MEMORIAL RESOLUTION FOR HAL BASKIN
WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that the members of this Chamber learned of the untimely passing of Mr. Hal E. Baskin on August 10, 2018; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed body has been informed of his passing by the Honorable Toni Foulkes, Alderman of the 16th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Hal Baskin was born to the union of Primas and Eloise (Spraggins) Baskin in West Point, Mississippi, on June 15, 1952. He was the seventh of fourteen siblings; and
WHEREAS, Hal was raised in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, where he attended Chicago Public Schools, graduating from Francis Parker High School and going on to receive his graduate degree from Northeastern Illinois University, majoring in Politics;
WHEREAS, He was an active member of his church, joining Christ Way M.B. Church where he was baptized on March 20, 1980 under the leadership of the late Rev. Consuela York and the late Pastor John York; and
WHEREAS, Hal married the love of his life, Hermein in 1978. To that union, two children were born, Karla and Hal Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hal E. Baskin has been a resident of the Englewood community for over 56 years, where he has served as a dedicated community organizer and political activist for almost 40 years; and
WHEREAS, In Hal's role as a community organizer he has united spiritual and community leaders to combat gang violence, created gang deactivation programs at Chicago Public Schools, led a search resulting in finding the body of a missing Englewood child, and opened a youth center to create alternatives to gangs and violence; and
WHEREAS, Hal was the founder and driving force behind many organizations, including Liberation for Self Help, 16th Ward Political Task Force, P.E.A.C.E. (People Educated Against Crime in Englewood) and the Englewood Political Task Force. He was also instrumental in creating various youth based opportunities including Englewood United Little League Baseball, the Gang Deactivation Program at Engle...
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