Bill Text: IL HR0482 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Aurora City Council Alderperson Scheketa Hart-Burns of Ward 7.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-11-07 - Resolution Adopted [HR0482 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0482-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Aurora | ||||||
4 | City Council Alderperson Scheketa Hart-Burns of Ward 7, who | ||||||
5 | passed away on June 19, 2023; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns was a graduate of Edison College; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns became the first African American | ||||||
9 | elected to the Aurora City Council in 1991, and she was later | ||||||
10 | the first-ever African American to serve as mayor pro tempore, | ||||||
11 | holding the position from 2016 to 2017; she served as | ||||||
12 | chairperson of the Public Health, Safety, and Transportation | ||||||
13 | Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, and an alternate | ||||||
14 | for the Buildings, Grounds & Infrastructure Committee; and
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15 | WHEREAS, For Ward 7 residents, Ald. Hart-Burns launched | ||||||
16 | dozens of organizations and initiatives for Ward 7 residents, | ||||||
17 | including the 7th Ward Committee, the Eastwood Tenant Council, | ||||||
18 | the Forest Ridge Tenant Council, the Inner Circle Neighbor | ||||||
19 | Group, the Maple Terrace Tenant Council, the Taking Back Our | ||||||
20 | Community organization, and community gardens in and annual | ||||||
21 | holiday programs for Forest Ridge and Eastwood; and
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1 | WHEREAS, For the City of Aurora, Ald. Hart-Burns | ||||||
2 | established the annual citywide Black history program, the | ||||||
3 | annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon celebration, and | ||||||
4 | the annual Black and Latino American history programs at Metea | ||||||
5 | High School and Cowherd Middle School; she also designated | ||||||
6 | commemorative street signs for prominent African American | ||||||
7 | residents, and she hosted annual holiday musicals for the | ||||||
8 | Interfaith Food Pantry and the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry and | ||||||
9 | holiday dinners for senior citizens and disabled persons; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns supported and created many youth | ||||||
11 | initiatives, including founding the Back to School Bash at Dr. | ||||||
12 | Martin Luther King Jr. Park to bring together more than 5,000 | ||||||
13 | youth and families to start the new school year and the Project | ||||||
14 | Unity Back to School Fair to provide back-to-school supplies, | ||||||
15 | free services, and information to thousands of families; she | ||||||
16 | co-founded the annual Coats-for-Kids Drive to provide winter | ||||||
17 | clothing to thousands of students in need and the City of | ||||||
18 | Aurora's STEAM Academy to provide enrichment activities to | ||||||
19 | more than 700 local youth in the areas of science, technology, | ||||||
20 | engineering, art, and math; she was a founding advisor and | ||||||
21 | mother emeritus of the mentoring group Boys II Men, Inc., and | ||||||
22 | she also served as a mentor to Aurora University students | ||||||
23 | seeking advanced degrees in the social work program; and
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24 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns belonged to numerous |
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1 | organizations, including serving as chairperson of the Circle | ||||||
2 | of Wise Women for the Kane County Health Department, | ||||||
3 | chairperson of the Weed and Seed Program with the Kane County | ||||||
4 | State's Attorney's Office, a 33-year board member and advisor | ||||||
5 | of the Quad County Urban League, a founding advisor for the | ||||||
6 | Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, a member of | ||||||
7 | the League of United Latin American Citizens, and a board | ||||||
8 | member of the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry and Childcare | ||||||
9 | Center; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns was the namesake of the Scheketa | ||||||
11 | Hart-Burns Phenomenal Woman Achievement Award, an honor | ||||||
12 | presented annually to more than 100 young women in Aurora by | ||||||
13 | Boys II Men, Inc.; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns was an evangelist missionary at | ||||||
15 | Greater Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ (COGIC); and
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16 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns will be remembered as a public | ||||||
17 | servant who blazed an impactful, unforgettable, and undeniable | ||||||
18 | trail of excellence in service and advocacy for more than 30 | ||||||
19 | years; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns was preceded in death by her | ||||||
21 | children, Malik Hart and Ahmad Hart; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Ald. Hart-Burns is survived by her husband, | ||||||
2 | William F. Burns, and her children, Kehinde Hart, Hakim Hart, | ||||||
3 | Amina Hart, Michael Burns, Vernon Burns, and Arvin Burns; | ||||||
4 | therefore, be it
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5 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
6 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
7 | we mourn the passing of Aurora City Council Alderperson | ||||||
8 | Scheketa Hart-Burns and extend our sincere condolences to her | ||||||
9 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
10 | further
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