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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, During Black History Month it is important to | ||||||
| 3 | recognize those within the African American community who | ||||||
| 4 | contributed to the betterment of the State; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge (August 23, 1930 - December 26, | ||||||
| 6 | 2008) was a Democratic member of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 7 | Representatives, representing the 114th District from 1975 | ||||||
| 8 | until 2008; she served as the Assistant Majority Leader and was | ||||||
| 9 | a member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge earned her Bachelor of Science | ||||||
| 11 | from the Hampton Institute, her Juris Doctor from the Saint | ||||||
| 12 | Louis University School of Law, and her Master of Law from the | ||||||
| 13 | Washington University School of Law; she was a former Assistant | ||||||
| 14 | Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge was married to Richard G. | ||||||
| 16 | Younge, also an attorney, and they had 3 children, Ruth | ||||||
| 17 | (deceased), Torque, and Margaret, and 2 step-sons, Richard | ||||||
| 18 | Younge, Jr. and Roland Younge; her daughter, Margaret, said | ||||||
| 19 | that her mother drove 90 minutes each way to Springfield every | ||||||
| 20 | day so she could see her children in the mornings and evenings; | ||||||
| 21 | and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge was one of the longest-serving | ||||||
| 2 | members of the Illinois House; her legislative priorities | ||||||
| 3 | included urban renewal, substance abuse treatment, services | ||||||
| 4 | for the homeless, and economic development; she was a public | ||||||
| 5 | servant dedicated to equality and community progress; she | ||||||
| 6 | received the "Best Legislator" award from the United Auto | ||||||
| 7 | Workers in 1993; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge was a loyal believer in | ||||||
| 9 | education and economic development, fighting hard to keep the | ||||||
| 10 | community college in East St. Louis and to bring the Casino | ||||||
| 11 | Queen there, and for any cause that would help her district; | ||||||
| 12 | and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge set the framework for | ||||||
| 14 | Illinois's Homeless Bill of Rights; she sponsored House Bill | ||||||
| 15 | 4116 in 2004, which passed the House of Representatives but did | ||||||
| 16 | not receive a vote in the Senate; it contained several | ||||||
| 17 | provisions that are now law, including the right for homeless | ||||||
| 18 | people to access emergency medical care, the right to vote, and | ||||||
| 19 | the privacy of personal records; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Wyvetter H. Younge's dedication and hard work for | ||||||
| 21 | the people of her district, and on a larger scale - the | ||||||
| 22 | contributions she has made for the advancement of African | ||||||
| 23 | Americans in government, deserves to be remembered; therefore, | ||||||
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| 1 | be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 3 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | during Black History Month, we recognize the late State | ||||||
| 5 | Representative Wyvetter H. Younge for the all she has done; and | ||||||
| 6 | be it further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to the family of Wyvetter H. Younge as an expression | ||||||
| 9 | of our esteem and respect.
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