SR0237 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0237 LRB096 12484 KXB 25510 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are pleased to support the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma race riot; and

WHEREAS, Eighty years ago, the Greenwood Community in Tulsa, Oklahoma was bombed, burned, looted, and destroyed in less than 10 hours; several thousand people were displaced overnight and an estimated 300-3,000 persons were killed; and

WHEREAS, Before his death, John Hope Franklin joined others in urging Congress to make it possible for the survivors of the Tulsa massacre to receive restitution; his father was among the displaced; and

WHEREAS, A benefit to support the survivors of this tragic event will be held in Chicago on April 28, 2009; and

WHEREAS, The contributions raised at this event will provide significant help to the remaining survivors; and

WHEREAS, Harvard Professor Dr. Charles Ogletree will provide a historic background while three survivors, ranging from 91-105 years of age will give their personal recollections of what transpired on that tragic night in Tulsa's Greenwood area once known as the Black Wall Street; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we offer continued support to the survivors of this tragic event; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma race riot as a symbol of our support.