SJ0005 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is appropriate and right to honor those great American figures who have served our nation; and

WHEREAS, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born in 1964 in Chicago to Fraser Robinson III and Marian Shields Robinson; and

WHEREAS, Michelle Obama attended the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, the city's first magnet high school for gifted children, where, among other activities, she served as student government treasurer; in 1981, she graduated as class salutatorian; and

WHEREAS, Following in her older brother Craig's footsteps, Michelle Obama attended Princeton University, graduating cum laude in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology; and

WHEREAS, Michelle Obama went on to earn her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1988; at Harvard, she participated in demonstrations advocating the hiring of professors who were members of minorities and worked for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, assisting low-income tenants with housing cases; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from Harvard Law School, Michelle Obama joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she later met Barack Obama, a summer intern to whom she was assigned as an adviser; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, Michelle Obama decided to leave corporate law and pursue a career in public service, working with people to serve their communities and their neighbors; she served as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development in Chicago's City Hall before becoming the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that helps young adults develop skills for careers in public service; and

WHEREAS, In 1996, Michelle Obama joined the University of Chicago with a vision of bringing the campus and community together; as Associate Dean of Student Services, she developed the university's first community service program; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in 2002, under Michelle Obama's leadership as Executive Director for Community Affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center, volunteerism skyrocketed; and

WHEREAS, In May of 2005, Michelle Obama was appointed Vice President for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she continued to work part-time until shortly before her husband's inauguration as president; and

WHEREAS, As first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama focused her attention on issues such as the support of military families, helping children lead healthier lives, and encouraging national service; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, Michelle Obama launched Let's Move!, a nationwide effort to address the challenge of childhood obesity; and

WHEREAS, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden worked together to launch Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative calling all Americans to rally around service members, veterans, and their families and support them through wellness, education, and employment opportunities; and

WHEREAS, 2014, Michelle Obama launched the Reach Higher Initiative, an effort to inspire young people across America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the former Dan Ryan Expressway including Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 from I-290 to the split of I-57 and I-94 (Bishop Ford) as the "Michelle Obama Expressway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name "Michelle Obama Expressway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be distributed to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and to former First Lady Michelle Obama.