Alabama 2022 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HR116 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 HR116
2	2	2 217221-1
3	3	3 By Representatives Drummond, Clarke, Jones (S) and Bracy
4	4	4 RFD:
5	5	5 First Read: 02-MAR-22
6	6
7	7	Page 0 1 217221-1:n:02/08/2022:BH/bh LSA2022-587
8	8	2
9	9	3
10	10	4
11	11	5
12	12	6
13	13	7
14	14	8 CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MS. CLERETTA
15	15	9 ARIZANA THOMAS-BLACKMON.
16	16	10
17	17	11 WHEREAS, it is with profound sorrow that we note the
18	18	12 death on February 2, 2022, of Ms. Cleretta Arizana
19	19	13 Thomas-Blackmon at the age of 82; and
20	20	14 WHEREAS, her passing leaves a void in the lives of
21	21	15 her loving family, many friends, and the entire community,
22	22	16 where she was highly regarded; and
23	23	17 WHEREAS, Ms. Thomas-Blackmon was born on August 9,
24	24	18 1939, to Frank P. Thomas and Lancie M. Thomas; and
25	25	19 WHEREAS, at a young age, Ms. Thomas-Blackmon watched
26	26	20 and learned the ropes of the newspaper industry under the
27	27	21 caring tutelage of her parents, the founders of The Mobile
28	28	22 Beacon, Alabama's oldest family-owned African American
29	29	23 Newspaper; her parents were also instrumental in the
30	30	24 desegregation of The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa,
31	31	25 where Mr. Thomas, a World War II Veteran, had founded his own
32	32	26 newspaper publication, The Alabama Citizen; Ms.
33	33	27 Thomas-Blackmon earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Wayne
34	34	Page 1 1 State University in Detroit, Michigan, where she majored in
35	35	2 Business Administration and Psychology and minored in
36	36	3 Journalism; she then spent many years as a Social Worker for
37	37	4 both the Department of Education and Social Security
38	38	5 Disability before moving to Mobile, Alabama, to steer her
39	39	6 parents' dream by taking the helm of The Mobile Beacon in the
40	40	7 1980s; some of her other achievements included being
41	41	8 instrumental in service for decades with the National
42	42	9 Newspaper Publishers Association (where she also served on its
43	43	10 Board of Directors), along with The Black Press of America,
44	44	11 The Alabama Press Association (where she also served on its
45	45	12 Board of Directors), and the National Newspaper Association;
46	46	13 and serving the National Newspaper Publishers Association
47	47	14 Bylaws and Archives Committee, The National Council of Negro
48	48	15 Women as the Treasurer, the National Association for the
49	49	16 Advancement of Colored People as the Secretary, and The
50	50	17 Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama as the Chairperson for many
51	51	18 terms; and
52	52	19 WHEREAS, proud to have Jesus Christ as her Lord and
53	53	20 Savior, Ms. Thomas-Blackmon was passionate about her faith;
54	54	21 she featured many spiritual articles in The Mobile Beacon,
55	55	22 including its signature seasonal messages of inspiration from
56	56	23 local pastors in the Mobile area; in addition, Ms.
57	57	24 Thomas-Blackmon was a very devoted and active member of her
58	58	25 church, Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, for many years, and was
59	59	26 also active in the state and national levels of the
60	60	27 Presbytery; and
61	61	Page 2 1 WHEREAS, Ms. Thomas-Blackmon loved spending time
62	62	2 with her family, friends, and community; traveling; dressing
63	63	3 well; playing bridge; listening to good music; and attending
64	64	4 galas and functions; and
65	65	5 WHEREAS, she was preceded in death by her loving
66	66	6 parents, Frank P. Thomas and Lancie M. Thomas, both of whom
67	67	7 are in the National Hall of Honors for the National Newspaper
68	68	8 Publishers Association and the Alabama Press Association,
69	69	9 respectfully; and the father of her children, Arthur Blackmon;
70	70	10 and
71	71	11 WHEREAS, Ms. Thomas-Blackmon is survived by her son,
72	72	12 Hjordis Blackmon; daughter, Merina Blackmon; grandson, Justin
73	73	13 Bankston; a beloved and dedicated woman who was like a sister
74	74	14 to her, Akima Abrakata; niece, Valencia Jackson; devoted
75	75	15 friend and co-worker of many years, Irma Love; and a host of
76	76	16 other family members and friends; and
77	77	17 WHEREAS, although her presence will be greatly
78	78	18 missed, the memory of Ms. Thomas-Blackmon will be cherished in
79	79	19 the hearts of all who knew and loved her; as a woman who was
80	80	20 passionate about lending a hand to those in need and who had a
81	81	21 tireless work ethic, her beautiful soul touched the lives of
82	82	22 many; now therefore,
83	83	23 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
84	84	24 THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, That the death of Ms. Cleretta
85	85	25 Arizana Thomas-Blackmon is recorded with deep sadness, and
86	86	26 this resolution is offered in tribute to her life, along with
87	87	Page 3 1 heartfelt sympathy to her family, whose grief is shared by
88	88	2 many.
89	89	Page 4