RESOLUTION DECLARING DR. DAISAKU IKEDA AN HONORARY CITIZEN OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago has served as a beacon of hope for millions of people who migrated to the center of the Midwestern United States and forged one of the nation's most dynamic and diverse urban centers; and
WHEREAS, Soka Gakkai International President Dr. Daisaku Ikeda traveled to Chicago in October of 1960, as part of his worldwide mission to share the philosophy of peace and hope, which advocates that all people are worthy of respect and must be treated with the dignity they deserve; and
WHEREAS, During his trip to Chicago, Dr. Ikeda witnessed an act of racial injustice in Lincoln Park that reaffirmed his dedication to ridding the world of such inhumanity and intolerance, and inspired him to establish SGI-USA Chicago, which today includes 20,000 diverse members harmoniously working together to promote peace and justice; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Ikeda recognized that the key to everlasting peace is the continuous fostering of young. people; he returned to Chicago on several occasions to encourage SGI-USA youth to fearlessly challenge the ways of thinking that justify discrimination and violence, arid urged them to unite with people of all walks of life, to work toward developing a society based on the equality and happiness of all people; arid
WHEREAS, In 2018, inspired by Dr. Ikeda's exam pie and encouragement from former First Lady Michelle Obama, 50,000 youth from all backgrounds gathered in nine cities throughout the United States, including in Chicago at Wintrust Arena, to participate in the "Lions of Justice Festival", where they pledged to stand up in solidarity, across all differences of spiritual and cultural identity, to collectively confront the roots of hate - greed, anger and ignorance - that lie within people's hearts; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Ikeda expanded his efforts to support and encourage youth with the establishment of institutions of higher learning in four countries, ...
Click here for full text