HR0158 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0158 LRB103 31392 LAW 59017 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to commend Alderperson Sophia King on her service to the 4th Ward as a member of the Chicago City Council; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King grew up in Evanston, with her family hailing from the Mississippi Delta; she attended schools in Evanston and in Jackson, Mississippi; she earned her bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois and her master's degree in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University; she has been a resident of the 4th Ward for over 35 years; and

WHEREAS, Professionally, Ald. King has been instrumental in opening doors of educational opportunity within her immediate and the greater Chicago community; she worked as an educator and administrator at the Latin School of Chicago, where she diversified classes; she helped found the Ariel Community Academy, a public school established to provide North Kenwood-Oakland residents with a high quality education; she served as deputy director of Sports Administration and Facilities Management at Chicago Public Schools from 2001 to 2003, during which she managed a staff of 30 and a budget of $12 million; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King has served the 4th Ward on the Chicago City Council since 2016, representing parts of Downtown, the South Loop, Bronzeville, Kenwood, and Hyde Park, and was reelected in 2019; during her tenure, she has led the 4th Ward with transparency and a focus on service, serving as a voice for those who have historically lacked a champion in City Hall and as an advocate for parity; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King has successfully implemented a number of positive changes in the 4th Ward and the City of Chicago, such as leading the fight for a $15 minimum wage in Chicago through her Raise Chicago Ordinance, the passage of which gave 400,000 Chicagoans a raise and lifted 100,000 Chicagoans out of poverty; she has worked on the front lines on crime and public safety issues, fighting to reform the Chicago Police Department (CPD) through the creation of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and ensuring the CPD has the resources and personnel to better stop the violence; she has encouraged firms that do business in her ward to go above and beyond the city's goals on minority hiring, with minority participation often exceeding 40%; she has also successfully secured millions in funding for education and infrastructure projects; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King has offered a number of constituent services to 4th Ward residents, including listening and responding to community needs, improving efficiency in communication and access, sponsoring quarterly senior socials and an annual senior ball, and hosting Alderman On the Block events across the ward; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King has served as chair of the Chicago City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus and as vice chair of the Committee on Education and Child Development and several joint committees; she has also served as a member of the Committee on Budget and Government Operations, the Committee on Committees and Rules, the Committee on Contracting Oversight and Equity, the Committee on Finance, the Committee on Housing and Real Estate, the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation, the Committee on Transportation and Public Way, and several joint committees; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King has further assisted her community through involvement in several organizations, including serving as president of the Kenwood Park Advisory Council, serving as vice president of Planned Parenthood Chicago, creating a community response to gun violence with The It's Time Organization (TITO), and founding the not-for-profit Harriet's Daughters, which operates to educate and empower African American women and businesses while working with elected officials and individuals in leadership positions to spotlight hiring disparities and to enable better access to jobs and procurement opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Ald. King and her husband, Alan King, are the parents of two adult daughters; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Alderperson Sophia King for her work on the Chicago City Council, and we thank her for her years of dedicated service to the people of the 4th Ward and the City of Chicago; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ald. King as an expression of our esteem and respect.