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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COMMEMORATING THE EXCEPTIONAL COURAGE AND LEGACY OF JOURNALIST JAMES FOLEY
WHEREAS, James Foley, a man whose inspirational life story of faith, courage and commitment to journalism ended far too soon, when, at age 40 his life was taken at the hands of Islamist extremists. He has left behind a devoted family, countless friends and a community profoundly enriched for having known him; and
WHEREAS, James Foley's exceptional generosity and kindness revealed itself early in life when he indicated to friends and family his strong desire to be an agent for change to make the world a better place. Shortly after he graduated from Marquette University in 1996, he took on the challenge to eliminate educational inequality when he joined Teach for America. Over the years Foley taught in low-income schools in Phoenix, Arizona, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, James Foley moved to Evanston, Illinois in his 30s to attend Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism where he pursued his Master's Degree in journalism. While attending Northwestern, James Foley continued his work to eliminate educational inequality; this time his pupils were participants in the Cook County Sheriff's Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center, a project that is an alternative to prison and is also known as Boot Camp. In Boot Camp, Foley, who was fluent in Spanish, worked as a language arts teacher; and
WHEREAS, after earning his Master's Degree in 2008 from Medill, he set off on his mission to tell the stories of people suffering in war-ravaged countries; he would eventually cover conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. His selfless bravery and devotion to his craft compelled him to continuously return to the troubled areas of the world even when doing so put his life and personal freedom in jeopardy; he was held captive in Libya for 44 days in 2011. After his release from Libya, he returned to Medill and s...
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