | uplifting others through education and advocacy; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Throughout her life, Rikki Jones was at the | 2 | | forefront of the fight for rights and opportunities, beginning | 3 | | at the age of 17 when she became involved with Operation | 4 | | Breadbasket, organized by the Southern Christian Leadership | 5 | | Conference (SCLC) and later transformed into Operation PUSH, | 6 | | and the Black Panther Party Breakfast Program; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones' passion for civic engagement led to | 8 | | 34 years of leadership with the Cook County Democratic Women, | 9 | | an organization committed to advancing women's rights and | 10 | | political representation; she was responsible for launching | 11 | | the careers of various political leaders, as well as | 12 | | advocating for numerous campaigns, including Mayor Harold | 13 | | Washington, U.S. Senator Carol Mosley Braun, President Barack | 14 | | Obama, Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. | 15 | | Supreme Court, Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch of the Illinois | 16 | | House of Representatives, and many more; she attended the 1996 | 17 | | Democratic National Convention after serving as a volunteer | 18 | | worker on President Bill Clinton's campaign and was chosen as | 19 | | a delegate for the 2024 Democratic National Convention in | 20 | | support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala | 21 | | Harris; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones was a regular guest speaker on such | 23 | | WVON shows as the Cliff Kelly Show and the Perri Small Show, | 24 | | where she advocated for her community and provided helpful |
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| 1 | | information; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones was the recipient of several | 3 | | accolades during her life, including the Dunbar Vocational | 4 | | Career Academy Service Award; she was further honored by Cook | 5 | | County Clerk Dorothy Brown and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin as | 6 | | well as at the Power Rising Conference; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones committed to her faith at an early | 8 | | age, being baptized at Holy Immanuel Episcopal Church as an | 9 | | infant; she served as an active member in Sunday school and the | 10 | | children's choir, participating in all church pageants; as an | 11 | | adult, she was baptized at Maryland Avenue Missionary Baptist | 12 | | Church, where she served as youth director for many years; she | 13 | | was a dedicated member of Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist | 14 | | Church, serving on the boards of trustees and nursing, working | 15 | | in the youth group, serving as a Sunday school teacher, and | 16 | | leading a special project for the outreach ministry; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones deeply loved her family and was | 18 | | affectionately known as "Aunt Rikki" to all of her younger | 19 | | family members; she shared a special bond with her Aunt Pat and | 20 | | adored her cousins, Ann Marie and Joy, who were like sisters; | 21 | | and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones made an indelible mark on her |
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| 1 | | community; she will be remembered for her unwavering | 2 | | commitment to social justice and equality, inspiring | 3 | | generations to come; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones was preceded in death by her | 5 | | grandparents; her parents; and her brothers, Kenneth (Val) | 6 | | Wilbur and Wayne (Ann) Vincent; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Rikki Jones is survived by her aunt; her nieces | 8 | | and nephews, Marie, Nicole, Vincent, Kenneth, and Autumn; her | 9 | | cousins; her great-cousins, Jonathan, Jeremy, Olivia, Kathryn, | 10 | | and Alexander; her great-nephews, Rahaman, Rahsul, and | 11 | | Rahfeeq; her great-nieces, Noa and Hannah; her special | 12 | | friends, Reverend Krista Alston and her extended family; and a | 13 | | host of family, friends, students, her church family, and the | 14 | | political community; therefore, be it | 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 16 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we mourn the passing of Rickye Denise "Rikki" Jones and extend | 18 | | our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who | 19 | | knew and loved her; and be it further | 20 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 | | presented to the family of Rikki Jones as an expression of our | 22 | | deepest sympathy. |
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