Full Text of SR0931 103rd General Assembly
SR0931 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0931 | | LRB103 40261 LAW 72244 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated was | 3 | | founded by seven college men, respectfully known as the Seven | 4 | | Jewels, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New | 5 | | York on December 4, 1906, becoming the first intercollegiate | 6 | | Greek-letter fraternity established by and for African | 7 | | Americans; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Alpha Phi Alpha | 9 | | Fraternity, Inc., Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, | 10 | | Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison | 11 | | Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy, | 12 | | recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among | 13 | | African descendants in this country and the need to help | 14 | | correct the educational, economic, political, and social | 15 | | injustices faced by African Americans and other people of | 16 | | color; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. initially served | 18 | | as a study and support group for minority students who faced | 19 | | racial prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornell | 20 | | University; the Jewel founders and early leaders of the | 21 | | fraternity succeeded in laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi | 22 | | Alpha's principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character, | 23 | | and the uplifting of humanity; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, While stressing academic excellence among its | 2 | | members since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. | 3 | | has consistently supplied its voice and vision to the struggle | 4 | | of African Americans and people of color and to issues of civil | 5 | | rights around the world; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. are | 7 | | manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. | 9 | | is to develop leaders, promote brotherhood and academic | 10 | | excellence, and provide service and advocacy for communities, | 11 | | as exemplified through its national programs, including | 12 | | "Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College", which focuses on the | 13 | | educational achievement of students in elementary, secondary, | 14 | | and post-secondary schools and collectively has given millions | 15 | | of dollars in scholarship funds to deserving students, | 16 | | "Project Alpha", which teaches teenage pregnancy prevention | 17 | | and sexually transmitted disease prevention to young males, | 18 | | and its "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" campaign, a | 19 | | voter registration and education program through which | 20 | | thousands of voters have been educated and registered; the | 21 | | fraternity also focuses on providing service through its | 22 | | strategic partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy | 23 | | Scouts of America, the March of Dimes, the American |
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| 1 | | Heart/American Stroke Association, and the American Cancer | 2 | | Society; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, For over 117 years, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, | 4 | | Inc. has played a fundamental role in the positive development | 5 | | of the character and education of more than 200,000 men around | 6 | | the world; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has over 700 | 8 | | college and alumni chapters in the U.S., Africa, Asia, the | 9 | | Caribbean, and Europe; this total includes 141 chapters in the | 10 | | Midwestern Region, and 32 of those chapters are in Illinois; | 11 | | the fraternity's presence started in Illinois with the | 12 | | founding of the first college chapter in Illinois, the Theta | 13 | | Chapter, in 1910 and the first alumni chapter, the Xi Lambda | 14 | | Chapter, in 1924, both in Chicago; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. | 16 | | include many noteworthy leaders in the areas of government, | 17 | | business, entertainment, science, and higher education, | 18 | | including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood | 19 | | Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson, | 20 | | Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew Young, Robert Smith, Dick Gregory, | 21 | | and Cornel West; its membership also includes a long and | 22 | | distinguished list of current and former federal, state, and | 23 | | local elected officials, including U.S. Senator Raphael |
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| 1 | | Warnock, U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis, former U.S. | 2 | | Senators Edward Brooke and Roland Burris, former State | 3 | | Senators Adelbert H. Roberts, the first African American in | 4 | | the State Senate, and Donne E. Trotter, former State | 5 | | Representatives Al Riley and Art Turner Jr., former Cook | 6 | | County Board Presidents John and Todd Stroger, and former | 7 | | Mayor of Chicago Eugene Sawyer, among countless others who | 8 | | have long stood at the forefront of the fight for civil and | 9 | | human rights and social change for all Americans; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. members | 11 | | have served in the Illinois General Assembly, and those | 12 | | currently serving in the 103rd General Assembly include | 13 | | Speaker of the House of Representatives Emanuel "Chris" Welch, | 14 | | Representative Justin Slaughter, and Senate Majority Caucus | 15 | | Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims Jr., who also served as | 16 | | the 26th Vice President of the Midwestern Region; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. continues to | 18 | | enrich the lives of its members, who, in turn, provide service | 19 | | and advocacy for the communities they serve; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, On May 1, 2024, Illinois members of Alpha Phi | 21 | | Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will participate in "Alpha Day at the | 22 | | Illinois State Capital"; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Alpha Kappa | 2 | | Alpha Sorority, Inc. will join together for Alpha Day at the | 3 | | Capitol in a collective effort to advance the priorities of | 4 | | the respective communities they serve; therefore, be it | 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 6 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 1, 2024 | 7 | | as Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of | 8 | | Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and its continued | 9 | | impact on the communities it serves; and be it further | 10 | | RESOLVED, That we recognize the 2024 Alpha Phi Alpha Day | 11 | | held at the Illinois State Capitol and welcome the members of | 12 | | Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to the Capitol. |
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