Full Text of SJR0067 101st General Assembly
SJ0067 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois State Armory was built in 1936 and | 3 | | designed by State of Illinois architect C. Herrick Hammond; it | 4 | | was designated an official City of Springfield landmark by the | 5 | | Springfield Historic Sites Commission; it was equipped with an | 6 | | auditorium, a gymnasium, and a ground floor that could provide | 7 | | temporary seating for several thousand people; it has been the | 8 | | site of Governors' inaugural addresses, state social and | 9 | | athletic programs, theater performances, artistic exhibits, | 10 | | and music productions, as well as serving as the offices of the | 11 | | State's military and police agencies; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has included the Illinois | 13 | | State Armory in the Capital Development Bill, with more than | 14 | | $100 million set aside for renovations to ensure this historic | 15 | | downtown Springfield building can become usable again; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The people who have visited the Illinois State | 17 | | Armory, including the Cold War mayor of Berlin Willy Brandt, | 18 | | boxing great Muhammad Ali, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., are | 19 | | part of the history of the building; both John F. Kennedy and | 20 | | Richard M. Nixon spoke at the Armory as presidential | 21 | | candidates; former President Harry Truman was a guest speaker | 22 | | at an Armory banquet in the 1960s; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Specifically, civil rights leader Dr. Martin | 2 | | Luther King Jr. addressed the Illinois State AFL-CIO at their | 3 | | 8th Annual Convention at the Illinois State Armory on October | 4 | | 7, 1965; he connected labor rights with civil rights, stating, | 5 | | "It is not a coincidence that the Labor Movement and the Civil | 6 | | Rights Movement have the same essential origins. Each is a | 7 | | movement that grew out of burning needs of an oppressed poor | 8 | | for security and equality. Each was denied justice by the | 9 | | dominant forces of society and had to win a place in the sun by | 10 | | its own intense struggle and indescribable self-sacrifice"; | 11 | | and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, That speech was recorded and preserved by the | 13 | | Illinois AFL-CIO, which included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s | 14 | | words, "However difficult our problems may be now, however dark | 15 | | the day and dismal the night, I still have faith in America and | 16 | | in the democratic process. I still believe that working | 17 | | together and through a mighty coalition of conscience we will | 18 | | be able to solve the problems ahead"; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words at the Illinois | 20 | | State Armory were as heartfelt and inspiring in 1965 as they | 21 | | are today; therefore, be it
| 22 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 23 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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| 1 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Illinois State Armory | 2 | | committee to capture the essence of the building's impressive | 3 | | history by placing a bronze plaque at the renovated facility to | 4 | | commemorate the treasured visit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; | 5 | | and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That the plaque be accompanied with quotes | 7 | | including the very words Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at | 8 | | the Illinois State Armory on October 7, 1965, words that | 9 | | embrace organizational progress, justice, democracy, and a | 10 | | faith in God; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That honoring this great man will capture a | 12 | | moment in history that connected Illinois workers with the | 13 | | national civil rights movement; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | 14 | | stated on that day, "If our two movements unite their social | 15 | | pioneering initiative, thirty years from now people will look | 16 | | back on this day and honor those who had the vision to see the | 17 | | full possibilities of modern society and the courage to fight | 18 | | for their realization.".
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