SJ0044 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0044 LRB095 11803 KXB 34806 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, at the time of its acceptance into the Union in 1818 and for a longtime thereafter, practiced de facto slavery masqueraded as "indentured servitude"; the census of 1840 enumerated slaves in Illinois in violation of the Ordinance of 1787, which outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territories; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois passed the infamous and unjust Black Laws (1819), otherwise known as the Black Codes, which were a denial of human rights designed to cover up slavery and the slave trade within the borders of the State; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois supported the Black Codes for more than forty-six years until they were finally repealed; and

WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois the majority of Illinois citizens favored closing the State to African-American residents and withholding the right of citizenship from those African-American residents already living in the State; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois passed dehumanizing laws stating that slaves were not persons, but property, and as property the ownership of enslaved Africans was to be fully protected by Illinois law; and

WHEREAS, For many years, Black people, free or otherwise, had no legal status as citizens in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The East St. Louis massacre on July 2, 1917 was the scene of violent attacks on the Black populace; a bitter and destructive riot ran on for nearly a week; 312 buildings were destroyed; some reports claimed 39 African-Americans were killed, while another source reported 200 to 300 deaths, including women and children; and

WHEREAS, On August 14 and 15, 1908, a riot broke out in the State Capital of Springfield; Scott Burton was lynched during the riot and Joe James was lynched after the riot; there were lootings, buildings and property were destroyed, and Walter Donegan was hung in a tree, his throat slit open, and his body mutilated; and

WHEREAS, Chicago faced a riot in the week of July 27 through August 2, 1919; one of the country's most violent and racially motivated attacks on Blacks occurred; 38 people were killed, 537 were injured, and 1,000 people found themselves homeless; and

WHEREAS, The Chicago Commission on Race Relations rendered a full report studying the Black Community (The Negro in Chicago) and ignored studies of the white offenders and their communities; and

WHEREAS, The racial altercations throughout the State of Illinois during the turbulent decade of the 1960's resulted in the Kerner Commission Report, or The Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders; and

WHEREAS, There is a need for special investigations into the unknown number of African-Americans killed during race riots in the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that a special commission, to be known as the Illinois Riot and Reparations Commission, be formed to study historical events in the State of Illinois, particularly those events that resulted in the loss of African-American lives and property; and that if the study presented by the Commission warrants a second commission be formed to look into the payment of reparations to the survivors and their descendants; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Commission be made up of four members of the Illinois Senate, two to be chosen by the President of the Senate, and two to be chosen by the Senate Minority Leader; four members of the Illinois House of Representatives, two to be chosen by the Speaker of the House, and two to be chosen by the House Minority Leader; the Executive Director of the Illinois Human Rights Commission, or his or her designee, and the Director of the Illinois State Historical Society, or his or her designee; all of whom shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Commission shall meet at the call of the President of the Senate and shall make a report of its findings to the General Assembly no later than January 7, 2009, and upon making its report shall be dissolved; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Executive Director of the Illinois Human Rights Commission and the Director of the Illinois State Historical Society.