Lerone Bennett Jr.
WHEREAS, We, the members of the Chicago City Council, wish to honor the life of Lerone Bennett Jr., a devoted resident and historian in the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Lerone Bennett Jr. was born in 1928 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and attended Morehouse College with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Bennett wrote at JET Magazine for over 50 years; and
WHEREAS, his major works include Before the Mayflower, a seminal history of black America, What Manner of Man, one of the first biographies of Dr. Martin Luther King, and Forced Into Glory, a biography of President Abraham Lincoln; and
WHEREAS, for his literary work, Bennett received the Literature Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, the Book of the Year Award from Capital Press Club, the Patron Saints Award from the Society of Midland Authors, and the American Book Award; and
WHEREAS, Bennett was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Black Journalists; and
WHEREAS, he received the Distinguished W.E.B. DuBois Scholarship Award of the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists, the Carter G. Woodson Medallion from the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, and the "Salute to Greatness Award" from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change; and
WHEREAS, he was on the board of the Chicago Public Library, Columbia College, and the Chicago History Museum; and
WHEREAS, he was appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities by President Bill Clinton, and to the Presidential Commission on the National Museum of African-American History and Culture by President George W. Bush; and
WHEREAS, Bennett was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame; and
WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi passed a resolution commending Bennett for contributions to American literature; and
WHEREAS, Bennett was a loving husband, a caring father, and a committed member of the Fourth Ward community; and
WHEREAS, on behalf of the entire Fourth Ward, Alderman Sophia King would like to extend this honor to Lerone Bennett Jr. for his devotion to literature, journalism, history, civil rights, the African-American community, and the City of Chicago; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled on January 26, 2022, do hereby extend our heartfelt gratitude to Lerone Bennett Jr., and sincere sympathy to his family; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution are presented to the Bennett family as a sign of our honor, gratitude, and celebration of Lerone Bennett Jr.'s legacy.