093_HR0406

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 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, On May 5, 1905, the first issue of  the  Chicago
 3    Defender  was  published by founder Robert Sengstacke Abbott;
 4    and

 5        WHEREAS,  Many  of  the  successes  and  advantages  that
 6    African-Americans  enjoy  today  can  be  attributed  to  the
 7    leadership and guidance of the Chicago Defender; and

 8        WHEREAS, At the peak of the mayhem wrought by lynch  mobs
 9    and  Jim  Crow  laws  in  the  racist South, Robert S. Abbott
10    selected a platform and mission honored by  the  Defender  to
11    this day; and

12        WHEREAS,  His  demands  were radical and courageous for a
13    publication designed to have an impact in a  section  of  the
14    country  fostered  by  racism,  which disgraced our nation at
15    home and abroad; and

16        WHEREAS, His message in the pages of  the  Defender  grew
17    bolder  as  he exposed the lynchings, the racist legislation,
18    the rise of Jim Crow, the denial of ballots, and the abuse of
19    Blacks in America from the state house to the back  woods  of
20    Mississippi; and

21        WHEREAS, The Chicago Defender became the publication that
22    Black  people  would  turn  to  when they were in trouble, to
23    educate themselves, to advance the cause of equality, and  to
24    gain inspiration for the cause of justice; and

25        WHEREAS,  All  of  America  knew  that  Robert Sengstacke
26    Abbott was serious;  Black Americans responded in  droves  as
27    tens  of  thousands awaited their copy of the paper; he hired
28    and trained scores of young writers in Chicago and throughout
29    the South; and

30        WHEREAS, The Chicago Defender's greatest contribution  to
 
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 1    American   life   was  the  paper's  encouragement  of  Black
 2    migration from the racist South; that  changed  Black  voting
 3    power  in  key  northern  cities  to the extent that it had a
 4    permanent impact on national politics; and

 5        WHEREAS, The Defender became the chief educator of Blacks
 6    about their  history  of  achievements  and  their  political
 7    strength;  distinguished  Black  educators,  along  with  the
 8    achievements  of  Black  colleges with their superb academic,
 9    athletic, and cultural programs, were departures in the pages
10    of the paper; Blacks were informed of the accomplishments  of
11    Black   entertainers   and   their  unique  creations;  Black
12    newspaper columnist  and  historians  gave  African-Americans
13    exposure as scholars, scientists, and philosophers; and

14        WHEREAS,  By  1920, 15 years after its birth, the Chicago
15    Defender  reached  a   national   circulation   of   200,000,
16    two-thirds  of  which was outside of Chicago as 23,000 copies
17    were sold in New York City alone; and

18        WHEREAS, Through the pages, the Chicago  Defender,  under
19    Mr.  Abbott,  launched  a  vast  campaign he called the Great
20    Northern Drive; the drive was launched on May 15,  1917,  and
21    as a result, the Black population in Chicago rose from 40,000
22    to nearly 150,000 in a few short years; and

23        WHEREAS,  Mr.  Abbott  didn't  stop  there;  he  provided
24    guidelines  for  living  in  the  city,  helped find jobs and
25    housing, and distributed food to the needy; and

26        WHEREAS, In 1929, he developed the  Bud  Billiken  Parade
27    into  what  became  the nation's largest and most spectacular
28    event of its kind; its purpose remains as he  dreamt  it,  to
29    give underprivileged children a chance to be in the limelight
30    for  one  day  in  a  celebration of culture and achievement,
31    which  creates  lifelong  memories  and  pride;  it   remains
32    Chicago's  premier  event  in  support  and  participation of
 
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 1    people, from  politicians  to  entertainers  to  athletes  to
 2    everyday citizens; and

 3        WHEREAS,  When  Robert Sengstacke Abbott died on February
 4    29, 1940, the Chicago Defender was  Black  America's  social,
 5    educational,  and  political  voice; with children of his own
 6    and a strong sense of family, he selected  his  nephew,  John
 7    H.H. Sengstacke, as successor of the Chicago Defender; and

 8        WHEREAS,  After  John  Sengstacke  took  control  of  the
 9    Defender in 1940, he expanded the message of the newspaper by
10    purchasing  the  Pittsburgh Courier and founding the Michigan
11    Chronicle and Tri-State Defender; therefore, be it

12        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
13    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14    we commemorate the anniversary of the Chicago Defender, which
15    has been the voice of Chicago's Black community for 98 years,
16    and recognize the many contributions it  has  made  and  will
17    continue to make in years to come; and be it further

18        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
19    presented to the current publisher of the  Chicago  Defender,
20    David Milliner.