Full Text of SR1613 100th General Assembly
SR1613 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was | 3 | | founded on December 4, 1906 by seven college men, respectfully | 4 | | known as the "Seven Jewels," on the campus of Cornell | 5 | | University in Ithaca, New York, and became the first | 6 | | intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by and for | 7 | | African Americans; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Fraternity, Henry Arthur | 9 | | Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George | 10 | | Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, | 11 | | and Vertner Woodson Tandy, recognized the need for a strong | 12 | | bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country, | 13 | | while stressing academic excellence among its members; the | 14 | | founders recognized the need to help correct the educational, | 15 | | economic, political, and social injustices faced by African | 16 | | Americans and other people of color; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and | 18 | | support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, | 19 | | both educationally and socially, at Cornell University; the | 20 | | Jewel Founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in | 21 | | laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of | 22 | | scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of | 23 | | humanity; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has | 2 | | consistently supplied its voice and vision to the struggle of | 3 | | African Americans, people of color, and issues of civil rights | 4 | | around the world; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha are manly deeds, | 6 | | scholarship, and love for all mankind; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop | 8 | | leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and | 9 | | provide service and advocacy for communities, as exemplified | 10 | | through its national programs which include "Go to High School, | 11 | | Go to College," which focuses on the educational achievement of | 12 | | students in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools | 13 | | and has given thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to | 14 | | deserving students, "Project Alpha," which teaches teenage | 15 | | pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted disease | 16 | | prevention to young males, and its "A Voteless People is a | 17 | | Hopeless People" campaign, a voter registration and education | 18 | | program through which thousands of voters have been educated | 19 | | and registered; Alpha Phi Alpha also focuses on providing | 20 | | service through its strategic partnerships with Big Brothers | 21 | | Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of America, the March of Dimes, the | 22 | | American Heart/American Stroke Association, and the American | 23 | | Cancer Society; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, For over 111 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a | 2 | | fundamental role in the positive development of the character | 3 | | and education of more than 200,000 men around the world; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni | 5 | | chapters in the United States of America, Africa, Asia, the | 6 | | Caribbean, and Europe; this total includes 141 chapters in the | 7 | | Midwestern Region, including 32 in Illinois; the Midwestern | 8 | | Region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, | 9 | | Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, West | 10 | | Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada; Alpha Phi Alpha's presence | 11 | | started in Illinois with the founding of the first college | 12 | | chapter in Illinois, the Theta Chapter in 1910, and the first | 13 | | alumni chapter, the Xi Lambda Chapter in 1924, both in Chicago; | 14 | | and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include many noteworthy | 16 | | leaders in the areas of government, business, entertainment, | 17 | | science, and higher education, including Dr. Martin Luther King | 18 | | Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, John | 19 | | H. Johnson, Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew Young, and Cornel West; | 20 | | its membership also includes federal, State, and local elected | 21 | | officials, including U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis, | 22 | | former U.S. Senators Edward Brook and Roland Burris, former | 23 | | State Senator Donne E. Trotter, former Cook County Board |
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| 1 | | Presidents John and Todd Stroger, and former Mayor of Chicago | 2 | | Eugene Sawyer, among countless others who have long stood at | 3 | | the forefront of the fight for civil and human rights and | 4 | | social change for all Americans; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha members have served in the | 6 | | Illinois General Assembly, including the following members of | 7 | | the 99th General Assembly: Representatives Al Riley, Justin | 8 | | Slaughter, Arthur Turner Jr., Emanuel "Chris" Welch, and | 9 | | Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr, who also served as the 26th Vice | 10 | | President of the Midwestern Region; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha continues to enrich the lives of | 12 | | its members, who, in turn, provide service and advocacy for the | 13 | | communities they serve; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 2018 | 16 | | Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the Illinois State Capitol and | 17 | | welcome the members of Alpha Phi Alpha to the Capitol; and be | 18 | | it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That we designate the date of May 9, 2018 as | 20 | | Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha | 21 | | Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and its continued impact on | 22 | | the communities it serves; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 2 | | delivered to the Midwestern Regional Vice President and the | 3 | | Assistant Regional Vice President or their designees, the | 4 | | Illinois District Director, and the Illinois Assistant | 5 | | District Director of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
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