HR0319 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0319 LRB095 11914 KXB 35398 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Horace J. Livingston Jr. of Decatur, publisher of The African American Voice, for his work in the community; and

WHEREAS, Horace Livingston Jr. has published the paper for forty years, he has been a tireless civil rights activist, working for better paying jobs for African Americans, more African-American teachers and administrators, and integration of the public schools; and

WHEREAS, The paper evolved as the Voice from the Local Association for Black Action (LABA), an organization dedicated to seeking justice for African Americans in Decatur; the organization fell apart because many local residents considered the paper to be too radical; and

WHEREAS, Horace Livingston Jr. decided to keep the newspaper operating; he started with a typewriter and sent the copy to Astoria for publication, because no local printer would publish it; in 1970 The Voice became the African American Voice, at a cost of twenty-five cents; and

WHEREAS, Today the newspaper costs fifty cents and is a staple of many churches and households in the Decatur and Bloomington areas; and

WHEREAS, On April 21, 2007 Horace Livingston Jr. will be honored with a program and reception at the Main Street Church of the Living God in Decatur; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Horace Livingston Jr. for his hard work and dedication to making the City of Decatur a better place to live; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Horace Livingston Jr. as a symbol of our respect.