Bill Text: MS HC120 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: First Lady Michelle Obama; acknowledge distinguished legacy of public service upon serving as keynote speaker for JSU's 139th spring commencement.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 36-1)
Status: (Passed) 2016-04-21 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HC120 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2016-HC120-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2016 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Bell (65th), Scott, Clark, Hines, Banks, Wooten, Watson, Anderson, Bailey, Blackmon, Burnett, Calhoun, Campbell, Clarke, Cockerham, Denton, Dixon, Dortch, Ellis, Faulkner, Gibbs, Holloway, Huddleston (30th), Jackson, Johnson (94th), Karriem, Mickens, Middleton, Myers, Paden, Perkins, Straughter, Sykes, Thomas, Walker, Williams-Barnes, Young
House Concurrent Resolution 120
(As Adopted by House and Senate)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING THE DISTINGUISHED LEGACY OF PUBLIC SERVICE OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE LAVAUGHN ROBINSON OBAMA AND COMMENDING HER UPON THE OCCASION OF SERVING AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE 139TH SPRING COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY OF JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY.
WHEREAS, receiving a baccalaureate degree is the most highly coveted and iconic milestone in every collegiate undergraduate's life, but the moment becomes all the more laudably worthwhile when addressed by the First Lady of the United States, as such is the case for the more than 1,000 scholars of Jackson State University's 139th graduating Class of 2016 poised to receive their diplomas on the reverberating heels of a commencement address delivered by First Lady Michelle Obama; and
WHEREAS, First Lady Michelle Obama's appearance at Jackson State University's 2016 Spring commencement exercises on Saturday, April 23, 2016, comes by virtue of the Reach Higher Initiative, which she implemented in 2014 in an effort to inspire young people across America to seize the reins of their future by completing their educational pursuits beyond high school matriculation, and marks the first of final three commencement addresses she will deliver in her capacity as First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), after having delivered the first such address as FLOTUS in 2009 at the University of California (Merced); and
WHEREAS, born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson on January 17, 1964, to working-class parents Fraser and Marian Robinson III, First Lady Michelle Obama was reared on the tenets of hard work, educational prowess and indomitable ethic, principles that were and remain the nexus of the foundation upon which all the accomplishments, successes and accolades she has attained, from the two-story bungalow on Euclid Avenue in Chicago's South Shore community to the Vermeil Room and China Room of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, are premised; and
WHEREAS, a shrewd academician, even in her formative years, Mrs. Obama overcame the culture shock of adjusting to apprehensions that initially sought to consume her as a new student at the elite Princeton University, persevering to graduate cum laude in 1985, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a minor in African-American studies, before confidently proving her mettle as a 1988 graduate of Harvard Law School, becoming the third First Lady to hold a postgraduate degree; and
WHEREAS, ever the selfless humanitarian, First Lady Michelle Obama's passion for empowering individuals through acts of benevolent kindness, without regard to privilege and socio-economic advantage or a lack thereof, to become their best selves, even in the midst of adversity, was birthed during her undergraduate years at Princeton when she became involved with the Third World Center (now known as the Carl A. Fields Center), an academic and cultural group that supported minority students; and
WHEREAS, continuing in the vein of paying it forward, which also consisted of advocacy for the disparity in the hiring of minority professors at Harvard, working for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, assisting low-income tenants in housing issues and becoming founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an extension of AmeriCorps, Mrs. Obama's evaluative assessment of her life's purpose to make meaningful and lasting strides of contributing to society and influencing the world with every decision made and every initiative launched throughout the course of her tenure as First Lady, which include, among many: the support of military families and spouses; promotion of the arts and arts education; advocacy for homeless veterans; the Let's Move Initiative, launched in 2010; the Joining Forces Initiative, launched in 2011 with Dr. Jill Biden; the Reach Higher Initiative, launched in 2014; and the Let Girls Learn Initiative, launched in 2015; and
WHEREAS, the quintessential epitome of regal beauty and intrepid intellect, Mrs. Obama has capitalized on the platform afforded her as First Lady, the first African American to whom the honor is bestowed, to become a beacon of inspiration and an extraordinary bastion of excellence in humility for the entire world to admire; and
WHEREAS, though she dons the title First Lady of the United States with much confidence and pride, admittedly, the title of which she is most proud is that of "Malia and Sasha's mom," a description she candidly touts without hesitation, and which can be appropriately deemed her greatest accomplishment, second only by being President Barack Obama's premier sweetheart and providential queen; and
WHEREAS, with this year's keynote address at Jackson State University, founded in 1877 as a Historically Black College and University to educate African Americans to become ministers and teachers, Mrs. Obama is keeping with the paramount tradition of delivering remarks on campuses each year since assuming the revered roll as First Lady of the United States; and
WHEREAS, whatever the role she assumes, whether a litigating lawyer, articulate author, meticulous mother or fashionable First Lady and wife of the 44th and current President of the United States, Barack Obama, Mrs. Obama does so with an elegance and grace befitting of the title she bears on the world stage as First Lady of the United States and the archetype paradigm for women the world over; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and commend excellence when exhibited through the life and services of an individual of Mrs. Obama's stature, and whose zealous commitment to mankind is innately embedded in the lineal fabric of the immaculately tailored design and perfected purpose for her life as both a citizen and as First Lady:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby acknowledge the distinguished legacy of public service of First Lady Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, commend her upon the occasion of serving as keynote speaker for the 139th Spring Commencement Ceremony of Jackson State University on Saturday, April 23, 2016, and express the depths of our immeasurable gratitude for instilling the invaluable lessons of perseverance and motivation into the lives of our state's collegiate scholars and forthcoming leaders.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to First Lady Michelle Obama, Jackson State University President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers, the White House Press Office and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
