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90_SR0199
SDS/90SR0000/gbp
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Native Americans are a proud people with a
3 strong heritage and with deep cultural roots; and
4 WHEREAS, The Illinois State Senate recognizes the
5 contributions Native Americans have made in the day-to-day
6 lives of every ethnic group in our State, contributions
7 including the 3-chamber model of government, originally
8 adopted by the federal government and later adopted by the
9 State and the introduction of corn, one of the major market
10 products in Illinois, as well as other foods indigenous to
11 the Americans; and
12 WHEREAS, It has been brought to the attention of this
13 body by Midwest SOARRING, an American Indian preservation
14 organization, that many times inappropriate slang expressions
15 used to identify Native Americans, such as "squaw", are given
16 to various entities including street names, creeks, and
17 townships; and
18 WHEREAS, It is in the best interests of the citizens of
19 Illinois to remove the offensive cultural slang of "squaw"
20 from any entity in Illinois; therefore, be it
21 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
22 OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge all cities, townships,
23 and villages to select a new name for each of those
24 properties and features without using offensive slang such as
25 the word "squaw"; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent
27 to the Illinois Municipal League and Township Officials of
28 Illinois.