Bill Text: IL HR1127 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates the date of May 11, 2016 as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and its work.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-05-11 - Resolution Adopted [HR1127 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HR1127-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founded | ||||||
3 | on the campus of Howard University in 1908 and incorporated in | ||||||
4 | 1913, has established a mandate for carrying out the vision of | ||||||
5 | a new day of excellence and performance; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is the nation's oldest | ||||||
7 | African-American sorority; the Sorority has never changed its | ||||||
8 | mission to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical | ||||||
9 | standards, promote unity and friendship among college women, | ||||||
10 | help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to | ||||||
11 | improve their social status, maintain a progressive interest in | ||||||
12 | college life, and to be of "Service to All Mankind"; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The 2014-2018 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. | ||||||
14 | administration, under the dynamic and creative leadership of | ||||||
15 | International President Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson,
continues to | ||||||
16 | fulfill the service imperative of the organization's
founders | ||||||
17 | with the international program "Launching New Dimensions of | ||||||
18 | Service", which focuses on educational enrichment, health | ||||||
19 | promotion, family strengthening, environmental ownership, and | ||||||
20 | global impact; and
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21 | WHEREAS, The 2016 program for "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, | ||||||
22 | Inc. Day at the Capitol" in Springfield, nationwide,
and |
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1 | internationally, will focus on mental health, which is part of | ||||||
2 | Target #2 of the sorority's
"Launching New Dimensions of | ||||||
3 | Service" international program, "Civil Rights/Social Justice" | ||||||
4 | and
"Be The Voice Campaign" (voter registration, voter | ||||||
5 | education, voter mobilization and voter participation); the | ||||||
6 | "Be the Voice Campaign" was launched at the Central Regional | ||||||
7 | Conference in
Chicago from March 3-6, 2016; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Many prominent women have been or are members of | ||||||
9 | Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., including the late First Lady
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10 | Eleanor Roosevelt, the late civil rights leaders Coretta Scott
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11 | King and Rosa Parks, actress Phylicia Rashad, the late poet | ||||||
12 | Maya
Angelou, writer Toni Morrison, singer Alicia Keys, | ||||||
13 | attorney
Star Jones, financial expert Mellody Hobson, | ||||||
14 | comedian/actress
Wanda Sykes, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, Cook | ||||||
15 | County Recorder of Deeds
Karen Yarbrough, Cook County Board | ||||||
16 | President Toni Preckwinkle, and the President of Liberia, Ellen | ||||||
17 | Johnson Sirleaf; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Many members of the General Assembly and | ||||||
19 | legislative staff are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, | ||||||
20 | Inc., including Senate Majority Whip Mattie Hunter, Senator Toi | ||||||
21 | Hutchinson, Representative Monique Davis, India Hammons, and | ||||||
22 | Nia Odeoti-Hassan, who has served since 2010 as the Illinois | ||||||
23 | State Connection Coordinator and the chairwoman of the Illinois | ||||||
24 | State Connection Committee in the Central Region under the |
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1 | leadership of Regional Director Kathy Walker-Steele; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha's storied history of proven | ||||||
3 | leadership and extensive involvement in the world community | ||||||
4 | through strategic partnerships evidence the sorority's | ||||||
5 | potential to significantly contribute to the world community; | ||||||
6 | and
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7 | WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated made | ||||||
8 | history and expanded its international presence when it | ||||||
9 | chartered its first chapter, Omega Theta Omega, in the Middle | ||||||
10 | East; the chapter's 37 women, located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and | ||||||
11 | throughout the United Arab Emirates, are business executives, | ||||||
12 | attorneys, educators, and physicians, among other accomplished | ||||||
13 | professionals; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Leadership development is essential to the | ||||||
15 | vitality of the organization, and the sorority's continuing | ||||||
16 | requirements of academic excellence, shared values, and | ||||||
17 | dedication to the mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha ensure a | ||||||
18 | continuous wellspring of quality leaders; therefore, be it
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19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
20 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
21 | designate the date of May 11, 2016 as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in | ||||||
22 | the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, |
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1 | Incorporated, and its work; and be it further
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2 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
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3 | provided to Kathy Walker-Steele, Central Regional Director; | ||||||
4 | Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, International President; Sylvia | ||||||
5 | Blackmon-Roberts, International Connection Committee Chairman; | ||||||
6 | and Bakahia Madison, Central Regional Representative to the | ||||||
7 | International Connection Committee.
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