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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Illinois State | ||||||
| 4 | Representative Mary Flowers on becoming the longest-serving | ||||||
| 5 | African American legislator in the history of Illinois upon | ||||||
| 6 | the commencement of the 102nd General Assembly; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers was born in Inverness, Mississippi | ||||||
| 8 | on July 31, 1951 and moved to Chicago as a child with her | ||||||
| 9 | family as part of a movement known as the Great Migration; she | ||||||
| 10 | attended Simeon High School, Kennedy-King College, and the | ||||||
| 11 | University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Circle; she then began | ||||||
| 12 | working at UIC; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers became interested in politics when | ||||||
| 14 | reading about Harold Washington, then a State legislator; she | ||||||
| 15 | began volunteering for him, and he encouraged her to run for | ||||||
| 16 | state representative, which she did, winning her first | ||||||
| 17 | election in 1984 and beginning her service in 1985; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers's notable accomplishments include | ||||||
| 19 | helping prevent public pension funds from being invested in | ||||||
| 20 | South Africa due to apartheid, spearheading the naming of | ||||||
| 21 | Chicago's Bishop Ford Expressway after Bishop Louis Henry | ||||||
| 22 | Ford, and creating a hospital report card as the chief | ||||||
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| 1 | sponsor, along with then-State Sen. Barack Obama, in order to | ||||||
| 2 | ensure that consumers have access to information about the | ||||||
| 3 | quality of health care provided in Illinois; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers received legislator appreciation | ||||||
| 5 | awards or legislator of the year awards from organizations | ||||||
| 6 | including the Community Behavior Healthcare Association of | ||||||
| 7 | Illinois, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the Illinois | ||||||
| 8 | Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers has focused her legislative work | ||||||
| 10 | largely on improving the quality of life for children and | ||||||
| 11 | families through measures to improve health care access and | ||||||
| 12 | services, child and youth advocacy, and education; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Rep. Flowers and her late husband Daniel have a | ||||||
| 14 | daughter, Makeda, and a granddaughter, Madison; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Committed to making a difference, Rep. Flowers | ||||||
| 16 | works to improve the lives of all people in our State; | ||||||
| 17 | therefore, be it
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| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 19 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 20 | we congratulate Illinois State Representative Mary Flowers on | ||||||
| 21 | becoming the longest-serving African American legislator in | ||||||
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| 1 | the history of Illinois upon the commencement of the 102nd | ||||||
| 2 | General Assembly; and be it further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 4 | presented to Rep. Flowers as a symbol of our respect and | ||||||
| 5 | esteem.
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