HR0012 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0012 LRB102 05092 MST 15112 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Illinois State Representative Mary Flowers on becoming the longest-serving African American legislator in the history of Illinois upon the commencement of the 102nd General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers was born in Inverness, Mississippi on July 31, 1951 and moved to Chicago as a child with her family as part of a movement known as the Great Migration; she attended Simeon High School, Kennedy-King College, and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Circle; she then began working at UIC; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers became interested in politics when reading about Harold Washington, then a State legislator; she began volunteering for him, and he encouraged her to run for state representative, which she did, winning her first election in 1984 and beginning her service in 1985; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers's notable accomplishments include helping prevent public pension funds from being invested in South Africa due to apartheid, spearheading the naming of Chicago's Bishop Ford Expressway after Bishop Louis Henry Ford, and creating a hospital report card as the chief sponsor, along with then-State Sen. Barack Obama, in order to ensure that consumers have access to information about the quality of health care provided in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers received legislator appreciation awards or legislator of the year awards from organizations including the Community Behavior Healthcare Association of Illinois, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers has focused her legislative work largely on improving the quality of life for children and families through measures to improve health care access and services, child and youth advocacy, and education; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers and her late husband Daniel have a daughter, Makeda, and a granddaughter, Madison; and

WHEREAS, Committed to making a difference, Rep. Flowers works to improve the lives of all people in our State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Illinois State Representative Mary Flowers on becoming the longest-serving African American legislator in the history of Illinois upon the commencement of the 102nd General Assembly; and be it further

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