HR0097 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0097 LRB094 10546 HSS 40829 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On Monday, September 22, 1957, nine African American students arrived at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, looking forward to an education; Mr. Ernest Green, presently the managing director, Lehman Brothers, Washington, D.C., was one of those students; and

WHEREAS, Those students were the first to integrate Central High School following the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education that declared segregation illegal; Mr. Green and his fellow students were determined to get an education no matter what obstacles or discriminatory practices were placed in front of them; Mr. Green and the other students courageously faced adversity and received their education, paving the way for equality in education for all students; and

WHEREAS, The month of February is Black History Month and Rich Township is celebrating the month with a program featuring Mr. Green as a speaker on Thursday, February 10, 2005; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Ernest Green for his role as a member of the "Little Rock Nine" and for having the courage to face adversity in order to receive an education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Green as an expression of our respect and esteem.