Bill Text: IL SR1613 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Designates May 9, 2018 as Alpha Phi Alpha day in the State of Illinois.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2018-05-09 - Resolution Adopted [SR1613 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-SR1613-Introduced.html

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SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was
founded on December 4, 1906 by seven college men, respectfully
known as the "Seven Jewels," on the campus of Cornell
University in Ithaca, New York, and became the first
intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by and for
African Americans; and
WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Fraternity, Henry Arthur
Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George
Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle,
and Vertner Woodson Tandy, recognized the need for a strong
bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country,
while stressing academic excellence among its members; the
founders recognized the need to help correct the educational,
economic, political, and social injustices faced by African
Americans and other people of color; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and
support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice,
both educationally and socially, at Cornell University; the
Jewel Founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in
laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of
scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of
humanity; and

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WHEREAS, Since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has
consistently supplied its voice and vision to the struggle of
African Americans, people of color, and issues of civil rights
around the world; and
WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha are manly deeds,
scholarship, and love for all mankind; and
WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop
leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and
provide service and advocacy for communities, as exemplified
through its national programs which include "Go to High School,
Go to College," which focuses on the educational achievement of
students in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools
and has given thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to
deserving students, "Project Alpha," which teaches teenage
pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted disease
prevention to young males, and its "A Voteless People is a
Hopeless People" campaign, a voter registration and education
program through which thousands of voters have been educated
and registered; Alpha Phi Alpha also focuses on providing
service through its strategic partnerships with Big Brothers
Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of America, the March of Dimes, the
American Heart/American Stroke Association, and the American
Cancer Society; and

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WHEREAS, For over 111 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a
fundamental role in the positive development of the character
and education of more than 200,000 men around the world; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni
chapters in the United States of America, Africa, Asia, the
Caribbean, and Europe; this total includes 141 chapters in the
Midwestern Region, including 32 in Illinois; the Midwestern
Region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, West
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada; Alpha Phi Alpha's presence
started in Illinois with the founding of the first college
chapter in Illinois, the Theta Chapter in 1910, and the first
alumni chapter, the Xi Lambda Chapter in 1924, both in Chicago;
and
WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include many noteworthy
leaders in the areas of government, business, entertainment,
science, and higher education, including Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, John
H. Johnson, Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew Young, and Cornel West;
its membership also includes federal, State, and local elected
officials, including U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis,
former U.S. Senators Edward Brook and Roland Burris, former
State Senator Donne E. Trotter, former Cook County Board

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Presidents John and Todd Stroger, and former Mayor of Chicago
Eugene Sawyer, among countless others who have long stood at
the forefront of the fight for civil and human rights and
social change for all Americans; and
WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha members have served in the
Illinois General Assembly, including the following members of
the 99th General Assembly: Representatives Al Riley, Justin
Slaughter, Arthur Turner Jr., Emanuel "Chris" Welch, and
Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr, who also served as the 26th Vice
President of the Midwestern Region; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha continues to enrich the lives of
its members, who, in turn, provide service and advocacy for the
communities they serve; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 2018
Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the Illinois State Capitol and
welcome the members of Alpha Phi Alpha to the Capitol; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That we designate the date of May 9, 2018 as
Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and its continued impact on
the communities it serves; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to the Midwestern Regional Vice President and the
Assistant Regional Vice President or their designees, the
Illinois District Director, and the Illinois Assistant
District Director of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.