Full Text of HR0301 98th General Assembly
HR0301 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was | 3 | | founded on December 4, 1906, by 7 college men, respectfully | 4 | | known as the "Seven Jewels", on the campus of Cornell | 5 | | University in Ithaca, New York, becoming 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 | 16 | | African-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 | 11 | | School, Go to College", which focus on the educational | 12 | | achievement of students in elementary, secondary, and | 13 | | post-secondary schools and has given thousands of dollars in | 14 | | scholarship funds to deserving students; "Project Alpha", | 15 | | which teaches teenage pregnancy prevention and sexually | 16 | | transmitted disease prevention to young males, and "Voteless | 17 | | People is a Hopeless People", a voter registration and | 18 | | education program, through which thousands of voters have been | 19 | | educated and registered; Alpha Phi Alpha also focuses on | 20 | | providing service through its strategic partnerships with Big | 21 | | Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of America, March of | 22 | | Dimes, the American Heart/American Stroke Association, and the | 23 | | American Cancer Society; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, For over 106 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; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni | 5 | | chapters in the United States of America, the District of | 6 | | Columbia, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe; this total | 7 | | includes 140 chapters in the Midwestern Region, including 31 in | 8 | | Illinois; the Midwestern Region includes the states of | 9 | | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, | 10 | | Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, West Virginia, Wisconsin, | 11 | | and Canada; Alpha Phi Alpha's presence started in Illinois, | 12 | | with the founding of the first college chapter in Illinois, the | 13 | | Theta Chapter, in 1910, and the first alumni chapter, the Xi | 14 | | Lambda Chapter, which was founded in 1924, both in Chicago; 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 the likes of Dr. | 18 | | Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John | 19 | | Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson, Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew | 20 | | Young, and Cornel West; its membership also includes State and | 21 | | local elected officials, including former U.S. Senator Roland | 22 | | Burris, former Cook County Board Presidents John and Todd | 23 | | Stroger, and former Mayor of Chicago Eugene Sawyer, among |
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| 1 | | countless others who have long stood at the forefront of the | 2 | | fight for civil and human rights and social change for all | 3 | | Americans; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha members have served in the | 5 | | Illinois General Assembly, including the following members of | 6 | | the 98th General Assembly: Senator Donne E. Trotter and | 7 | | Representatives Al Riley, Arthur Turner, Jr., Emanuel "Chris" | 8 | | Welch, and Elgie R. Sims, Jr., who also serves as the 26th Vice | 9 | | President of the Midwestern Region; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha continues to enrich the lives of | 11 | | its members, who, in turn, provide service and advocacy for the | 12 | | communities they serve with a commitment to service and the | 13 | | uplifting of humanity; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we recognize and honor the 2013 Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the | 17 | | Illinois State Capitol and welcome the members of Alpha Phi | 18 | | Alpha to the Capitol; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That we designate the date of May 8, 2013 as | 20 | | Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha | 21 | | Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and its continued service | 22 | | and impact on the communities it serves; and be it further |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 2 | | delivered to Elgie R. Sims, Jr., Esq., Midwestern Regional Vice | 3 | | President; Sharron R. Anderson, Assistant Regional Vice | 4 | | President; the Illinois District Director and the Assistant | 5 | | Illinois District Director; and the Presidents of the 31 | 6 | | College and Alumni Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, | 7 | | Incorporated, located in the District of Illinois.
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