HR1556

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are pleased to congratulate Timuel D. Black, 
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Jr. on the occasion of being the recipient of the Legacy Award 
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from the Black United Fund of Illinois; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Timuel D. Black, Jr. was born in Birmingham, 
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Alabama; he moved to Chicago as a child and has lived there 
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since; he earned his bachelor's degree from Roosevelt 
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University and his master's degree from the University of 
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Chicago; and

 
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    WHEREAS, As a child, Timuel D. Black, Jr. was influenced by 
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the orators of the Washington Park Forum, such as Claude 
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Lightfoot and Ismael Flory, who spoke out against gouging 
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landlords and discrimination, making demands for jobs and 
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decent living conditions, and calling workers to unite and 
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stand up for their rights; after graduating, his first job as 
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an under-paid store clerk gave him his first experience with 
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labor union organizing, when he and his co-workers formed a 
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local chapter of the Retail Clerks Union; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Before having a chance to pursue further 
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education, Timuel D. Black, Jr. was drafted into the United 
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States Army during World War II; after enduring discrimination 
 


 






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from the Army and witnessing the vast human devastation at the 
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Buchenwald extermination camp, he resolved to dedicate his life 
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to work for peace and justice; one of the achievements he is 
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most proud of is the work he performed with the Progressive 
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Party to end discrimination in the United States Armed Forces; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, Timuel D. Black, Jr. served as a case worker with 
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the Chicago Department of Welfare's Children's Division from 
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1952 until 1954 and worked in various community houses 
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throughout Gary, Indiana and Chicago, often integrating groups 
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at social and educational levels; he also served as Vice 
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President of the Board of Local Improvements for the City of 
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Chicago's Department of Public Works; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After returned from his service in the Army, 
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Timuel D. Black, Jr. continued his education and became a 
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teacher, teaching history and social studies at DuSable, 
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Dunbar, Roosevelt, Farragut, and Hyde Park High Schools for 
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over 40 years; as Assistant Coordinator of the National Teacher 
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Corps, he was responsible for the recruitment and training of 
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teachers who would work in neighborhood schools most in need of 
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quality teachers; fighting discrimination in the Chicago 
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school system, he joined with other teachers in the formation 
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of the Teachers Committee for Quality Education to ensure that 
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good schools were available to all children; and

 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, In addition to his work in the Chicago school 
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system, Timuel D. Black, Jr. also served as Dean at Wright 
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Junior College, Vice President of Olive Harvey City College, 
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Director of Community Affairs of the City Colleges of Chicago, 
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and Professor of anthropology, cultural anthropology, 
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sociology, and history at Harold Washington College; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Timuel D. Black, Jr. is a prominent civil rights 
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activist and a noted historian; he is well known as a pioneer 
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in the independent black political movement and coined the 
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phrase "plantation politics"; he has spent much of his life 
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furthering the cause of social justice; he helped to organize 
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and served in the Chicago chapter of the Congress of Racial 
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Equality; he served as president of the local chapter of the 
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Negro American Labor Council, where he was chosen to organize 
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the Chicago contingent of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs 
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and Freedom; he also worked on the campaigns of Richard 
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Hatcher, the first black mayor of Gary, Indiana, and Harold 
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Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Timuel D. Black, Jr. is the author of Bridges of 
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Memory, an unprecedented collection of more than 150 interviews 
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that document the great wave of African-American migration to 
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Chicago; and
 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, Timuel D. Black, Jr.'s dedication to his 
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profession and his willingness to serve his community make him 
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a model for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be 
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it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate Timuel D. Black, Jr. on the occasion of being the 
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recipient of the Legacy Award from the Black United Fund of 
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Illinois and wish him continued success and happiness in the 
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future; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Timuel D. Black, Jr. as a symbol of our esteem and 
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respect.