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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Rae Lewis Thornton is an outstanding speaker who was |
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the guest speaker for the San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma |
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Theta's International Day of Service on March 17, 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, Diagnosed with HIV in 1986, Ms. Thornton has used |
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her personal experiences as a means to educate others and challenge |
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myths and stereotypes associated with AIDS; and |
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WHEREAS, Her efforts in fulfilling this important goal have |
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resulted in appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Nightline |
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with Ted Koppel and have included work as a contributing editor for |
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a television series telling the stories of individuals living with |
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HIV and AIDS, for which she received an Emmy Award; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Thornton has been featured on the cover of |
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Essence, and stories about her have appeared in Emerge, the Chicago |
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Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Washington Post, the Dayton |
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Daily News, and Ebony, which named her one of America's 57 Most |
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Intriguing People in 2002; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Thornton is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois |
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University and McCormick Theological Seminary, where she earned a |
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Master of Divinity degree, and she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at |
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the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; in addition to her work |
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as a motivational speaker, she is a licensed Baptist minister and |
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serves as an associate minister at Fellowship M. B. Church; she was |
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previously employed in politics, having worked on campaigns for |
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Carol Moseley Braun, Michael Dukakis, and Jesse Jackson; and |
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WHEREAS, Full of honesty and perseverance, Ms. Thornton is a |
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blessing in the lives of all who know her, and her ability to use her |
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own adversity as a catalyst for providing meaningful service to |
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others is truly inspirational; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend Rae Lewis Thornton for her many |
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endeavors and extend to her best wishes for the future; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Thornton as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |