SR1300 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1300 LRB100 17564 MST 32734 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Bambade Shakoor-Abdullah, who passed away on December 8, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah was born Lolita Flynn in Chicago to Myrtle and Roland Flynn; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah was a lifelong learner and educator; she attended Wilson Jr. College and was instrumental in getting the name changed to Kennedy-King College; she obtained her master's degree in psychology from Chicago State University and went on to become the first African American to receive her Ph.D. in Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992; she worked as an assistant professor at Prairie State College, Olive Harvey College, East-West University, and Kennedy-King College; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah converted to Islam by the age of 17 and was a devout Muslim and positive example of staying committed to faith and spirituality; she was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn to the Muslim American Advisory Council and chosen for the 2017 Muslim Women Alliance Inspiring Woman Award; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah's life work focused on mental health treatment, violence prevention, education, and youth empowerment; she was the founder and executive director of the Leadership Development Institute, an organization focused on youth development, education, and resilience; she served as a chaplain with Muslim Services for Women and as a mentor for Class X felons in the Cook County Department of Corrections; she was a violence prevention instructor for Chicago Public Schools and a counselor and coordinator for the Victim Services Program with the Community Mental Health Council of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah was instrumental in the Illinois Senate's adoption of a 2017 resolution for a faith-based public health approach to violence prevention and the passage of Public Act 99-435, allowing the development of Regional Juvenile Justice Councils in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah's most recent work was in the area of countering targeted violence; she was a graduate of the F.B.I. Citizen's Academy, a member of the Chicago Countering Violent Extremism planning committee with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and an FBI Team Member in developing the 'Targeted Violence Intervention Best Practices Summit Report' in Angered, Sweden in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah married Kasib Abdullah in 1993 in South Holland and they were happily married for 24 years; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah was preceded in death by her parents, Myrtle and Roland Flynn; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shakoor-Abdullah is survived by her sons, Damani Shakoor, Idris Shakoor, and Salahuddin Abdullah; her daughter-in-law, Nia Abdullah; her sons-in-law, Kasib D. Abdullah and Tariq Abdullah; her grandson, Djimon Shakoor; her granddaughter, Kaliya Rogers; her siblings, Julia Ross, Roland Flynn, Melvin Flynn, Guillermoe Flynn, Jamila Rashid, Juan Flynn, Rolanda Flynn, and Antonia Flynn; the father of her first two sons, Olu Shakoor; and many nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dr. Bambade Shakoor-Abdullah, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. ShakoorAbdullah as an expression of our deepest sympathy.