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SR 607

MEMORIAL-REV. JANIS A. SHARPE

104th Regular Session Introduced by Lakesia Collins

The resolution formally recognizes and honors Rev. Janis Sharpe for six decades of religious leadership, education, and community service in Chicago.

Resolution Adopted
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Bill Summary · SR 607

Summary of SR0607 (104th General Assembly, Illinois)

Purpose

  • A Senate Resolution memorializing and extending condolences on the death of Reverend Janis Arlene Sharpe, who passed away on January 8, 2026.
  • The resolution recognizes Rev. Sharpe’s life, work, and contributions to her community, churches, education, and civic life.

Key Provisions and Content

  • Expresses sorrow and solemn remembrance for Rev. Sharpe.
  • Outlines Rev. Sharpe’s biographical background, including:
    • Born in Chicago on April 11, 1936; raised on Chicago’s South Side.
    • Advanced education with multiple degrees and certifications, including master’s degrees in Christian Education and Divinity from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary.
    • Ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
    • Leadership roles such as senior pastor and director of the Sojourner Truth Learning Center (formerly St. Mark Day Care and After School Program).
    • Co-founder of what became St. Mark AME Church on Chicago’s West Side with her husband; later served at Carey Tercentenary AME Church.
    • Involvement in public service and political advocacy; roles in the City of Chicago under Mayor Daley administrations, including service on the Chicago Board of Education and as a pension trustee.
    • Creative work as a playwright, producer, and choir director.
    • Described as a lifelong servant-leader with six decades of ministry and community service.
  • Acknowledges Rev. Sharpe’s family, congregations, and spiritual community.
  • Notes that Rev. Sharpe was preceded in death by her daughter, Paulette Elizabeth Ragland.

Beneficiaries and Stakeholders

  • The primary beneficiaries are Rev. Sharpe’s family and her spiritual and civic communities.
  • Public acknowledgment by the Illinois Senate serves as a formal recognition of her impact on faith-based leadership, education, and community development.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • The resolution is a commemorative measure, not a bill proposing new laws or appropriations.
  • Co-sponsor: Lakesia Collins.
  • The document serves to officially record the Senate’s mourning and appreciation for Rev. Sharpe’s life and work and to present a copy to her family.

Impact

  • Symbolic and ceremonial impact: Provides formal state-level acknowledgment of Rev. Sharpe’s contributions to religious leadership, education, and civic life in Chicago.
  • No fiscal implications or policy changes are attached to this memorial resolution.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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