SR1331 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1331 LRB103 43383 LAW 76712 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Donald R. "Don" Jackson Sr. of Peoria, who passed away on November 20, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson was born to Edward Jackson and Kathlyn Williams in Peoria on June 26, 1938; he graduated from Manual High School in 1956, and he was later a graduate of Bradley University; he married Ernestine Humes at the former St. Patrick's Catholic Church on January 21, 1961; he served in the U.S. Navy; he was a recruiter for the Tri-County Urban League's Labor, Education, and Apprenticeship Program (LEAP), which helped more than 200 women and minorities gain union jobs in the construction and building trades, when he decided to pursue a law degree in his early 30s; he graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1974, and he was admitted to the bar that same year; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson was a longtime attorney and civil rights leader who was equally focused on fighting racial discrimination and building opportunities in education, employment, housing, healthcare, and politics; after graduating from law school, he returned to Peoria to work for the National Labor Relations Board; a year later, he entered private practice and joined the staff of the Peoria County Public Defender's Office; he co-founded the first Black law firm of Peoria, which operated in the 1980s; over the course of his career, he built a significant private practice that specialized in labor law, civil rights, and all forms of job discrimination; he was one of the few area attorneys who consistently represented workers and unions in workers' rights cases, and he also worked on cases of wrongful convictions and arrests; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson became best known for his volunteer work with the NAACP in his later years, serving as president of the NAACP's Peoria branch for two decades and president of the Illinois State Conference of the NAACP from 2004 to 2011; he also taught part time at Bradley University, served as a guest lecturer for seminars at agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and as a hearing officer for the Illinois Supreme Court's Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, and was a former co-owner of Big John's North in Peoria; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson was regularly appointed to screening committees assigned to review and vet candidates for federal judgeships or attorneys in the Central District of Illinois, and he was a member of the Peoria County Bar Association and the Illinois Bar Association; he served on many boards and committees, including the City of Peoria's Advisory Committee on Police-Community Relations and the Peoria Citizens' Committee for Economic Opportunity Board of Directors; he was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, and he was an avid golfer who played with the Peoria Progressive Golf Club for many years; he and his wife were founding members, as well as board members, of the Heritage Ensemble; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson received numerous awards and honors through the years, including the Peoria County Bar Association (PCBA) Distinguished Service Award in 2006, the PCBA Diversity Committee Legend Award in 2022, and the PCBA 50-Year Service Award in 2024; he also received the Heritage Ensemble's Bridge Builder Award, the Martin Luther King Holiday Committee Commemorative Service Award, and the ELITE Youth Outreach Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was among the first group inducted into the Manual High School Athletic and Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in June 2024; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson was known for his oratorical skills, his pride as a descendant of one of Peoria's earliest families, and his influence as a mentor for a generation of Black lawyers and judges and some of the City of Peoria's most prominent elected officials; he will be remembered as a crusader for justice who forged a legacy of advocacy and activism; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; his stepfather, Francis Williams; his stepmother, Alice Jackson; and his sister, Patricia Perry; and

WHEREAS, Don Jackson is survived by his sons, Donald Jackson Jr., Dale (Diane Linda) Jackson, and Deric (Hannah Puffer) Jackson; his brothers, Edward Jackson Jr. and James (Mary) Jackson; six grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, family, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Donald R. "Don" Jackson Sr. 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 Don Jackson as an expression of our deepest sympathy.