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JESSIE WHITE MAN OF THE YEAR 2012

jesseOn November 3, 1998, Jesse White became the first African-American to be elected secretary of state for the state of Illinois. White had begun his political career by serving for 16 years in the Illinois General Assembly, representing the most culturally, economically, and racially diverse district in the state. In 1992, he was elected Cook County recorder of deeds, a position previously held by Carol Moseley Braun, who went on to become a US Senator for Illinois. White won re-election as recorder in 1996, resigning two years later to become secretary of state. While White has had a long and distinguished career in state politics, outside Illinois he is better known as the founder and coach of the Jesse White Tumbling Team. The team, which White established in 1959, was designed to provide a positive alternative for children growing up in tough inner-city neighborhoods. According to John Blades, writing in the Chicago Tribune, “White’s aggressive efforts to provide his boys and girls with a way of escape from the crippling, often fatal effects of ghetto life have brought him…national attention.” White was born in on June 23, 1934, in Alton, Illinois., or alcohol. 

As a young man, White excelled at several sports..In 1959, while working with the Chicago Park District, White was asked to stage a gymnastics show. He recruited some talented youngsters, and drained his own savings account to buy uniforms. Eventually, “the word spread and we started getting requests from parks, YMCAs, block clubs, art festivals, schools, the Cubs” to put on performances, White was quoted as saying in the Chicago Tribune. In the forty years since then, more than 3500 children have performed with the Jesse White Tumblers, most of them residents of public housing projects in Chicago. To remain on the team, tumblers must stay in school and maintain average grades; stay away from drugs, alcohol, and gangs; and stay out of trouble with the law. Fewer than 100 have After more than ten years as a coach and educator, White decided to expand his activism to the state legislature.

 In 1974, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the 8th district, a diverse area that includes some of Chicago’s richest and poorest residents. White became only the second African-American in Illinois history to be elected from a majority-white district. He served in the state legislature from 1975 to 1977, then again from 1979 to 1993. During his 16 years as a legislator, White developed a solid record for anti-crime and education initiatives. He chaired the Human Services Committee, which oversees all state social programs; he was also an active member of the Elementary Education Committee and the Select Committee on Aging. He decided to run for Cook County recorder of deeds, winning election in 1992.. “White earned the gratitude of real estate agents, lawyers and homeowners for reducing from six to two weeks the time it takes to record a document and return it to the customer,” the Sun-Times editorial continued. As a result, White saved county taxpayers $4 million annually and generated record levels of revenue for the county. In 1998, White declared himself a candidate for Illinois secretary of state, a high-profile position often seen as a stepping-stone to a run for governor. The responsibilities of the secretary of state’s office include a wide range of activities: issuing vehicle license plates and titles, maintaining driver records, registering corporations, enforcing the Illinois Securities Act, overseeing state library and literacy programs, and keeping archival records of legal or historic value. The office provides direct service to more Illinois citizens than any other public agency. On November 4, 1998, White was elected secretary of state. He became the first Democrat since 1981, as well as the first African American in Illinois history, to win that powerful office. He is still currently serving in the same capacity as Illinois Secretary of State after a couple of undefeated elections. .”

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