HR0617 LRB103 39600 MST 69898 r
1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to recognize the life and legacy of Annie
4		Minerva Turnbo Malone, an African American entrepreneur and
5		philanthropist during the early 20th century; and
6		WHEREAS, Annie Malone was born in Metropolis on August 9,
7		1869, the tenth of 11 children of Robert and Isabella Cook
8		Turnbo; she attended school in Illinois but especially enjoyed
9		fashioning her own and her sister's hair, becoming aware of
10		differences in hair texture; by 1889, she had developed her
11		own scalp and hair products that she demonstrated and sold
12		from a buggy throughout Illinois; and
13		WHEREAS, Annie Malone's business growth led her to St.
14		Louis, Missouri in 1902, which at the time held the
15		fourth-largest population of African Americans; she
16		copyrighted her Poro brand beauty products, and through her
17		business model that used local sales agents, she offered
18		career opportunities and economic independence to African
19		American women at a time when little was available; and
20		WHEREAS, Committed to community building and social
21		welfare, Annie Malone founded Poro College in 1987, a complex
22		that included her business offices, manufacturing operation,

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1		and training center, as well as facilities for civic,
2		religious, and social functions; many local and national
3		organizations, including the National Negro Business League,
4		were housed in the facility or used it for business functions;
5		by 1926, the college employed 175 people and had franchised
6		outlets in North and South America, Africa and the
7		Philippines; by 1930, she had moved from Missouri and settled
8		on Chicago's South Side; and
9		WHEREAS, Annie Malone is recorded as the first Black woman
10		millionaire in the U. S. based on reports of $14 million in
11		assets held in 1920 from her beauty and cosmetic enterprises;
12		and
13		WHEREAS, Annie Malone served as board president of the St.
14		Louis Colored Orphan's Home from 1919 to 1943; she donated the
15		first $10,000 to build the orphanage's new building in 1919;
16		during the 1920s, her philanthropy included financing the
17		education of two full-time students in every historically
18		black college and university; her $25,000 donation to Howard
19		University was among the largest gifts the university had
20		received by a private donor of African descent; and
21		WHEREAS, Annie Malone was treated for a stroke at
22		Provident Hospital in Chicago on May 10, 1957, where she died;
23		at the time of her death, Poro beauty colleges were in

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1		operation in more than 30 U.S. cities; and
2		WHEREAS, Annie Malone's memory is honored in St. Louis
3		with the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center whose
4		mission is to improve the quality of life for children,
5		families, elderly, and the community by providing social
6		services, educational programs, advocacy, and
7		entrepreneurship; therefore, be it
8		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10		we recognize the life and legacy of Annie Minerva Turnbo
11		Malone, an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist
12		during the early 20th century; and be it further