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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are proud to recognize individuals and
4organizations that have contributed to the welfare of the State
5of Illinois and its citizens or have distinguished themselves
6through significant personal achievement; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Michelle Obama is the first African-American
8first lady of the United States of America, standing by her
9husband, the first African-American President of the United
10States of America, while raising their 2 children, Malia and
11Sasha, and spearheading many national campaigns for important
12causes; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born January
1417, 1964, in Chicago to Fraiser and Marian Robinson; Michelle
15skipped the second grade, was a gifted student and graduated
16from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago's West Loop
17as class salutatorian; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Michelle Obama graduated from Princeton
19University cum laude in 1985 with a B.A. in Sociology and a
20minor in African-American studies and earned a Juris Doctor
21from Harvard Law School in 1988, where she took part in
22demonstrations demanding more minority students and

 

 

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1professors; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Michelle Obama worked as an associate in the
3Chicago branch of the law firm Sidley Austin in the area of
4marketing and intellectual property; in 1989, she met her
5future husband, Barack Obama, a summer intern whom she was
6assigned as an adviser; and the couple married at Trinity
7United Church of Christ on October 18, 1992; and
 
8    WHEREAS, After her husband became U.S. Senator from
9Illinois in 2004, Michelle Obama followed a strict schedule to
10be home with her children as often as possible, never leaving
11them for more than one night and 2 days per week; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Michelle Obama launched a career in public
13service, serving as an assistant to Mayor Daley and then as the
14assistant commissioner of planning and development for the City
15of Chicago; in 1993, she became Executive Director for the
16Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit
17leadership-training program that helped young adults develop
18skills for future careers in the public sector; in 1996, she
19joined the University of Chicago as associate dean of student
20services, developing the University's first community service
21program; she then worked for the University of Chicago
22Hospitals beginning in 2002, as executive director of community
23relations and external affairs; in May 2005, she was appointed

 

 

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1vice president of community relations and external affairs at
2the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she continues
3to work part-time; she also manages the business diversity
4program and sits on 6 boards, including the prestigious Chicago
5Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago
6Laboratory Schools; and
 
7    WHEREAS, As the 45th First Lady of the United States,
8Michelle Obama has focused her attention on issues such as the
9support of military families, helping working women balance
10career and family, encouraging national service, and teaching
11children healthy eating and healthy living habits; and, she has
12put her beliefs in action by volunteering at homeless shelters
13and soup kitchens in the Washington, D.C. area and making
14appearances at public schools, stressing the importance of
15education and volunteer work; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Michelle Obama's service and values serve as a
17model and inspiration for African-American girls; she leads by
18example for the benefit of all young Americans by finding a
19balance between advocacy, work, family, health, and both public
20and private life; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23we honor the pioneering achievements of the 45th first lady and

 

 

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1the first African-American first lady of the United States of
2America, Michelle Obama; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to First Lady Michelle Obama as a symbol of our
5esteem and respect.