Full Text of SR0794 103rd General Assembly
SR0794 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0794 | | LRB103 39669 LAW 70058 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Karen Ruth Boehning, who passed away | 4 | | on January 18, 2024; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Karen Boehning was born on the north side of | 6 | | Chicago on September 6, 1945; during her teen years, she | 7 | | attended a boarding school in Glen Arbor, Michigan, where she | 8 | | played basketball, headed the women's athletics organization, | 9 | | participated in the student government, and spoke at | 10 | | graduation; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Karen Boehning was a champion of women's rights, | 12 | | joining the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for | 13 | | Women (NOW) in 1969; she proceeded to co-lead the Women's | 14 | | Strike for Equality in Chicago in 1970; the next year, she | 15 | | became president of the Chicago chapter of NOW and represented | 16 | | Illinois at the founding convention of the National Women's | 17 | | Political Caucus (NWPC) in Washington, D.C.; after co-founding | 18 | | the Chicago chapter of the NWPC, she established a program to | 19 | | empower women to run for political office; she also played a | 20 | | pivotal role in the campaign to ratify the Equal Rights | 21 | | Amendment in Illinois; later, as chair of the Chicago NOW's | 22 | | Media Action Committee, she worked tirelessly to challenge and | 23 | | change the stereotypical portrayals of women in media; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In addition to her activism, Karen Boehning was a | 2 | | successful entrepreneur, founding Diversity Contract Services | 3 | | Inc. in 1986, a company dedicated to supporting women and | 4 | | minority-owned businesses; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Karen Boehning was active in numerous social | 6 | | justice and women's equality causes in her local community, | 7 | | and she served as the longtime president of Chicago's 46th | 8 | | Ward Democrats; she arranged voter registration and voter | 9 | | education drives as well as forums dedicated to promoting | 10 | | understanding of candidate views on women's issues; she | 11 | | organized a citywide celebration of the 90th anniversary of | 12 | | women gaining the right to vote in 2010; she also gathered one | 13 | | of the country's largest collections of historic artifacts | 14 | | related to the women's suffrage movement; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Karen Boehning dedicated her life to achieving | 16 | | just and worthy goals, and she was well-regarded by family, | 17 | | friends, and colleagues for her work ethic, generosity of | 18 | | spirit, and compassion; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Karen Boehning's legacy will live on in the | 20 | | thousands of women she mobilized toward civic engagement and | 21 | | leadership, in the countless Illinois residents of various | 22 | | backgrounds she inspired throughout her incredible life, and |
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| 1 | | through her oral history interviews with the Chicago Women's | 2 | | History Center, The VFA Pioneer Histories Project, and | 3 | | Columbia College Chicago HNR: The Problem With No Name, | 4 | | covering her life and contributions to the women's movement; | 5 | | therefore, be it | 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 7 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 8 | | Karen Ruth Boehning and extend our sincere condolences to her | 9 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 10 | | further | 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of Karen Boehning as an expression of | 13 | | our deepest sympathy. |
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