Bill
SR 395
Designates September 2025 as Illinois' Spoken Word Month to empower youth, boost arts education, and promote mentorship and violence prevention through poetry.
Status: Resolution — Adopted
Introduced: April 10, 2025 (Received by Secretary of the Senate)
Classification: Senate resolution
Note on source material: The version text provided appears to combine two distinct resolutions into a single file — a Georgia Senate resolution honoring Sheriff Melody M. Maddox (LC 112 3371) and an Illinois Senate resolution declaring September 2025 as “Spoken Word Month” (LRB104 14054 MST 27186 r / SR0395). The procedural history and sponsor lists also mix entries. The summary below treats both items separately and highlights this inconsistency; users should verify the official legislative record for the final, authoritative text.
Purpose and intent
- To formally recognize and commend Sheriff Melody M. Maddox for her more than 20 years of public safety and law enforcement service, and for her leadership in DeKalb County.
Key provisions / statements
- Recites Sheriff Maddox’s career milestones:
- Helped establish DeKalb Technical College’s public safety office in 2008 (now Georgia Piedmont Technical College).
- Became the college’s first female chief of police — noted as the only woman to hold such a role across the Technical College System of Georgia’s 22 colleges.
- Left in 2013 to pursue elected office; returned to DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in 2019 as chief of administration, later promoted to chief deputy.
- Appointed and sworn in as DeKalb County’s 50th sheriff on December 1, 2019, completing an unexpired term.
- Lists professional and community affiliations (Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, IACP, National Sheriffs’ Association, NOBLE, NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha, church and civic groups).
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make an appropriate copy of the resolution available to Sheriff Maddox.
Who is affected
- Primarily an honorary recognition of Sheriff Melody M. Maddox and, more broadly, acknowledgement of local law enforcement contributions in DeKalb County and the State of Georgia.
Purpose and intent
- To designate September 2025 as Spoken Word Month in Illinois and to promote spoken word poetry as a tool for youth empowerment, community healing, arts education, and violence prevention.
Key provisions / statements
- Recognizes spoken word’s role in expressing marginalized identities and supporting youth, especially in urban/at-risk communities.
- References mentorship programs and initiatives (e.g., Louder Than a Bomb, P.O.E.T.) and cites Illinois-based national events (National Spoken Word Awards and National Spoken Word Fest in Chicago) and the influence of artist/activist Blaq Ice.
- Officially declares September 2025 as Spoken Word Month in Illinois.
- Encourages collaboration among school districts, community organizations, cultural institutions, and youth development agencies to implement spoken-word mentorship programs and events statewide during September 2025.
- Urges State of Illinois agencies to promote awareness and support for the National Spoken Word Awards and Festival via marketing, outreach, and partnerships.
- Recognizes spoken word’s positive social impact and calls for celebration and elevation of artists and organizations across Illinois.
Who is affected
- Spoken word artists, students and youth (especially in at-risk neighborhoods), schools, community arts organizations, cultural institutions, and state arts agencies in Illinois.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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