Full Text of HR0754 098th General Assembly
HR0754 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Illinois State Representative Monique D. Davis | 3 | | and
the members of the Illinois House of Representatives
wish | 4 | | to recognize the legacy of Alpha Kappa Sorority, Incorporated | 5 | | and thank them for their commitment to its community; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is the | 7 | | first sorority founded by African-American women on the campus | 8 | | of Howard University in 1908 under the guiding principles of | 9 | | sisterhood, scholarship, and service; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The organization currently has more than 265,000 | 11 | | members and more than 970 chapters across the globe; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority | 13 | | grew out of the Delta Phi Eta Club at the University of | 14 | | Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the purpose of fostering a | 15 | | friendlier relationship among students; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Through the guidance of Alpha Kappa Alpha Founder | 17 | | Beulah Elizabeth Burke and Incorporator Nellie Quander, Gamma | 18 | | Chapter was chartered on February 12, 1914 as the third chapter | 19 | | of Alpha Kappa Alpha; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority for |
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| 1 | | African-American women at the University of Illinois; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The charter members of Gamma Chapter were Emma | 3 | | Ballinger, Selma Beck, Frances Ellis, Clara Vesta Lewis, Louise | 4 | | Lewis, Ivorine McAllister, Edith Stevens and Helen Stevens; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Gamma Chapter was a trailblazer in the expansion | 6 | | of Alpha Kappa Alpha nationwide; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, "Gamma Girls" have shown strong leadership in | 8 | | service and scholarship both during and beyond their | 9 | | undergraduate years; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Notable members of the organization include the | 11 | | first African-American female University of Illinois Bronze | 12 | | Tablet Scholar, the first African-American woman to be crowned | 13 | | Homecoming Queen at a Big Ten school, an Alpha Kappa Alpha | 14 | | International Corresponding Secretary, and 5 regional | 15 | | directors; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Gamma Chapter played a pivotal role in the early | 17 | | enrollment and housing of African-American women at the | 18 | | University of Illinois; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Gamma House, which has served as a residence for | 20 | | both sorority sisters and non-members alike, was instrumental |
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| 1 | | in recruiting and retaining African-American women at the | 2 | | university; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Members of Gamma Chapter have gone on to become | 4 | | educators, authors, lawyers, physicians, legislators, and a | 5 | | plethora of other successful occupations; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Lovingly known as "Glamorous Gamma," the chapter | 7 | | set the tone for student activism and future organizations | 8 | | focused on women of color; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, One hundred years later, the Gamma Chapter of | 10 | | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority remains the longest-serving | 11 | | organization for African-American women at the University of | 12 | | Illinois, the State's flagship public institution of higher | 13 | | learning; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we celebrate the women and legacy of the Gamma Chapter of Alpha | 17 | | Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated in commemoration of their | 18 | | centennial anniversary; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That we designate the date of Wednesday, February | 20 | | 12, 2014 as "Gamma Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it | 21 | | further |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as | 3 | | a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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