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1		SENATE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to honor
3		Black women, their accomplishments, and their contributions to
4		the history of the United States; and
5		WHEREAS, Black women have shaped and molded U.S. history
6		in innumerable and irrefutable ways, from the moment they
7		arrived by means of the Middle Passage as slave labor to their
8		arrival in the White House as the vice president of the United
9		States; and
10		WHEREAS, Even in the face of unimaginable racism rooted in
11		our violent origins in America, and continued for over 400
12		years, Black women have risen above their circumstances in the
13		face of adversity, not just to survive but also to thrive,
14		imagine, create, achieve, inspire, and excel; and
15		WHEREAS, Black women have been the bedrock of the
16		community, the foundation of the family, the cornerstone of
17		the Black church, the innovator, the explorer, the
18		entrepreneur, and so much more; and
19		WHEREAS, Instead of accepting discrimination as their
20		reality, Black women have instead built, created, developed,
21		implemented, spearheaded, and maintained guilds, sororities,

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1		non-profit organizations, clubs, scholarship foundations,
2		medical associations, and philanthropic affiliations that have
3		uplifted, improved, inspired, and supported multitudes of
4		communities with diverse needs; and
5		WHEREAS, It is time to celebrate "Mama" and the ancestors
6		who taught Black women to be strong, resourceful, and to do
7		good for the greater good; and
8		WHEREAS, Black women nurture, guide, mentor, and inspire
9		as they rise to unimaginable heights, overcoming intentional
10		and systemic barriers; as Black women soar, communities are
11		uplifted, and we all benefit; and
12		WHEREAS, Black women have excelled in all areas of life,
13		including but not limited to journalism, education, medicine,
14		art, law and government, and business; this is exemplified in
15		the lives of Black women who hail from the State of Illinois,
16		such as Dr. Carol Adams, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Rev. Willie
17		Barrow, United States Ambassador and Senator Carol Moseley
18		Braun, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Burroughs, Bessie Coleman,
19		Rev. Johnnie Coleman, Marva Collins, Lorraine Hansbury, Vivian
20		Harsh, Jennifer Hudson, Mahalia Jackson, Mae Jemison, Jackie
21		Joyner-Kersee, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Chaka Khan, Annie
22		Turnbo Malone, Mamie Till Mobley, Diane Nash, Michelle Obama,
23		Shonda Rhimes, Georgiana Simpson, Illinois Lieutenant Governor

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1		Juliana Stratton, Jacqueline Vaughn and Oprah Winfrey; and
2		WHEREAS, Black women have stood in solidarity with women
3		and men of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, races,
4		religious affiliations, and ethnicities across Illinois, the
5		United States, and the world in an effort to demand parity and
6		equity of all human beings in all areas of life; and
7		WHEREAS, February 28th intentionally connects the
8		nationally recognized months of February with Black History
9		Month and March with Women's History Month, uplifting the
10		unique intersectionality of race and gender of being both
11		Black and a woman; therefore, be it
12		RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
13		ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare February
14		28, 2023 as Black Women's History Day in the State of Illinois
15		to honor the accomplishments, power, beauty, courage,
16		intelligence, ingenuity, stewardship, and leadership of Black
17		women; and be it further
18		RESOLVED, That we encourage all Illinoisans and their
19		families to acknowledge, in word and in deed, the
20		accomplishments of Black women in places where they live,
21		work, and play, because doing so recognizes Black women's
22		history as American history.