Full Text of HR0764 103rd General Assembly
HR0764 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0764 | | LRB103 40551 LAW 73083 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Reverend | 4 | | Walter "Slim" Coleman of Chicago, who passed away on April 16, | 5 | | 2024; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman was born on August 20, 1943; he was | 7 | | raised in Lubbock, Texas; he attended Harvard University, | 8 | | where he dropped out shortly before graduation to begin his | 9 | | life in activism, later finishing his degree; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman was an influential Chicago activist | 11 | | for more than six decades; he served as an advocate for civil | 12 | | rights and social justice causes and led countless | 13 | | demonstrations; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman became involved with the Student | 15 | | Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a predominantly Black, | 16 | | student-run civil rights group; after the organization | 17 | | dissolved, he moved from Cleveland to Chicago in 1966, where | 18 | | he began working with the Students for a Democratic Society, | 19 | | an organization whose headquarters were located near the | 20 | | Illinois Black Panther Party Headquarters on Madison Street, | 21 | | leading him to become acquainted with Chairman Fred Hampton; | 22 | | and |
| | | HR0764 | - 2 - | LRB103 40551 LAW 73083 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, After parting ways with the Students for a | 2 | | Democratic Society, Rev. Coleman created the People's | 3 | | Information Center in Lincoln, which functioned as part of the | 4 | | Black Panther Party and aided thousands of poor whites and | 5 | | Latinos who lived on Chicago's North Side; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, After Hampton's death in 1969, Rev. Coleman | 7 | | established the Intercommunal Survival Collective of the Black | 8 | | Panther Party in Uptown, which provided food, education, and | 9 | | legal assistance; his organization evolved into the Heart of | 10 | | Uptown Coalition; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Through his monumental voter registration efforts | 12 | | in Chicago's poor white communities, Rev. Coleman played a | 13 | | pivotal role in Harold Washington's historic and successful | 14 | | campaign to become Chicago's first Black mayor in 1983; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman created the Fair Share organization | 16 | | with his future wife, Emma Lozano, to fight gentrification in | 17 | | the West Town and Bucktown communities; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman later became a pastor and led the | 19 | | Adalberto United Methodist Church in Humboldt Park, serving | 20 | | that church and the Lincoln United Methodist Church in Pilsen; | 21 | | and |
| | | HR0764 | - 3 - | LRB103 40551 LAW 73083 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman served as an immigration policy aide | 2 | | to former U.S. Representative Luis Gutiérrez; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman loved playing guitar and music, | 4 | | especially country, blues, and folk; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman leaves behind a legacy of community | 6 | | leadership and activism on behalf of people and communities | 7 | | fighting for fairness and access to resources and power in | 8 | | Chicago; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Coleman is survived by his wife; five | 10 | | children, Robert Rico, Anita Rico, Tanya Lozano, Joline | 11 | | Lozano, and Roberto C. Lopez; and six grandchildren; | 12 | | therefore, be it | 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 14 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 | | we mourn the passing of Reverend Walter "Slim" Coleman and | 16 | | extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all | 17 | | who knew and loved him; and be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the family of Rev. Coleman as an expression of our | 20 | | deepest sympathy. |
|