HR0277 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0277 LRB102 18365 ECR 26193 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Edward L. "Buzz" Palmer of Chicago, who passed away on April 11, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Edward Palmer was born in Englewood and graduated from Lindblom High School; after high school, he served in the Air Force where he learned to speak German, and his duties included monitoring radio communications in East Germany and behind the Iron Curtain; and

WHEREAS, Edward Palmer worked in law enforcement and headed Chicago's Sister Cities program during Mayor Harold Washington's administration; and

WHEREAS, Edward Palmer helped found Chicago's Afro-American Patrolmen's League (AAPL) in 1968 after the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; in response to the unrest after King's assassination, Mayor Richard J. Daley issued an order to shoot to kill arsonists, which was a declaration praised by the Fraternal Order of Police; the AAPL opposed the order and were given punitive assignments in response; and

WHEREAS, The stories of the founding members of the AAPL helped inspire what has been dubbed TV's first soul soap opera "Bird of the Iron Feather"; premiering on WTTW in 1970, it featured storylines about poverty, predatory credit practices, street gangs, and pressures Black officers faced navigating a White-dominated department amid growing calls for Black liberation; and

WHEREAS, Along with his wife, former State Senator Alice Palmer, he co-founded the Black Press Institute and also helped start an international news digest, the Black Press Review; he helped organize gatherings for Black journalists to meet newsmakers, including United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan; he helped revive the Black United Fund, a not-for-profit organization, and headed COMPRAND, a community health agency that worked to boost Black enrollment in medical schools; he also arranged international internships for Chicago undergraduates; and

WHEREAS, Edward Palmer had a raucous laugh that people would recognize when he and his wife ate breakfast at a favorite haunt, Chef Sara's Cafe in South Shore; he will be especially remembered as a community activist who tried to connect people around the world who saw the Black struggle in America as an impetus for change; and

WHEREAS, Edward Palmer is survived by his wife, Alice; his daughters, Lisa Russell and Zella Palmer; his sisters, Ruth Long and Caroline Hudson; and his seven grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Edward L. "Buzz" Palmer and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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