Bill Text: IL SR0733 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares May 6, 2026 as Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois. Commends Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated for 120 years of outstanding service, leadership, and advocacy. Welcomes the members of the fraternity to the State Capitol for this annual celebration of excellence.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2026-05-06 - Resolution Adopted [SR0733 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2025-SR0733-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated was | ||||||
| 3 | founded by seven college men, respectfully known as the Seven | ||||||
| 4 | Jewels, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New | ||||||
| 5 | York on December 4, 1906, becoming the first intercollegiate | ||||||
| 6 | Greek-letter fraternity established by and for African | ||||||
| 7 | Americans; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels, Henry Arthur Callis, Charles | ||||||
| 9 | Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, | ||||||
| 10 | Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner | ||||||
| 11 | Woodson Tandy, recognized the need for a strong bond of | ||||||
| 12 | brotherhood among African descendants in this country and the | ||||||
| 13 | need to help correct the educational, economic, political, and | ||||||
| 14 | social injustices faced by African Americans and other people | ||||||
| 15 | of color; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and | ||||||
| 17 | support group for minority students who faced racial | ||||||
| 18 | prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornell | ||||||
| 19 | University; its founders and early leaders laid a firm | ||||||
| 20 | foundation for the fraternity's principles of scholarship, | ||||||
| 21 | fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity; and | ||||||
| 22 | WHEREAS, While stressing academic excellence among its | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | members since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has consistently | ||||||
| 2 | supplied its voice and vision to the struggle for civil rights | ||||||
| 3 | and social justice around the world; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha are manly deeds, | ||||||
| 5 | scholarship, and love for all mankind; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop | ||||||
| 7 | leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and | ||||||
| 8 | provide service and advocacy for communities, as exemplified | ||||||
| 9 | through its national programs, which include | ||||||
| 10 | "Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College", "Project Alpha", and "A | ||||||
| 11 | Voteless People is a Hopeless People", along with strategic | ||||||
| 12 | partnerships with a number of organizations, such as Big | ||||||
| 13 | Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of America, March of | ||||||
| 14 | Dimes, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer | ||||||
| 15 | Society; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, For over 119 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a | ||||||
| 17 | fundamental role in shaping the character and educational | ||||||
| 18 | achievement of more than 200,000 men worldwide, and the | ||||||
| 19 | fraternity will celebrate 120 years as the first Black | ||||||
| 20 | Greek-letter organization on December 4, 2026; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has more than 700 chapters | ||||||
| 22 | globally, including 32 active chapters in Illinois, with its | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | roots dating back to the 1910 founding of Theta Chapter and the | ||||||
| 2 | 1924 founding of Xi Lambda Chapter in Chicago; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. | ||||||
| 4 | include many noteworthy leaders in the areas of government, | ||||||
| 5 | business, entertainment, science, and higher education, | ||||||
| 6 | including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood | ||||||
| 7 | Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson, | ||||||
| 8 | Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew Young, Robert Smith, Dick Gregory, | ||||||
| 9 | and Cornel West; its membership also includes a long and | ||||||
| 10 | distinguished list of current and former federal, state, and | ||||||
| 11 | local elected officials, including U.S. Senator Raphael | ||||||
| 12 | Warnock, U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis, former U.S. | ||||||
| 13 | Senators Edward Brooke and Roland Burris, former State | ||||||
| 14 | Senators Adelbert H. Roberts, who was also the first African | ||||||
| 15 | American in the Illinois State Senate, and Donne E. Trotter, | ||||||
| 16 | former State Representatives Al Riley and Art Turner Jr., | ||||||
| 17 | former Cook County Board Presidents John and Todd Stroger, and | ||||||
| 18 | former Mayor of Chicago Eugene Sawyer, among countless others | ||||||
| 19 | who have long stood at the forefront of the fight for civil and | ||||||
| 20 | human rights and social change for all Americans; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, On May 6, 2026, Illinois members of Alpha Phi | ||||||
| 22 | Alpha will gather for Alpha Day at the Capitol in Springfield, | ||||||
| 23 | and in a powerful display of unity and purpose, they will be | ||||||
| 24 | joined by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to collectively | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | advance the priorities of the communities they serve; | ||||||
| 2 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 3 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 4 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 6, 2026 | ||||||
| 5 | as Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois; and be it | ||||||
| 6 | further | ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, That we commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, | ||||||
| 8 | Incorporated for 120 years of outstanding service, leadership, | ||||||
| 9 | and advocacy, and we welcome the members of the fraternity to | ||||||
| 10 | the State Capitol for this annual celebration of excellence. | ||||||
