HR0023LRB100 06220 MST 16254 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Sue
4Purrington, who passed away on November 28, 2016; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington was born in Athens, Ohio to
6Reverend and Mrs. Robert Purrington on July 28, 1938; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington was a champion of progressive
8social values; she dedicated her career to advancing racial
9justice, gender equality, reproductive rights, and supporting
10victims of domestic and sexual violence; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington was passionate about racial
12equality; she was a member of the "freedom wade-in" group that
13racially integrated Chicago's Rainbow Beach in the 1960s; she
14was a tireless advocate for former Chicago Mayor Harold
15Washington and former United States Senator Carol Mosley Braun;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington was a defender of reproductive
18rights; she was an early participant in the Jane Collective, an
19organization helping provide women access to safe abortions
20before Roe v. Wade; she went on to become the Chair of the
21Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance; and
 

 

 

HR0023- 2 -LRB100 06220 MST 16254 r

1    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington was a fierce defender of women's
2rights; she was brought on to the Chicago chapter of the
3National Organization for Women (NOW) to help fight for the
4Equal Rights Amendment, and went on to become its Executive
5Director; she and NOW worked closely with groups like Women
6Employed, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, and the Chicago
7Abortion Fund; during her tenure, her group opposed the
8nomination of Clarence Thomas to the United States Supreme
9Court and supported the election of the first African American
10woman, Carol Mosley Braun, to the United States Senate; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Throughout her career, Sue Purrington worked on
12many progressive political campaigns; she spent many years as a
13trusted aide to fifth ward Alderman Leslie Hairston; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington worked tirelessly for her causes,
15whether it was handing out flyers on street corners, riding on
16the bus to a march in Washington D.C., or sitting at a table
17making phone call after phone call to win support for a
18favorite cause or candidate; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Sue Purrington is survived by her sister, Jane
20Brewster Purrington; her brother, Robert Daniel Purrington;
21and many cousins, nieces, and nephews; therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR0023- 3 -LRB100 06220 MST 16254 r

1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we,
3along with her family and friends, mourn the passing of Sue
4Purrington; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to the family of Sue Purrington as an expression of
7our sympathy.