Bill > SR0128

This resolution declares August 4, 2025 and August 4, 2026 as Eva Carroll Monroe Day in Illinois to honor a pioneering African American community leader who founded the Lincoln Colored Home (LCH), the first Black orphanage in Illinois and the second in the United States. Monroe, who worked as a probation officer, established the LCH in 1898 in response to racial discrimination that prevented Black children from accessing shelter and resources, and she personally cared for orphaned children during the Jim Crow era, often taking them into her own home and supporting them without government assistance. The resolution highlights Monroe's significant contributions to child welfare, recognizing her as a dedicated child advocate who heroically protected and served Black children, and whose efforts were instrumental in raising national standards of child welfare and protection. Additionally, the resolution notes that the LCH building, now owned by the Route History Museum and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only remaining brick-and-mortar structure of the first two Black orphanages in the United States. As a symbolic gesture, the resolution calls for a copy of the document to be presented to Dr. Gina Lathan, president of the Route History Museum, to commemorate Monroe's remarkable legacy.

Health and Social Services

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=128&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SR&SessionID=114&GA=104