Collins proclaims Thirteenth Amendment Month at Rosa Parks celebration
Katharine Eastvold
Published: February 25, 2013
Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus
Department of Communications
www.IllinoisSenateDemocrats.com
State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins
www.SenatorJacquelineCollins.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
February 25, 2013 Katharine Eastvold 217-782-0591
keastvold@senatedem.ilga.gov
Collins proclaims Thirteenth Amendment Month
at Rosa Parks celebration
CHICAGO – On Saturday, State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16th) attended a celebration in remembrance of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, born one hundred years ago this month, and presented a resolution she sponsored declaring February 2013 “Thirteenth Amendment Ratification Month.” John Paul Jones, one of Collins’ constituents and president of the Sustainable Englewood Initiatives, had asked her to find a way to publicly acknowledge Illinois’ status as the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery in the United States and formally freed all slaves still in bondage in 1865.
“Illinois’ prompt ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment is something we can all be proud of today, nearly 150 years later,” Collins said. “I sponsored this resolution because it’s important for our children to know about the significance of this moment in history – the beginning of a road that has stretched from Jim Crow to Brown v. Board to Selma to our nation’s first Black president and beyond. This part of our journey started with the legal, constitutional right to be free.”
The Illinois General Assembly ratified the Thirteenth Amendment on February 1, 1865, mere hours after the U.S. House of Representatives approved it. Governor Richard J. Oglesby informed the legislature of the amendment’s passage and urged immediate ratification on the grounds that outlawing slavery was both “humane” and “just.” Senate Resolution 65 also acknowledges this year as the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in areas occupied by the Union Army.
“Moviegoers who saw the film ‘Lincoln’ last year learned about the great political struggle to secure congressional approval of the Thirteenth Amendment,” Collins said. “The other part of the story is its ratification by the states and the fact that Lincoln’s home state of Illinois led the way.”
The Rosa Parks Celebration took place at Gifts from God Ministries Church on West 74th Street. Organizers presented awards to three outstanding women in the community, and attendees enjoyed refreshments and an African bazaar.
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