Full Text of SR0335 102nd General Assembly
SR0335 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The City of Bloomington Human Relations | 3 | | Commission, in partnership with the McLean County Historical | 4 | | Society and the Bloomington/Normal Black History Project | 5 | | (BNBHP), will be hosting the 2021 Annual Juneteenth | 6 | | Celebration; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, This virtual event, known as Justice Delayed, | 8 | | will encompass a week of education, motivation, and | 9 | | celebration covering the racial history of the United States; | 10 | | and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Bloomington-Normal held its first Juneteenth | 12 | | celebration in 1993; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration | 14 | | commemorating the official ending of slavery in the United | 15 | | States when, on June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger landed | 16 | | at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that | 17 | | the enslaved were freed; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, | 19 | | gave his famous Emancipation Proclamation executive order just | 20 | | two years prior in 1863, which declared southern slaves to be | 21 | | free; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The inhumane practice of slavery in the United | 2 | | States was finally brought to an end following the Civil War; | 3 | | and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The practice of slavery is now widely condemned | 5 | | and recognized as evil, and courageous leaders such as | 6 | | President Lincoln are responsible for paving the way towards a | 7 | | future where all Americans are treated as equal regardless of | 8 | | skin color; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, The rights guaranteed to all United States | 10 | | citizens were unjustly denied to people based on the color of | 11 | | their skin; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Many African American citizens were denied basic | 13 | | rights even after slavery was abolished, due to government | 14 | | mandated racial segregation; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, This continued racial discrimination following | 16 | | the abolition of slavery spurred the rise of prominent, | 17 | | courageous, and influential civil rights leaders such as Dr. | 18 | | Martin Luther King Jr.; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Despite this history of racial injustice, the | 20 | | United States has made progress towards the goal of racial |
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| 1 | | equality; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The prominence of African American individuals in | 3 | | American life, such as Barack Obama, Clarence Thomas, and | 4 | | Condoleezza Rice, is evidence of how far America has come | 5 | | regarding racial equality; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The ending of slavery and racial segregation | 7 | | serves as a reminder that America is capable of change for the | 8 | | better; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, America's racial progress towards achieving Dr. | 10 | | King's dream, where people are judged by the content of their | 11 | | character and not by the color of their skin, is a call for | 12 | | celebration and reflection upon American history; therefore, | 13 | | be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare the week of | 16 | | June 14, 2021 as "Juneteenth Remembrance Week" in the State of | 17 | | Illinois, to be celebrated with the appropriate events and | 18 | | activities; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the City of Bloomington Human Relations | 21 | | Commission, the McLean County Historical Society, and the |
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| 1 | | Bloomington/Normal Black History Project.
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