SIGMA/ZETA DAY

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0809

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SR0809 - 104th General Assembly

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SR0809
LRB104 21988 MST 37983 r
1
SENATE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. was founded at
3
Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914 by
4
three African-American students, A. Langston Taylor, Leonard
5
F. Morse, and Charles I. Brown, who united to form a fraternity
6
that would exemplify the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship,
7
and service; and

8

WHEREAS, The founders of Phi Beta Sigma offered support
9
and encouragement to Arizona Cleaver Stemons, Pearl Anna Neal,
10
Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Viola Tyler Goings, and Fannie Pettie
11
Watts as they founded Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. at Howard
12
University on January 16, 1920 to raise people's
13
consciousness, encourage scholastic achievement, and foster
14
unity among members, making Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta
15
the first and only fraternity and sorority to be
16
constitutionally bound to each other; and

17

WHEREAS, Phi Beta Sigma brothers believe that each member
18
and potential member should be judged by their own merits,
19
rather than family background, affluence, race, nationality,
20
skin tone, or hair texture and should work to return newly
21
acquired skills to the communities from which they came, with
22
this conviction mirrored in the fraternity's motto, "Culture
23
For Service and Service For Humanity"; and

SR0809
- 2 -
LRB104 21988 MST 37983 r
1

WHEREAS, Phi Beta Sigma brothers contributed greatly to
2
the literary and artistic movement known as the Harlem
3
Renaissance, to the cause of civil rights, civic engagement,
4
and freedom, and to the sciences, and membership has included
5
writer Alain LeRoy Locke, poet and diplomat James Weldon
6
Johnson, workers' rights activist A. Philip Randolph,
7
scientist George Washington Carver, astronaut Victor Glover,
8
Congressmen Elijah Cummings, John Lewis, Adriano Espaillat,
9
and Harold Lee Washington, who also served as the first Black
10
Mayor of Chicago, as well as Nnamdi Azikiwe and his
11
contemporary Kwame Nkrumah, the first presidents of
12
independent Nigeria and Ghana, respectively; and

13

WHEREAS, Zeta Phi Beta was the first Black greek-lettered
14
organization to centralize its operations in a national
15
headquarters, first to charter a chapter in Africa, and the
16
first to form auxiliary groups and currently boasts hundreds
17
of chapters worldwide and over 125,000 members who seek to
18
upload its ideals of "Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, and
19
Finer Womanhood"; and

20

WHEREAS, Zeta Phi Beta sisters contributed greatly to the
21
literary and artistic movement known as the Harlem
22
Renaissance, to the cause of civil rights, civic engagement,
23
and freedom, and to the sciences, and membership has included

SR0809
- 3 -
LRB104 21988 MST 37983 r
1
writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, attorney
2
Violette Anderson, educator Dr. Elizabeth Koontz, journalist
3
and media entrepreneur Clara McLaughlin, and psychiatrist and
4
substance abuse treatment expert Dr. Alyce Gullattee; and

5

WHEREAS, On May 19, 2026, members of Phi Beta Sigma
6
Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. will convene
7
at the Illinois State Capitol to engage with policymakers,
8
elevate issues impacting their communities, and promote
9
informed civic participation; and

10

WHEREAS, This advocacy day reflects the continued
11
commitment of both organizations to uplift underserved
12
communities and to ensure that the voices of those communities
13
are heard in the legislative process; and

14

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois benefits from the civic
15
leadership, volunteerism, and policy advocacy demonstrated by
16
members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta
17
Sorority, Inc.; therefore, be it

18

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
19
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 19, 2026
20
as Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta Day in the State of
21
Illinois; and be it further

SR0809
- 4 -
LRB104 21988 MST 37983 r
1

RESOLVED, That we further commend the members of Phi Beta
2
Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. for
3
their unwavering commitment to service, advocacy, and
4
community advancement; and be it further

5

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6
presented to the state, regional, and international leadership
7
of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
8
Inc. as a symbol of our respect and esteem.

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