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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the DuSable High School Alumni for Action have fought to preserve the historic name of DuSable High School which was the first high school built for Black students in the Chicago Metropolitan area; and
WHEREAS, DuSable High School opened in the Bronzeville Community in 1935, named after Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, widely regarded as the founder of Chicago. Today the block-long edifice located at 4934 S. Wabash Avenue is home to three schools, Daniel Hale Williams Prep School of Medicine, the Bronzeville Scholastic Institute and the DuSable Leadership Academy serving as a physical manifestation of the rich legacy of the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north; and
WHEREAS, In October of 2012 DuSable High School was designated a historical landmark, this year the Alumni are honoring the past, present, and future of their beloved school on Friday, June 6, 2014. The landmark designation of DuSable High School recognizes and reinforces the historical significance of the residents of the Black Belt which was renamed Bronzeville in the mid 1990s; and
WHEREAS, Historical perspectives and stories vary among DuSable Alumni, they are a who's who of American culture changing the Chicago community that surrounds it and impacting the nation. DuSable was home to basketball greats Maurice Cheeks and Kevin Porter while Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton was the second African American to sign with the NBA. Graduates such as Mayor Harold Washington, State Senator Mattie Hunter, Judge William Cousins, Labor Leader Addie Wyatt, Artist and Teacher, Margaret Burroughs, Grammy award-winning jazz singer, Dinah Washington, Soul Train's Don Cornelius, Comedian Red Foxx, Publisher John H. Johnson and Professor Timuel Black are just a few of the remarkable individuals that made DuSable High School famous; and
WHEREAS, DuSable High School continues to fulfill its laudatory educational purpose and is passionate about its' past, and eager to fulfill its' commitment to its students, faculty, alumni and community in the years to come; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of the Cook County Board when an educational institution of such high aims and accomplishments is brought to our attention, it should be recognized and applauded by all its citizens.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County pause to recognize the educational, economic, political, and cultural contribution of the DuSable High School and commend its Alumni on its efforts securing the landmark designation that ensures their rich history will never be forgotten.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be tendered to DuSable Alumni for Action and a copy be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body for the benefit of future generations.
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