Full Text of SR0893 098th General Assembly
SR0893 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is the | 3 | | first sorority founded by African-American women; it began on | 4 | | the campus of Howard University in 1908 under the guiding | 5 | | principles of sisterhood, scholarship, and service; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The organization currently has more than 265,000 | 7 | | members and more than 970 chapters across the globe; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority | 9 | | grew out of the Delta Phi Eta Club at the University of | 10 | | Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the purpose of fostering a | 11 | | friendlier relationship among students; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Through the guidance of Alpha Kappa Alpha Founder | 13 | | Beulah Elizabeth Burke and Incorporator Nellie Quander, Gamma | 14 | | Chapter was chartered on February 12, 1914 as the third chapter | 15 | | of Alpha Kappa Alpha; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority for | 17 | | African-American women at the University of Illinois; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The 8 charter members of Gamma Chapter were Emma | 19 | | Ballinger, Selma Beck, Frances Ellis, Clara Vesta Lewis, Louise | 20 | | Lewis, Ivorine McAllister, Edith Stevens and Helen Stevens; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Gamma Chapter was a trailblazer in the expansion | 2 | | of Alpha Kappa Alpha nationwide; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, "Gamma Girls" have shown strong leadership in | 4 | | service and scholarship both during and beyond their | 5 | | undergraduate years; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Notable members of the organization include the | 7 | | first African-American female University of Illinois Bronze | 8 | | Tablet Scholar, the first African-American woman to be crowned | 9 | | homecoming queen at a Big Ten school, an Alpha Kappa Alpha | 10 | | International Corresponding Secretary, and 5 regional | 11 | | directors; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Gamma Chapter played a pivotal role in the early | 13 | | enrollment and housing of African-American women at the | 14 | | University of Illinois; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Gamma House, which has served as a residence for | 16 | | both sorority sisters and non-members alike, was instrumental | 17 | | in recruiting and retaining African-American women at the | 18 | | university; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Members of Gamma Chapter have gone on to become | 20 | | educators, authors, lawyers, physicians, legislators, and a |
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| 1 | | plethora of other successful occupations; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Lovingly known as "Glamorous Gamma," the chapter | 3 | | set the tone for student activism and future organizations | 4 | | focused on women of color; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, 100 years later, the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa | 6 | | Alpha Sorority remains the longest-serving organization for | 7 | | African-American women at the University of Illinois, the | 8 | | State's flagship public institution of higher learning; | 9 | | therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we celebrate the women | 12 | | and legacy of the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, | 13 | | Incorporated in commemoration of their centennial anniversary, | 14 | | and deem February 12, 2014 as "Gamma Day" in the State of | 15 | | Illinois; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as | 18 | | a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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