RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Bernice Perkins was born on January 17, 1931 in Memphis Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, Bernice and her family moved to the City of Chicago when she was quite young, settling on the South Side of Chicago and consequently moving to the Uptown area of the 46th Ward in the 1970's; and
WHEREAS, Bernice has been a long time Vista volunteer and community activist, building community through organizing residents in conjunction with elected officials; and
WHEREAS, Bernice Perkins was Vice-President of her building at 4645 N. Sheridan, serving fellow residents selflessly in ways too numerous to mention, including the organization of a tenant patrol; and
WHEREAS, always the activist, Bernice organized weekly rummage sales at the Chicago Housing Authority Senior building located at 4645 N. Sheridan where she has lived for more than 25 years, using the funds to purchase amenities for the building such as blinds for the dining room and furniture for the lobby; and
WHEREAS, in the early 1990's she led a campaign to increase security at 4645 N. Sheridan that resulted in the installation of a wrought iron fence around the building which still stands today; and
WHEREAS, This grassroots organizing activity led to the CHA affiliated Windows of Opportunity raising funds for and installing fences at all CHA senior buildings; and
WHEREAS, Bernice worked with the Organization of the Northeast for 16 years providing expert leadership, and continues to volunteer for the organization today; and
WHEREAS, Bernice was active and played an important role in the election of dozens of elected officials, including Mayor Harold Washington, State Representative Larry McKeon, and Alderman Helen Shiller; and
WHEREAS, Bernice Perkins serves as the Community Representative for the City of Chicago's Joint Review Board for the Wilson Yard TIF District considering all matters that concern the creation of or amendment to the TIF District; and
WHEREAS, Bernice played a central role in the developm...
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