Bill Text: IL HR0971 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Recognizes and honors the 2014 Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the Illinois State Capitol and welcomes the members of Alpha Phi Alpha to the Capitol. Designates the date of May 14, 2014 as Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-05-14 - Resolution Adopted [HR0971 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR0971-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was
founded on December 4, 1906, by 7 college men, respectfully
known as the "Seven Jewels", on the campus of Cornell
University in Ithaca, New York, becoming 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 focus 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 the "A
Voteless People is a Hopeless People" 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 107 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a
fundamental role in the positive development of the character
and education of more than 200,000 men; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni
chapters in the United States of America, the District of
Columbia, 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, which was founded in 1924, both located 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 the likes of 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 State and
local elected officials, including former U.S. Senator Roland
Burris, former Cook County Board Presidents John and Todd

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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 98th General Assembly: Senator Donne E. Trotter and
Representatives Al Riley, Arthur Turner, Jr., Emanuel "Chris"
Welch, and Elgie R. Sims, Jr., who also serves 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 with a commitment to service and the
uplifting of humanity; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we recognize and honor the 2014 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 14, 2014 as
Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and its continued service

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and impact on the communities it serves; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to Elgie R. Sims, Jr., Esq., Midwestern Regional Vice
President; Adarious D. Payton, Assistant Regional Vice
President; and the Illinois District Director and the Assistant
Illinois District Director of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,
Incorporated, District of Illinois.