093_SR0296
LRB093 13662 HSS 19045 r
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of
3 Illinois learned with regret of the death of Bette Jayne
4 Powell of Alton on Friday, September 26, 2003; and
5 WHEREAS, Mrs. Powell was born and raised in Alton; her
6 parents were Jesse and Elsie Cannon; she graduated from Alton
7 High School, where she was disturbed by the unequal treatment
8 African-American students received; she attended the old
9 Shurtleff College in Alton; in 1949, she married Lonnie
10 Powell in Alton; and
11 WHEREAS, Mrs. Powell helped found the Madison County
12 Urban League and ran it for several years before becoming the
13 first woman president of the Alton branch of the National
14 Association for the Advancement of Colored People; while
15 serving the NAACP, Mrs. Powell helped lead the fight to get
16 the Alton Police and Fire Departments to live up to the terms
17 of a federal consent decree requiring them to hire
18 African-American officers and firefighters; she also served
19 as a state officer, acting as director of employment for the
20 Illinois NAACP; and
21 WHEREAS, In 1988, Mrs. Powell joined the Madison County
22 State's Attorney's office as a victim's advocate under State
23 Senator William Haine; she retired in 2003; and
24 WHEREAS, Mrs. Powell was recognized for her many
25 contributions to the African-American community; her honors
26 include the Living Legend Award, given by the 100 Black Men
27 of Alton; she was also trustee of the Elijah Lovejoy Monument
28 and vice president of the Metro-East Women's Political
29 Caucus; and
30 WHEREAS, The passing of Bette Jayne Powell has been
31 deeply felt by many, especially her sons, Dean Powell and
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1 Gregory Powell; her sister, Mary Johnson; and her 10
2 grandchildren; therefore, be it
3 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
4 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing
5 of Bette Jayne Powell, who will be remembered as a woman who
6 turned her own experiences of racism into a lifetime of
7 seeking to right injustices; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9 presented to the family of Bette Jayne Powell as an
10 expression of our sincerest condolences and sorrow at the
11 loss of a great woman.