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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was
3founded on December 4, 1906 by seven college men, respectfully
4known as the "Seven Jewels," on the campus of Cornell
5University in Ithaca, New York and became the first
6intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by and for
7African Americans; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Seven Jewels of the Fraternity, Henry Arthur
9Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George
10Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle,
11and Vertner Woodson Tandy, recognized the need for a strong
12bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country
13and the need to help correct the educational, economic,
14political, and social injustices faced by African Americans and
15other people of color; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and
17support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice,
18both educationally and socially, at Cornell University; the
19Jewel Founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in
20laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of
21scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of
22humanity; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, While stressing academic excellence among its
2members since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has consistently
3supplied its voice and vision to the struggle of African
4Americans and people of color and to issues of civil rights
5around the world; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The aims of Alpha Phi Alpha are manly deeds,
7scholarship, and love for all mankind; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop
9leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and
10provide service and advocacy for communities, as exemplified
11through its national programs which include "Go to High School,
12Go to College," which focuses on the educational achievement of
13students in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools
14and has given thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to
15deserving students, "Project Alpha," which teaches teenage
16pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted disease
17prevention to young males, and its "A Voteless People is a
18Hopeless People" campaign, a voter registration and education
19program through which thousands of voters have been educated
20and registered; the Fraternity also focuses on providing
21service through its strategic partnerships with Big Brothers
22Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts of America, the March of Dimes, the
23American Heart/American Stroke Association, and the American
24Cancer Society; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, For over 112 years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a
2fundamental role in the positive development of the character
3and education of more than 200,000 men around the world; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 college and alumni
5chapters in the United States of America, Africa, Asia, the
6Caribbean, and Europe; this total includes 141 chapters in the
7Midwestern Region, including 32 in Illinois; Alpha Phi Alpha's
8presence started in Illinois with the founding of the first
9college chapter in Illinois, the Theta Chapter in 1910, and the
10first alumni chapter, the Xi Lambda Chapter in 1924, both in
11Chicago; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include many noteworthy
13leaders in the areas of government, business, entertainment,
14science, and higher education, including Dr. Martin Luther King
15Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, John
16H. Johnson, Adam Clayton Powell, Andrew Young, Robert Smith,
17and Cornel West; its membership also includes federal, State,
18and local elected officials, including U.S. Representative
19Danny K. Davis, former U.S. Senators Edward Brook and Roland
20Burris, former State Senator Donne E. Trotter, former State
21Representative Al Riley, former Cook County Board Presidents
22John and Todd Stroger, and former Mayor of Chicago Eugene
23Sawyer, among countless others who have long stood at the

 

 

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1forefront of the fight for civil and human rights and social
2change for all Americans; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Several Alpha Phi Alpha members have served in the
4Illinois General Assembly, including the following members of
5the 101st General Assembly: Representatives Justin Slaughter,
6Arthur Turner Jr., Emanuel "Chris" Welch, and Senator Elgie R.
7Sims Jr, who also served as the 26th Vice President of the
8Midwestern Region; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha continues to enrich the lives of
10its members, who, in turn, provide service and advocacy for the
11communities they serve; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 2019
14Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the Illinois State Capitol and
15welcome the members of Alpha Phi Alpha to the Capitol; and be
16it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we declare the date of May 8, 2019 as Alpha
18Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha Phi
19Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and its continued impact on the
20communities it serves.