HR0934 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0934 LRB097 21118 GRL 68520 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Haki R. Madhubuti on the occasion of his 70th birthday on February 23, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti was born as Donald Luther Lee on February 23, 1942, in Little Rock, Arkansas; he grew up in Detroit, Michigan; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti attended Wilson Junior College, Roosevelt University, and the University of Illinois; he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1984; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti served as a member of the United States Armed Forces from 1960 to 1963; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti was employed as an apprentice curator at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago from 1963 to 1967; he served as a writer-in-residence at Cornell University from 1968 to 1969, a poet-in-residence at Northwestern Illinois State College from 1969 to 1970, and a writer-in-residence at Howard University from 1970 to 1978; he has served as editor and publisher of the Third World Press since 1967; he has also served as a professor of English at Chicago State University since 1984; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti is well known as a major influence on African-American writers and a leading political voice for black awareness and pride; his poems and political writings stress the creation of an independent black identity, as well as an emphasis on self-reliance and social protest; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti is the author of numerous works; his first book of poems, "Think Black", was published under the name Donald L. Lee in 1967; he is also the author of "Don't Cry, Scream" (1969), "We Walk the Way of the New World" (1970), and "Directionscore: Selected and New Poems" (1971); under the name of Haki R. Madhubuti, he published "Book of Life" (1973), "Earthquakes and Sunrise Missions: Poetry and Essays of Black Renewal, 1973-1983" (1978), "Killing Memory, Seeking Ancestors" (1987), "GroundWork: Selected Poems of Haki R. Madhubuti" (1996), and "Heartlove" (1998); he has also authored and edited a number of books on the African-American experience, including "Million Man March/Day of Absence: A Commemorative Anthology. Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents" (1996) and has contributed to numerous anthologies and published poetry and political essays in a wide range of journals and magazines; and

WHEREAS, Haki Madhubuti has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including National Endowment for the Arts fellowships in 1969 and 1982, the Kuumba Workshop Black Liberation Award in 1973, and the Broadside Press Outstanding Poet's Award in 1975; under his direction, the Third World Press has also received numerous honors and awards; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Haki R. Madhubuti on the occasion of his 70th birthday and wish him success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Haki Madhubuti as a symbol of our esteem and respect.