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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Pioneer broadcaster Richard Durham was born in
3 Mississippi and raised in Chicago; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Richard Durham began his legendary broadcast
5 career during the Great Depression with the Writer's Project of
6 the Works Progress Administration; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Richard Durham later wrote for the CBS affiliate
8 WBBM Chicago; and
 
9     WHEREAS, As the sole writer and producer of Destination
10 Freedom, Richard Durham's goal was to combat the negative
11 stereotypes of blacks in the media; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Destination Freedom was originally heard on WMAQ
13 Radio from June 27, 1948 to August, 1950; it was sponsored
14 initially by the Chicago Defender, then by the Chicago Urban
15 League; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The groundbreaking radio drama Destination
17 Freedom included 91 episodes, showcasing the lives of prominent
18 black Americans; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Richard Durham's extraordinary genius in both

 

 

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1 journalism and broadcasting included serving as editor for the
2 Chicago Defender and Ebony magazine; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Richard Durham is one of five people who will be
4 inducted posthumously into America's only National Radio Hall
5 of Fame on November 3, 2007 in Chicago; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8 congratulate the family and friends of Richard Durham, and the
9 countless admirers of him and his work; and be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to the family of Richard Durham as a symbol of our
12 esteem and respect.