HR0817 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0817 LRB098 19762 MST 54977 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Black History Month is an annual celebration which recognizes that over the last 150 years, beginning with the Emancipation Proclamation and continuing with the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have made great strides and advancements toward equality; and

WHEREAS, The precursor to Black History Month was "Negro History Week" was started in 1926 by historian and University of Chicago alumnus Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History; the second week of February was chosen because it marked the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglas; primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of African Americans in the nation's public schools; and

WHEREAS, In 1970, Black History Week was expanded into Black History Month, with the first celebration taking place at Kent State University; as part of the 1976 United States Bicentennial, Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford and the U.S. government; and

WHEREAS, Even with the numerous positive advancements made by African Americans since the Emancipation Proclamation, which are documented during Black History Month, many communities still suffer from unacceptable conditions such as unemployment, poverty, mortgage foreclosures, deficiencies in public health services, and crime; and

WHEREAS, These economic and societal challenges created or exacerbated conditions which include inequalities in access to justice in the civil court system, an overburdened and ineffective criminal justice system, overcrowding conditions in correctional facilities, increased homelessness, increases in teen pregnancy, inadequate educational opportunities, a lack of affordable housing, insufficient delivery of social services to the less fortunate, and deficiencies in the delivery of public health services; and

WHEREAS, Unemployment is a lingering problem for the economy as a whole, but a study revealed that the unemployment rate for blacks in Illinois was 17.5%, compared to 8.2% for whites and 9.8% for all workers; 75.5% of homicide victims in the State of Illinois are black, and in the first months of 2012, when there was a 38% increase in the homicide rate, 77.6% of homicide victims in the City of Chicago were black; the teen birth rate in the United States was 38.1 births for every 1,000 teens, but in a comparable time period in Illinois the rate for black teens was 77.9 births for every 1,000, while the white teen birth rate was 20.6 per every 1,000 teens; the inmate population in the Illinois Correctional system is approximately 58% black and the high proportion of young black males with criminal convictions is a well-recognized phenomenon; and

WHEREAS, Black leaders in Illinois are not alone in recognizing that these broad social problems often strike the hardest in the black community; it is painful for the black leaders to ponder the stories of human struggle, despair, and hurt that all too often over shadow the stories of success and hope; and

WHEREAS, State government resources are expended in ever-increasing amounts to address these social and economic problems and those expenditures are a significant drain on the State's road to financial stability; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we celebrate Black History Month and recognize how far African Americans have come in the past 150 years; and be it further

RESOLVED, We acknowledge the continuing struggles of those within the African American communities of the State and the country and encourage Governor Quinn to address the ongoing issues affecting those communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Governor Pat Quinn.