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| | SR0859 | | LRB097 22211 MST 70946 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
| 3 | | learn of the death of
Ora A. Higgins, who passed away on July |
| 4 | | 25, 2012, at the age of 101, surrounded by her family; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins was born on September 24, 1910, in |
| 6 | | Birmingham, Alabama; she earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in |
| 7 | | personnel administration and a Master's degree in business law |
| 8 | | from
Northwestern University; and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins was hired to serve as the first |
| 10 | | African-American
personnel director for Spiegel's, Inc., and |
| 11 | | was tasked with integrating its workforce, teaching executives
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| 12 | | and managers the value of diversity, and breaking down racial |
| 13 | | myths and barriers to the participation of
people of color in |
| 14 | | the workplace; and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins' talents were soon recognized by |
| 16 | | downtown department stores, who asked her
to replicate her |
| 17 | | successful program, which she did while insisting on equal pay |
| 18 | | and equal opportunities
for African-Americans and encouraging |
| 19 | | those around her, including the Reverend Harold E. Bailey, to
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| 20 | | complete their education; and
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| 21 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins devoted herself to the causes of civil |
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| | SR0859 | - 2 - | LRB097 22211 MST 70946 r |
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| 1 | | rights, peace, education, employment, and
the alleviation of |
| 2 | | poverty; during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, she spoke |
| 3 | | to the United States
Department of Labor on the topic of race, |
| 4 | | poverty, and a call to peace; in 1976 she founded the Ora
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| 5 | | Higgins Youth Foundation, which has awarded over $500,000 in |
| 6 | | scholarships to Chicago-area high
school graduates and each |
| 7 | | year recognizes outstanding community leaders; and
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| 8 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins took a leadership role in a large |
| 9 | | number of civil rights, professional, and
community |
| 10 | | organizations and served as the national chairperson for Women |
| 11 | | in Industry; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins received numerous awards including |
| 13 | | the Distinguished Service Award from
the Tuskegee Institute and |
| 14 | | an award from the Chicago Association of Commerce; and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins is survived by her daughter, Dr. |
| 16 | | Murrell Higgins Duster, and her son, Rev.
William "Chico" |
| 17 | | Higgins, 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 3 |
| 18 | | great-great-grandchildren;
she was also the great-great-aunt |
| 19 | | of First Lady Michelle Obama; therefore, be it
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| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL |
| 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 22 | | Ora Higgins, and we extend our sincere condolences to her |