Full Text of HR0617 103rd General Assembly
HR0617 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0617 | | LRB103 39687 MST 70099 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to recognize the life and legacy of Annie | 4 | | Minerva Turnbo Malone, an African American entrepreneur and | 5 | | philanthropist during the early 20th century; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Annie Malone was born in Metropolis on August 9, | 7 | | 1869, the tenth of 11 children of Robert and Isabella Cook | 8 | | Turnbo; she attended school in Illinois but especially enjoyed | 9 | | fashioning her own and her sister's hair, becoming aware of | 10 | | differences in hair texture; by 1889, she had developed her | 11 | | own scalp and hair products that she demonstrated and sold | 12 | | from a buggy throughout Illinois; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Annie Malone's business growth led her to St. | 14 | | Louis, Missouri in 1902, which at the time held the | 15 | | fourth-largest population of African Americans; she | 16 | | copyrighted her Poro brand beauty products, and through her | 17 | | business model that used local sales agents, she offered | 18 | | career opportunities and economic independence to African | 19 | | American women at a time when little was available; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Committed to community building and social | 21 | | welfare, Annie Malone founded Poro College in 1917, a complex | 22 | | that included her business offices, manufacturing operation, |
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| 1 | | and training center, as well as facilities for civic, | 2 | | religious, and social functions; many local and national | 3 | | organizations, including the National Negro Business League, | 4 | | were housed in the facility or used it for business functions; | 5 | | by 1926, the college employed 175 people and had franchised | 6 | | outlets in North and South America, Africa and the | 7 | | Philippines; by 1930, she had moved from Missouri and settled | 8 | | on Chicago's South Side; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Annie Malone is recorded as the first Black woman | 10 | | millionaire in the U. S. based on reports of $14 million in | 11 | | assets held in 1920 from her beauty and cosmetic enterprises; | 12 | | and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Annie Malone served as board president of the St. | 14 | | Louis Colored Orphan's Home from 1919 to 1943; she donated the | 15 | | first $10,000 to build the orphanage's new building in 1919; | 16 | | during the 1920s, her philanthropy included financing the | 17 | | education of two full-time students in every historically | 18 | | black college and university; her $25,000 donation to Howard | 19 | | University was among the largest gifts the university had | 20 | | received by a private donor of African descent; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Annie Malone was treated for a stroke at | 22 | | Provident Hospital in Chicago on May 10, 1957, where she died; | 23 | | at the time of her death, Poro beauty colleges were in |
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| 1 | | operation in more than 30 U.S. cities; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Annie Malone's memory is honored in St. Louis | 3 | | with the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center whose | 4 | | mission is to improve the quality of life for children, | 5 | | families, elderly, and the community by providing social | 6 | | services, educational programs, advocacy, and | 7 | | entrepreneurship; therefore, be it | 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 9 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 10 | | we recognize the life and legacy of Annie Minerva Turnbo | 11 | | Malone, an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist | 12 | | during the early 20th century; and be it further | 13 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 | | presented to the family of Annie Malone as a symbol of our | 15 | | respect and esteem. |
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