Full Text of SR0537 100th General Assembly
SR0537 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Eddie Williams, who passed away on May 8, | 4 | | 2017; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Eddie Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee on | 6 | | August 18, 1932; he served in the United States Army and | 7 | | graduated from the University of Illinois in 1955; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Following his service, Eddie Williams worked as a | 9 | | reporter; he then became the first African American protocol | 10 | | officer at the United States Department of State and worked on | 11 | | the staffs of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Senator Hubert | 12 | | Humphrey; he joined the University of Chicago as director for | 13 | | the Center for Policy Study in 1968 and became the vice | 14 | | president for public affairs; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Eddie Williams served as president of the Joint | 16 | | Center for Political and Economic Studies (JCPES) from 1972 to | 17 | | 2004; he built the JCPES into one of the leading institutions | 18 | | in African American political thought and research; he led the | 19 | | JCPES in helping establish several organizations of African | 20 | | American elected officials and built a roster of more than | 21 | | 10,000 African American elected officials; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Eddie Williams hosted African American elected | 2 | | officials every four years to assemble policy priorities to | 3 | | share with presidential candidates and transition teams; he | 4 | | also created Focus magazine in an effort to bring together | 5 | | African American elected officials, political activists, and | 6 | | scholars nationwide; he was the founding chairman of the board | 7 | | of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Eddie Williams shaped and established the first | 9 | | respected African American think tank/policy institute in and | 10 | | for Black America; his research and policy work was the basis | 11 | | for most African American political and civil rights gains in | 12 | | the post-King, pre-Obama era; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Eddie Williams is survived by his wife, Jearline; | 14 | | his son, Larry (Rangena Hotaki); his grandchildren, Samaira and | 15 | | Rafiq William; and his stepson, Terence A. Reddick; therefore, | 16 | | be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 18 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 19 | | Eddie Williams, and extend our sincere condolences to his | 20 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 21 | | further
| 22 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| 1 | | presented to the family of Eddie Williams as an expression of | 2 | | our deepest sympathy.
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