SJ0026 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0026 LRB094 11611 CSA 42725 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and

WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home; and

WHEREAS, American women have played a unique role throughout the history of the Nation by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the Nation; and

WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation; and

WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement; and

WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and

WHEREAS, Despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued in the literature, teaching, and study of American history; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate March as "Women's History Month" and urge the Governor to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of Illinois to observe March with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.