Full Text of SR0859 97th General Assembly
SR0859 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of
Ora A. Higgins, who passed away on July | 4 | | 25, 2012, at the age of 101, surrounded by her family; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins was born on September 24, 1910, in | 6 | | Birmingham, Alabama; she earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in | 7 | | personnel administration and a Master's degree in business law | 8 | | from
Northwestern University; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins was hired to serve as the first | 10 | | African-American
personnel director for Spiegel's, Inc., and | 11 | | was tasked with integrating its workforce, teaching executives
| 12 | | and managers the value of diversity, and breaking down racial | 13 | | myths and barriers to the participation of
people of color in | 14 | | the workplace; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins' talents were soon recognized by | 16 | | downtown department stores, who asked her
to replicate her | 17 | | successful program, which she did while insisting on equal pay | 18 | | and equal opportunities
for African-Americans and encouraging | 19 | | those around her, including the Reverend Harold E. Bailey, to
| 20 | | complete their education; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins devoted herself to the causes of civil |
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| 1 | | rights, peace, education, employment, and
the alleviation of | 2 | | poverty; during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, she spoke | 3 | | to the United States
Department of Labor on the topic of race, | 4 | | poverty, and a call to peace; in 1976 she founded the Ora
| 5 | | Higgins Youth Foundation, which has awarded over $500,000 in | 6 | | scholarships to Chicago-area high
school graduates and each | 7 | | year recognizes outstanding community leaders; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins took a leadership role in a large | 9 | | number of civil rights, professional, and
community | 10 | | organizations and served as the national chairperson for Women | 11 | | in Industry; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins received numerous awards including | 13 | | the Distinguished Service Award from
the Tuskegee Institute and | 14 | | an award from the Chicago Association of Commerce; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Ora Higgins is survived by her daughter, Dr. | 16 | | Murrell Higgins Duster, and her son, Rev.
William "Chico" | 17 | | Higgins, 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 3 | 18 | | great-great-grandchildren;
she was also the great-great-aunt | 19 | | of First Lady Michelle Obama; therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 22 | | Ora Higgins, and we extend our sincere condolences to her |
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| 1 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 2 | | further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 4 | | presented to the family of Ora A. Higgins as an
expression of | 5 | | our sympathy.
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