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92_SJ0005 LRB9207536KBkb 1 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, at the time of its 3 acceptance into the Union in 1818 and for a longtime 4 thereafter, practiced de facto slavery masqueraded as 5 "indentured servitude"; the census of 1840 enumerated slaves 6 in Illinois in violation of the Ordinance of 1787, which 7 outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territories; and 8 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois passed the infamous and 9 unjust Black Laws (1819), otherwise known as the Black Codes, 10 which were a denial of human rights designed to cover up 11 slavery and the slave trade within the borders of the State; 12 and 13 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois supported the Black Codes 14 for more than forty-six years until they were finally 15 repealed; and 16 WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois the majority of 17 Illinois citizens favored closing the State to 18 African-American residents and withholding the right of 19 citizenship from those African-American residents already 20 living in the State; and 21 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois passed dehumanizing laws 22 stating that slaves were not persons, but property, and as 23 property the ownership of enslaved Africans was to be fully 24 protected by Illinois law; and 25 WHEREAS, For many years, Black people, free or 26 otherwise, had no legal status as citizens in the State of 27 Illinois; and 28 WHEREAS, The East St. Louis massacre on July 2, 1917 was 29 the scene of violent attacks on the Black populace; a bitter 30 and destructive riot ran on for nearly a week; 312 buildings 31 were destroyed; some reports claimed 39 African-Americans -2- LRB9207536KBkb 1 were killed, while another source reported 200 to 300 deaths, 2 including women and children; and 3 WHEREAS, On August 14 and 15, 1908, a riot broke out in 4 the State Capital of Springfield; Scott Burton was lynched 5 during the riot and Joe James was lynched after the riot; 6 there were lootings, buildings and property were destroyed, 7 and Walter Donegan was hung in a tree, his throat slit open, 8 and his body mutilated; and 9 WHEREAS, Chicago faced a riot in the week of July 27 10 through August 2, 1919; one of the country's most violent and 11 racially motivated attacks on Blacks occurred; 38 people were 12 killed, 537 were injured, and 1,000 people found themselves 13 homeless; and 14 WHEREAS, The Chicago Commission on Race Relations 15 rendered a full report studying the Black Community (The 16 Negro in Chicago) and ignored studies of the white offenders 17 and their communities; and 18 WHEREAS, The racial altercations throughout the State of 19 Illinois during the turbulent decade of the 1960's resulted 20 in the Kerner Commission Report, or The Report of the 21 National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders; and 22 WHEREAS, There is a need for special investigations into 23 the unknown number of African-Americans killed during race 24 riots in the State of Illinois; therefore, be it 25 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL 26 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF 27 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that a special commission, 28 to be known as the Illinois Riot and Reparations Commission, 29 be formed to study historical events in the State of 30 Illinois, particularly those events that resulted in the loss 31 of African-American lives and property; and that if the study -3- LRB9207536KBkb 1 presented by the Commission warrants a second commission be 2 formed to look into the payment of reparations to the 3 survivors and their descendants; and be it further 4 RESOLVED, That the Commission be made up of four members 5 of the Illinois Senate, two to be chosen by the President of 6 the Senate, and two to be chosen by the Senate Minority 7 Leader; four members of the Illinois House of 8 Representatives, two to be chosen by the Speaker of the 9 House, and two to be chosen by the House Minority Leader; the 10 Executive Director of the Illinois Human Rights Commission, 11 or his or her designee, and the Director of the Illinois 12 State Historical Society, or his or her designee; all of whom 13 shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for 14 their reasonable and necessary expenses; and be it further 15 RESOLVED, That the Commission shall meet at the call of 16 the President of the Senate, and shall make a report of its 17 findings to the General Assembly no later than January 10, 18 2002, and upon making its report shall be dissolved; and be 19 it further 20 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 21 delivered to the Executive Director of the Illinois Human 22 Rights Commission and the Director of the Illinois State 23 Historical Society.