HR0663LRB099 13252 GRL 37159 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the owners of the Chicago
4Defender on the occasion of the newspaper's 110th anniversary
5in 2015; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Chicago Defender is a Chicago-based weekly
7newspaper that was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott for
8primarily African American readers; the Chicago Defender has
9attracted the writing talents of many famous writers, including
10Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Willard Motley; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Robert Sengstacke Abbott, editor and founder of
12the Chicago Defender, played a major role in influencing the
13Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to
14the urban North by means of strong, moralistic rhetoric in his
15newspaper's editorials and political cartoons, the promotion
16of Chicago as a destination, and the advertisement of
17successful African American individuals as inspiration for
18blacks in the South; the Defender consistently published
19articles describing lynchings in the south with vivid
20descriptions and unrestrained blame of the mobs of whites
21typically involved, forcing readers to accept that these crimes
22were "systematic and unremitting"; the art in the Defender,
23particularly its political cartoons, explicitly addressed race

 

 

HR0663- 2 -LRB099 13252 GRL 37159 r

1issues and advocated northern migration of African Americans;
2the Defender was also used to initiate and advertise a "Great
3Northern Drive" day, set for May 15, 1917; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In 1923, Robert Sengstacke Abbott and editor
5Lucius Harper created the Bud Billiken Club and later organized
6parades to promote healthy activity among black children in
7Chicago; in 1929, the organization began the Bud Billiken
8Parade and Picnic, which is still held annually in Chicago; in
9the 1950s, under Sengstacke's direction, the Bud Billiken
10Parade expanded and emerged as the largest single event in
11Chicago; today, the event attracts more than one million
12attendees and more than 25 million television viewers, making
13it one of the largest parades in the country; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Robert Sengstacke Abbott's nephew, John H.
15Sengstacke, took over the Defender in 1940; in 1948, he
16encouraged President Harry S. Truman to integrate the armed
17services, which President Truman did soon after; he also served
18as a member of Truman's appointed committee to assure that the
19military implemented this plan; and
 
20    WHEREAS, John Sengstacke brought together for the first
21time major black newspaper publishers and created the National
22Negro Publishers Association, later renamed the National
23Newspaper Publishers Association; today, the Association

 

 

HR0663- 3 -LRB099 13252 GRL 37159 r

1consists of over 200 member black newspapers; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Under John Sengstacke's leadership, the Defender
3became a daily newspaper on February 6, 1956 and changed its
4name to the Chicago Daily Defender, becoming the nation's
5second black daily newspaper; it published as a daily until
62003; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In January of 2003, control of the Chicago
8Defender and her sister publications was transferred to Real
9Times, Inc., which was organized and led by Thom Picou and
10Robert (Bobby) Sengstacke, John H. Sengstacke's son; today, the
11paper continues to serve as a world-class source of local,
12State, and national news; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15congratulate the owners of the Chicago Defender on the occasion
16of the newspaper's 110th anniversary and wish them continued
17success and happiness in the future; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the Chicago Defender as a symbol of our esteem and
20respect.