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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Bronzeville is a center of African-American life
3and culture in Chicago and is historically known as the city's
4"Black Metropolis"; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bronzeville is home to a diverse business
6community, historic landmarks, and lively events, including
7the annual Bud Billiken Parade that draws more than one
8million spectators each August; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bronzeville is known for its rich history and
10flourishing modern-day renaissance; its cultural contributions
11are vast, and it brought the world Pulitzer Prize-winner
12Gwendolyn Brooks, civil rights activist Ida B. Wells,
13legendary musician Louis Armstrong, founder and publisher of
14what was the country's most prominent African-American
15newspaper, the Chicago Defender, and the creator of the Bud
16Billiken Parade Robert Abbott, and more; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Bronzeville's remaining historic remnants attract
18many to the area; notable surviving structures are the old
19Chicago Defender Building, the Overton Hygienic Building, the
20Supreme Life Building, and the Eighth Regiment Armory; and
 
21    WHEREAS, An African-American Cultural Center is a

 

 

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1gathering place for the safe, creative, and critical
2exploration and celebration of black life, culture, and
3history; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6we urge the General Assembly to create an African American
7Cultural Center in the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago.