Bill Text: IL HR0663 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates the owners of the Chicago Defender on the occasion of the newspaper's 110th anniversary.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2015-07-28 - Resolution Adopted [HR0663 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HR0663-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate the owners of the Chicago
Defender on the occasion of the newspaper's 110th anniversary
in 2015; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago Defender is a Chicago-based weekly
newspaper that was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott for
primarily African American readers; the Chicago Defender has
attracted the writing talents of many famous writers, including
Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Willard Motley; and
WHEREAS, Robert Sengstacke Abbott, editor and founder of
the Chicago Defender, played a major role in influencing the
Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to
the urban North by means of strong, moralistic rhetoric in his
newspaper's editorials and political cartoons, the promotion
of Chicago as a destination, and the advertisement of
successful African American individuals as inspiration for
blacks in the South; the Defender consistently published
articles describing lynchings in the south with vivid
descriptions and unrestrained blame of the mobs of whites
typically involved, forcing readers to accept that these crimes
were "systematic and unremitting"; the art in the Defender,
particularly its political cartoons, explicitly addressed race

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issues and advocated northern migration of African Americans;
the Defender was also used to initiate and advertise a "Great
Northern Drive" day, set for May 15, 1917; and
WHEREAS, In 1923, Robert Sengstacke Abbott and editor
Lucius Harper created the Bud Billiken Club and later organized
parades to promote healthy activity among black children in
Chicago; in 1929, the organization began the Bud Billiken
Parade and Picnic, which is still held annually in Chicago; in
the 1950s, under Sengstacke's direction, the Bud Billiken
Parade expanded and emerged as the largest single event in
Chicago; today, the event attracts more than one million
attendees and more than 25 million television viewers, making
it one of the largest parades in the country; and
WHEREAS, Robert Sengstacke Abbott's nephew, John H.
Sengstacke, took over the Defender in 1940; in 1948, he
encouraged President Harry S. Truman to integrate the armed
services, which President Truman did soon after; he also served
as a member of Truman's appointed committee to assure that the
military implemented this plan; and
WHEREAS, John Sengstacke brought together for the first
time major black newspaper publishers and created the National
Negro Publishers Association, later renamed the National
Newspaper Publishers Association; today, the Association

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consists of over 200 member black newspapers; and
WHEREAS, Under John Sengstacke's leadership, the Defender
became a daily newspaper on February 6, 1956 and changed its
name to the Chicago Daily Defender, becoming the nation's
second black daily newspaper; it published as a daily until
2003; and
WHEREAS, In January of 2003, control of the Chicago
Defender and her sister publications was transferred to Real
Times, Inc., which was organized and led by Thom Picou and
Robert (Bobby) Sengstacke, John H. Sengstacke's son; today, the
paper continues to serve as a world-class source of local,
State, and national news; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
congratulate the owners of the Chicago Defender on the occasion
of the newspaper's 110th anniversary and wish them continued
success and happiness in the future; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the Chicago Defender as a symbol of our esteem and
respect.