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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Great Migration, a long-term movement of
3African Americans from the South to the urban North,
4transformed Chicago and other northern cities between 1916 and
51970; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Chicago attracted slightly more than 500,000 of
7the approximately 7 million African Americans who left the
8South during these decades; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Before the Great Migration, African Americans
10constituted just 2 percent of Chicago's population, but by 1970
11African Americans constituted 33 percent of Chicago's
12population; and
 
13    WHEREAS, What had been in the nineteenth century a largely
14southern and rural African American culture became a culture
15deeply infused with urban sensibility in the twentieth century;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, What had been a marginalized population in Chicago
18emerged by the mid-twentieth century as a powerful force in the
19city's political, economic, and cultural life; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area

 

 

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1Project Steering Committee has worked with Congressman Bobby
2Rush on federal legislation for the Black Metropolis District
3National Heritage Area (NHA) and the Great Migration Centennial
4will serve as one of the benchmarks for the National Heritage
5Area which focuses on preservation, tourism & economic
6development, conservation, recreation, education &
7interpretation; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area
9Project Steering Committee has identified 10 Major Promise
10Programs for the next century which include:
11        1. Great Migration Public Art;
12        2. In Motion: African American Migration Experience;
13        3. Great Migration Trail: Rails to Trails Conservancy
14    Project;
15        4. The Rosenwald Building;
16        5. The Chicago Blues Museum;
17        6. The Pullman Porter Great Migration Blues Trail;
18        7. Leadership Development Institute;
19        8. Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships;
20        9. Black Metropolis Social Innovation Fund; and
21        10. Bronzeville Postmark and Postal Sub-station; and
 
22    WHEREAS, The Great Migration Centennial celebrates the
23promise that Chicago once offered a people in search of a
24better life 100 years ago; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The theme adopted by the Black Metropolis National
2Heritage Project Steering Committee, "Creating a New Promise",
3acknowledges the hope that has been restored through the new
4political administration and addresses the need for the greater
5Chicagoland region to deliver on its promise and create a new
6social compact for the future; and
 
7    WHEREAS, To succeed in the 21st century global competition
8for jobs, prosperity, and quality of life for all, we must have
9inspiring and well-accepted plans to produce action; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Great Migration Centennial will challenge
11children and adults throughout the region to make choices today
12that will define the way we live for the next century;
13therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
16CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Great Migration
17Centennial Commission is created; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the members of the Commission shall include
19the President of the Senate or his designee and the Speaker of
20the House of Representatives or his designee, each serving as
21one of the co-chairpersons, the Governor or his designee, one

 

 

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1vice-chairperson appointed by the co-chairpersons, all of whom
2shall serve as the Executive Committee and 25 appointed
3members, with the Governor, the President of the Senate, the
4Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of
5the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of
6Representatives appointing 5 members each; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That the appointed members shall serve without
8compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
9necessary expenses if funds allow; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the appointed members shall be from diverse
11backgrounds so as to reflect the diverse citizenry of Illinois
12working together for a common democratic cause, and that their
13individual qualifications shall include varying educational,
14professional, and civic experiences that bring different
15perspectives and cooperative outlooks to the Commission; and be
16it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That the purpose of the Commission is to plan for
18the Great Migration Centennial to be commemorated and
19celebrated from January to December 2016 and to:
20        1. Elevate the centennial of the Great Migration to a
21    high profile bi-partisan event;
22        2. Recognize the Great Migration as the largest
23    migration to ever occur in North America;

 

 

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1        3. Stimulate and encourage the creation and growth of
2    programs about the Great Migration;
3        4. Highlight and publicize the institutions in the
4    State that are connected to the Great Migration and their
5    impact;
6        5. Work with coordinated statewide groups
7    commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Great
8    Migration; and
9        6. Encourage communities and citizens to support and
10    get involved in the commemoration; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, The Great Migration Centennial Commission serves
12to promote a deeper knowledge, understanding and engagement in
13the life and times of the African American Migration
14Experience, through conferences, publications, preservation of
15historic sites, and local, statewide and national observances
16as well as arts projects, forum, travel and tourism promotions
17and year-long celebration activities; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the Commission's preliminary goals are to
19develop:
20        1. a national honorary committee of historians,
21    educators, authors, politicians, celebrities and other
22    notables;
23        2. educational curriculum, events, tours, exhibits and
24    programs at the elementary, high school, secondary,

 

 

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1    graduate and post-graduate level;
2        3. a signature entertainment event for fundraising and
3    broadcast purposes;
4        4. an educational symposium with university partners,
5    the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment
6    for the Humanities, the Illinois Arts Council, as well as
7    private foundations and other philanthropic organizations;
8        5. a year-long cultural promotional event calendar
9    supported by travel packages and other travel or tourism
10    incentives; and
11        6. a logo and trademark design for official use on all
12    Centennial commissioned related merchandise, apparel and
13    products officially licensed; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That the Commission shall meet as frequently as
15necessary, at the call of the co-chairpersons; and be it
16further
 
17    RESOLVED, The Commission shall have the option of creating
18a Council of Advisors and any working groups or committees it
19deems necessary; and, be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, The Commission shall have the option to
21collaborate with any Federal or local commissions designated to
22recognize the Great Migration Centennial commemoration via
23internet links, shared exhibits, activities and programs; and

 

 

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1be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, The Commission shall work with and establish
3opportunities with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
4and the Mayor's Office of Special Events; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That the Commission shall, while working in
6coordination with and with the assistance of Black Metropolis
7National Heritage Area Project Steering Committee, broaden
8outreach by using established channels, including publicly
9supported media and electronic, computer-assisted
10communication systems, and elicit voluntary assistance from
11educational, legal, civic, and professional organizations and
12institutions, as well as, notable individuals; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That no later than December 31, 2012, the
15Commission shall report to the General Assembly and the
16Governor on its planning progress to commemorate and celebrate
17the Great Migration Centennial; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the Department of Commerce and Economic
19Opportunity shall have primary responsibility for, and shall
20provide staffing and technical assistance and administrative
21support to, the Commission in its efforts; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2delivered to the Governor of the State of Illinois.