HR0319

LRB095 11914 KXB 35398 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are pleased to honor Horace J. Livingston Jr. 
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of Decatur, publisher of The African American Voice, for his 
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work in the community; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Horace Livingston Jr. has published the paper for 
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forty years, he has been a tireless civil rights activist, 
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working for better paying jobs for African Americans, more 
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African-American teachers and administrators, and integration 
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of the public schools; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The paper evolved as the Voice from the Local 
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Association for Black Action (LABA), an organization dedicated 
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to seeking justice for African Americans in Decatur; the 
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organization fell apart because many local residents 
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considered the paper to be too radical; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Horace Livingston Jr. decided to keep the 
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newspaper operating; he started with a typewriter and sent the 
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copy to Astoria for publication, because no local printer would 
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publish it; in 1970 The Voice became the African American 
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Voice, at a cost of twenty-five cents; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Today the newspaper costs fifty cents and is a 
 


 






HR0319
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LRB095 11914 KXB 35398 r




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staple of many churches and households in the Decatur and 
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Bloomington areas; and

 
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    WHEREAS, On April 21, 2007 Horace Livingston Jr. will be 
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honored with a program and reception at the Main Street Church 
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of the Living God in Decatur; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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honor Horace Livingston Jr. for his hard work and dedication to 
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making the City of Decatur a better place to live; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Horace Livingston Jr. as a symbol of our respect.