SR0682 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0682 LRB093 23431 HSS 53419 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with deep regret of the death of Lutrelle "Lu" Fleming Palmer Jr. of Chicago on Sunday, September 12, 2004; and

WHEREAS, For most of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the voice and pen of Lutrelle "Lu" Fleming Palmer Jr. were synonymous with the battle cry of black power; his message was passionate, agitated, and often angry, but he is also remembered as a sometimes soft-spoken man; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer's most significant legacy was being the man behind the slogan "We Shall See in '83" that mobilized black voters to elect Harold Washington as the Chicago's first black mayor; and

WHEREAS, He is remembered as a very effective communicator and a forceful advocate for Chicago's African-American community, as a persuasive writer, a fine public speaker, and an excellent political strategist; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer was born in Newport News, Virginia to Lutrelle and Virginia Palmer; he graduated from Virginia Union University, and went on to earn a master's degree from Syracuse University; he also attended the University of Iowa, but prior to completion of his degree moved to Fisk University in Tennessee, where he headed the communications department; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer moved to Chicago in 1950 and got a job at the Chicago Defender; he held other newspaper jobs, including a stint at the Chicago American, where he worked the overnight shift, before landing a job at the Daily News in the 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer spoke out when Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were slain in 1969 by Chicago Police in a nighttime raid directed by State's Attorney Edward V. Hanrahan; he resigned from the Daily News on January 15, 1973, the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; he said his departure was due to several incidents where his copy was altered or his column was changed or killed; following his resignation, the Chicago Newspaper Guild gave him an award for his service to the newspaper industry for his "effective voice in the press and radio for the needs of the black community"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer founded an independent paper, the X-Press; the first paper hit the streets on May 9, the birthday of Malcolm X; it closed in 1974; a strident black nationalist, he founded the Chicago Black United Communities in 1979 and the Black Independent Political Organization in 1981; and

WHEREAS, His passing has been deeply felt by many, especially his wife, Jorja English Palmer; his daughters, Trudy, Darien Simon, and Karen English; his sons, Lu Palmer III and Jamie English Jr.; his five grandchildren; and his two great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Lutrelle "Lu" Fleming Palmer Jr., a man who will be remembered as one of the ablest spokesman for freedom and justice for African Americans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Mr. Palmer as an expression of our sincerest condolences.