HR0481 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0481 LRB103 32774 MST 62577 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Mujeres Latinas en Acción on the 50th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, Mujeres Latinas en Acción was founded in 1973 by the late Maria Mangual and a group of dedicated women as a shelter for young women escaping violence in the Pilsen community, the first program of its kind; and

WHEREAS, In 1982, Mujeres Latinas en Acción established the Healing and Prevention of Domestic Violence program, providing a culturally competent model of services for survivors of domestic violence; and

WHEREAS, In 1987, Mujeres Latinas en Acción created the Parent Support Program to address the needs of families that were in the child welfare system, including providing a support group for parenting skills; and

WHEREAS, In 1988, Mujeres Latinas en Acción continued building upon its history of collective leadership by developing the Latina Leadership Program, which has trained and graduated hundreds of women community leaders and organizers; and

WHEREAS, In 1992, Mujeres Latinas en Acción began its Sexual Assault Program, providing culturally and linguistically competent therapy, case management, and counseling; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, Mujeres Latinas en Acción expanded its family support services in partnership with the Illinois Department of Family Support Services to create the only free Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange program designed specifically for Spanish speaking, low-income families; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, Mujeres Latinas en Acción established the Community Engagement and Mobilization Program to bring the voice of Latina immigrants and survivors of trauma to the work of immigrant and women's coalitions; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, Mujeres Latinas en Acción established Empresarias del Futuro, a program to help Latinas create businesses and unlock their entrepreneurial potential; and

WHEREAS, That same year, Mujeres Latinas en Acción received funding and created a national initiative to assist and advise organizations around the country to increase programming and capacity to help address and prevent gender-based violence in Latina communities; and

WHEREAS, Mujeres Latinas en Acción's services have expanded beyond Pilsen to sites in Brighton Park and North Riverside; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Mujeres Latinas en Acción on its 50th anniversary of providing innovative and empowering services for Latinas; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mujeres Latinas En Acción as a symbol of our respect and esteem.