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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | ||||||
| 3 | recognize Adwa Day on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of | ||||||
| 4 | the Battle of Adwa on March 2, 2026; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Adwa Day is an Ethiopian national holiday | ||||||
| 6 | celebrated on March 2nd each year by more than 130 million | ||||||
| 7 | people in Ethiopia and throughout the Ethiopian Diaspora; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Adwa Day commemorates the pivotal Battle of Adwa, | ||||||
| 9 | where a militia of more than 100,000 men and women decisively | ||||||
| 10 | fought off European colonialism in the mountain town of Adwa, | ||||||
| 11 | Ethiopia on March 2, 1896; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Emperor Menelik II and his shrewd wife, Empress | ||||||
| 13 | Taitu, successfully united the ethnic provincial groups of | ||||||
| 14 | Tigray, Gonder, Wello, Oromo, Gojjam, and parts of modern-day | ||||||
| 15 | Eritrea, people spread across more than 1,000 miles of | ||||||
| 16 | differing altitudes and terrain, during a time of ethnic | ||||||
| 17 | division in order to defend Ethiopia's freedom and | ||||||
| 18 | independence; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, Emperor Menelik II miraculously mobilized troops | ||||||
| 20 | from all over Ethiopia, while Empress Taitu created the | ||||||
| 21 | blueprint that led to the overwhelming defeat of the army of | ||||||
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| 1 | the Kingdom of Italy, which was seeking to establish a | ||||||
| 2 | colonial empire in East Africa at the time; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, As Ethiopian men served in cavalries and | ||||||
| 4 | infantries while armed with rifles, spears, and swords, | ||||||
| 5 | Ethiopian women secured water and food, supplied medical care | ||||||
| 6 | to the injured, acted as prison guards and morale boosters, | ||||||
| 7 | provided intelligence as spies, and walked with the armies for | ||||||
| 8 | over 600 miles to protect and defend their country as a family, | ||||||
| 9 | ensuring Ethiopia's victory; and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Ethiopia holds the distinction as the only | ||||||
| 11 | African nation to remain independent and sovereign, never | ||||||
| 12 | colonized, and officially recognized by global powers | ||||||
| 13 | throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu continue to | ||||||
| 15 | serve as powerful and ineradicable symbols of freedom for | ||||||
| 16 | Black and African peoples globally and as paragons of African | ||||||
| 17 | resistance to colonialism; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, Adwa Day is further commemorated with a number of | ||||||
| 19 | songs, including "Tikur Sew" by Teddy Afro and "Taitu" by | ||||||
| 20 | Yegna, featuring Aster Aweke, which were written to celebrate | ||||||
| 21 | the great military victory and the Adwa Victory Memorial in | ||||||
| 22 | Ethiopia; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Adwa Day is observed by many in Illinois due to | ||||||
| 2 | the State being home to a sizable Ethiopian and Eritrean | ||||||
| 3 | population, such as the 7th District of the Illinois State | ||||||
| 4 | Senate; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 5 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 6 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Adwa Day | ||||||
| 7 | on the 130th anniversary of the Battle of Adwa on March 2, | ||||||
| 8 | 2026, as it serves as a source of inspiration for all | ||||||
| 9 | freedom-loving people in the State of Illinois and for | ||||||
| 10 | generations to come; and be it further | ||||||
| 11 | RESOLVED, That we recognize Ethiopian women for their | ||||||
| 12 | instrumental involvement in the Battle of Adwa, whose actions | ||||||
| 13 | secured their country's freedom and independence. | ||||||