File #: 15-2498    Version: 1 Name: HONORING THE LIFE OF REV. WILLIE T. BARROW
Type: Consent Calendar Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 3/26/2015 In control: Board of Commissioners
On agenda: 4/1/2015 Final action: 4/1/2015
Title: PROPOSED RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE OF REV. WILLIE T. BARROW WHEREAS, almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has called one of our spiritual leaders, Rev. Willie T. Barrow from our midst; and WHEREAS, Rev. Barrow was born in Burton, Texas, to Nelson and Octavia Taplin. At the young age of 12, in 1936, she organized and led her first demonstration when she confronted a bus driver and demanded that all students be allowed to ride the school bus regardless of race; and WHEREAS, at age sixteen, Rev. Barrow moved to Portland, Oregon, to attend Warner Pacific Theological Seminary. It was here that she organized one of the first African-American Churches of God; and where during World War II she worked as a welder at the Kaiser Shipyards in Swan Island, Washington; and WHEREAS, in 1943 Rev. Barrow and her husband, Clyde Barrow, moved to Chicago where she began studies at Moody Bible Institute and served as a youth minister at Langley Avenue Church of God; and WHEREAS, Rev...
Sponsors: TONI PRECKWINKLE (President), LUIS ARROYO JR, RICHARD R. BOYKIN, JERRY BUTLER, JOHN P. DALEY, JOHN A. FRITCHEY, BRIDGET GAINER, JESÚS G. GARCÍA, ELIZABETH "LIZ" DOODY GORMAN, GREGG GOSLIN, STANLEY MOORE, JOAN PATRICIA MURPHY, TIMOTHY O. SCHNEIDER, PETER N. SILVESTRI, DEBORAH SIMS, ROBERT STEELE, LARRY SUFFREDIN, JEFFREY R. TOBOLSKI
title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION

HONORING THE LIFE OF REV. WILLIE T. BARROW

WHEREAS, almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has called one of our spiritual leaders, Rev. Willie T. Barrow from our midst; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Barrow was born in Burton, Texas, to Nelson and Octavia Taplin. At the young age of 12, in 1936, she organized and led her first demonstration when she confronted a bus driver and demanded that all students be allowed to ride the school bus regardless of race; and

WHEREAS, at age sixteen, Rev. Barrow moved to Portland, Oregon, to attend Warner Pacific Theological Seminary. It was here that she organized one of the first African-American Churches of God; and where during World War II she worked as a welder at the Kaiser Shipyards in Swan Island, Washington; and

WHEREAS, in 1943 Rev. Barrow and her husband, Clyde Barrow, moved to Chicago where she began studies at Moody Bible Institute and served as a youth minister at Langley Avenue Church of God; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Barrow began her civil rights activism in the 1950's when she became a field organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In this capacity she worked alongside Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to organize demonstrators whom participated in marches and sit-ins across the country including, the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery. Rev. Barrow was among the first to seek Dr. King's assistance in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Barrow was a fervent activist, she also lent her organizing talents to the LGBT community, she fought for HIV/AIDs victims; and advocated for fair labor practices. She remained vocal about women's rights, Chicago gun violence, and changes to the Voting Rights Act until her passing. She also co-pastored The Vernon Park Church of God; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Barrow was preceded in death by her husband, Clyde Barrow and her son, Keith Barrow; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Willie T. Barrow's memory wil...

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