Full Text of SR1702 100th General Assembly
SR1702 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | 3 | | recognize the life of Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe "Winnie" | 4 | | Madikizela-Mandela, prominent anti-apartheid activist, who | 5 | | passed away on April 2, 2018; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Winnie Mandela was born in the district of | 7 | | Pondoland in the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Columbus and | 8 | | Gertrude Madikizela on September 26, 1936; one of nine | 9 | | children, she enrolled at the Jan Hofmeyr School of Social Work | 10 | | in Johannesburg in 1953 and was known as a "remarkably | 11 | | effective and dedicated social worker"; she married Nelson | 12 | | Mandela in Pondoland in June 1958; the couple returned to | 13 | | Johannesburg, where she threw herself into political work, and | 14 | | Mandela was imprisoned; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Winnie Mandela's activism and resistance to | 16 | | apartheid landed her in jail on numerous occasions, eventually | 17 | | causing her banishment to the town of Brandfort and then Orange | 18 | | Free State; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Winnie Mandela kept the memory of her imprisoned | 20 | | husband alive and helped give the struggle for justice in South | 21 | | Africa one of its most recognizable faces; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Winnie Mandela remained a venerated figure in the | 2 | | ruling African National Congress; she was a veteran of the | 3 | | anti-apartheid struggle who continued to tell the party | 4 | | "exactly what is wrong and what is right at any time," and she | 5 | | refused to be bowed by the imprisonment of her husband, the | 6 | | perpetual harassment of her family, the detentions, the | 7 | | bannings, and the banishment; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Winnie Mandela was a defining symbol of the fight | 9 | | against apartheid; although her reputation suffered after a | 10 | | number of incidents, her popularity remained strong; she | 11 | | dedicated most of her adult life to the cause of the African | 12 | | people, and for her dedication was known as the "Mother of the | 13 | | Nation," who inspired generations of activists; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Winnie Mandela is survived by her daughters; | 15 | | therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 17 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the life | 18 | | of Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe "Winnie" Madikizela-Mandela and | 19 | | offer our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all | 20 | | who knew and loved her; and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 22 | | presented to the family of Winnie Mandela as an expression of |
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| 1 | | our deepest sympathy.
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