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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Marion Louise "Penny" Sullivan Smith,
4who passed away on September 15, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Marion Smith was born to the union of Roosevelt
6Pluitt and Ethel Sullivan in Chicago on September 15, 1933;
7she was raised in what is now known as the Bronzeville area of
8Chicago; she graduated from DuSable High School; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Marion Smith was pursued by several modeling
10agencies and considered law school after high school; however,
11her love for family led her to begin a family of her own; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Marion Smith was a hard worker with many talents;
13she could sew and construct anything; her home was always
14known as a showplace to all who visited; she will be remembered
15for being a strong family person who loved everyone and
16everyone loved; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Marion Smith was the oldest living heir to one of
18America's heroic narratives; her grandmother, Carrie Williams,
19was the first in U.S. history to file a lawsuit for the rights
20of colored school teachers for equal pay in 1898; her case was
21ultimately heard before the West Virginia Supreme Court, which

 

 

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1ruled in her favor during the Jim Crow Era, bolstering equal
2education rights for African American students statewide; her
3legacy was noted by President Barack Obama in a letter to the
4family, where he thanked the Smith family for Carrie Williams'
5contributions, which paved the way for others; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Marion Smith was preceded in death by her
7siblings, Roosevelt Pluitt Jr., Ethel, Dorothy, Charles,
8Constance, and Othello; she was also preceded in death by
9three children, Lolita Smith-Oliver, Michael Smith, and Freddy
10Smith; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Marion Smith is survived by her children, Fred
12(Leonette) Smith, Sharon A. (Lee) Taylor, Hakeem A. (Avonda)
13Muhammad, and Andre (LaZondra) Smith; her grandchildren; her
14great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins,
15and friends; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
17ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
18Marion Louise "Penny" Sullivan Smith and extend our sincere
19condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
20her; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22presented to the family of Marion Smith as an expression of our

 

 

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1deepest sympathy.