HR0858 LRB103 41219 LAW 74436 r
1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to recognize the life of John Briggs, the
4		first Black hotel owner of the City of Rockford; and
5		WHEREAS, John Briggs was born in Augusta, Georgia on April
6		18, 1894; he served in the U.S. Army during World War I;
7		following his military service, he eventually settled in
8		Rockford, Illinois, where he became a distinguished hotel and
9		resort business owner, a community builder, and a guiding
10		light for African-American businesses; and
11		WHEREAS, John Briggs was the owner of the Briggs Hotel on
12		629 Court Street in Rockford from 1938 to 1959, and his hotel
13		became known as the first home to many African Americans
14		migrating from the south to Rockford; his hotel also gained
15		the distinction of being listed in The Negro Motorist
16		Green-Book, an annual, national guidebook that assisted Black
17		travelers with finding hospitable locations and businesses
18		during the era of Jim Crow laws; and
19		WHEREAS, John Briggs achieved success in other
20		entrepreneurial ventures; he owned and operated The Briggs
21		Mounds resort at Lake Koshkonong in Wisconsin and Club Morocco
22		at Briggs Farms in Rockford, where he hosted the well-regarded

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1		Briggs Picnics; he was also a distinguished member of the
2		Booker Washington Community Center; and
3		WHEREAS, Over the course of his professional life, John
4		Briggs made outstanding contributions to the African-American
5		community of Rockford and was regarded as a local leader known
6		for his commitment to advancing and helping others; he passed
7		away on April 24, 1959; and
8		WHEREAS, John Briggs' legacy has been and continues to be
9		celebrated by the City of Rockford, which previously
10		proclaimed the month of April 2021 as John Briggs Month and
11		also declared a John Briggs Day, and his impact was further
12		immortalized with the official renaming of a portion of Court
13		Street as John Briggs Way by the Rockford City Council in
14		February 2024; therefore, be it
15		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17		we recognize the life of John Briggs, the first Black hotel
18		owner of the City of Rockford, and his impact on and historical
19		significance to the Rockford community; and be it further