Full Text of HR0341 97th General Assembly
HR0341 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, May 4, 2011 is the 50th anniversary of the Freedom | 3 | | Rides; on September 22, 1961, because of the dedication and | 4 | | sacrifice of almost 500 determined and strong men and women, | 5 | | the Interstate Commerce Commission issued an order that all Jim | 6 | | Crow signs must be removed from bus and rail stations in the | 7 | | South; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, On May 4, 1961, the Freedom Rides began in | 9 | | Washington, D.C.; originally, 13 men and women boarded two | 10 | | buses and headed for the Deep South to test the federal laws | 11 | | prohibiting segregation; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The plan was to ride in the front of buses and sit | 13 | | in bus stop waiting rooms that were designated "whites only" | 14 | | and "colored"; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The Freedom Rides were organized by the Congress | 16 | | of Racial Equality (CORE), which trained the men and women to | 17 | | be peaceful and nonviolent in the face of hatred and anger, and | 18 | | to not strike back against the people they would face on their | 19 | | trip; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, John Lewis, now a current United States | 21 | | congressman, was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders; on May |
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| 1 | | 9, 1961, after stepping off the bus and into a South Carolina | 2 | | bus terminal, he was attacked and beaten by an angry white man; | 3 | | after the beating, he was asked by police if he wanted to press | 4 | | charges and he responded that he and the other Freedom Riders | 5 | | were not there to cause trouble, so no charges would be | 6 | | pressed; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Elwin Wilson, the man who attacked young John | 8 | | Lewis that day, went to the congressman's office in 2009 and | 9 | | offered his apology; for years he had prayed that he could meet | 10 | | Representative Lewis and make amends for the beating; | 11 | | Representative Lewis accepted his apology and the two men have | 12 | | since become friends; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Other heroes included Hank Thomas, who was on a | 14 | | bus that was attacked after crossing the Alabama state border; | 15 | | as he laid in front of a small grocery store, the store owner's | 16 | | daughter, Janie Forsyth, offered him assistance and water; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Diane Nash, the leader of the Nashville Student | 18 | | Movement in 1961, offered to lead the second series of Freedom | 19 | | Rides, without regard for her own safety; former United States | 20 | | Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent his assistant, John | 21 | | Seigenthaler, to the South to represent his office; Mr. | 22 | | Seigenthaler was attacked by an angry mob in Nashville and | 23 | | Diane Nash also saw violence during her experience; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, There were so many people who sacrificed a great | 2 | | amount to see changes in our country; through their love for | 3 | | others, their ability to remain peaceful in the face of hatred | 4 | | and bitterness, and their undying courage, change came to the | 5 | | South, and across the nation as a result of the Freedom Rides; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, As a result of the examples of the original | 8 | | Freedom Riders, 40 college students began a journey on May 4, | 9 | | 2011 from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans to retrace the route | 10 | | of those important and history-changing trips through the | 11 | | South; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 13 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we commend Representative John Lewis, Hank Thomas, Janie | 15 | | Forsyth, Diane Nash, John Seigenthaler, and all the brave men | 16 | | and women who took part in or supported the original Freedom | 17 | | Rides; and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 | | delivered to Representative John Lewis, Hank Thomas, Janie | 20 | | Forsyth, Diane Nash, and John Seigenthaler as symbols of our | 21 | | pride and respect for their bravery all those years ago.
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