HR0385 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0385 LRB102 18845 ECR 27559 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of slavery in the United States; the holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, which was when the last enslaved African Americans held in Confederate states were finally freed by the Union army; six months later, the adoption of the 13th Amendment officially abolished slavery in America; and

WHEREAS, Two years after learning about the holiday while visiting family, Tommy Meeks established a Juneteenth Celebration in Rockford in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Tommy Meeks has engaged in partnership and collaboration to expand the reach of his Juneteenth Celebration and has thereby increased cultural and historical competence throughout Rockford and the surrounding communities; and

WHEREAS, Tommy Meeks, as a community leader and through his Juneteenth Celebrations, has embraced the sole mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history; and

WHEREAS, The year 2021 marks the 1st year that Juneteenth will be an official State Holiday in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The year 2021 marks the 31st year of the Rockford Juneteenth Celebration, which is the oldest known Juneteenth Celebration in Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Tommy Meeks for his dedication for the past 31 years to the promotion of Juneteenth and its importance to the history of our nation.