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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, At the age of 109, Emma Primas of Houston ranks among |
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| 6 | 7 | | the most venerable Americans, and she delighted the president of |
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| 7 | 8 | | the United States by traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet him at |
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| 8 | 9 | | an Easter prayer breakfast held on April 7, 2015; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Born in Maynard on August 5, 1905, 15 years before |
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| 10 | 11 | | women's suffrage, Mrs. Primas has long exercised her right to vote, |
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| 11 | 12 | | and she paid poll taxes when she had to in order to make her voice |
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| 12 | 13 | | heard at the ballot box; she became a member of the NAACP and the |
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| 13 | 14 | | Progressive Civic Club, and in 2008, she did her part as a voter to |
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| 14 | 15 | | help Barack Obama become the nation's first African American |
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| 15 | 16 | | president; on the occasion of her visit to the White House, she was |
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| 16 | 17 | | rewarded with a kiss on the cheek from the leader of the free world; |
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| 17 | 18 | | and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Mrs. Primas grew up in the country and helped with |
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| 19 | 20 | | every task on the family farm, learning the value of hard work, |
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| 20 | 21 | | discipline, prudence, and strong community relationships; she |
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| 21 | 22 | | began her formal education around the age of 10, and as a teenager, |
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| 22 | 23 | | she took after-school jobs washing dishes in homes; following her |
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| 23 | 24 | | marriage to Charlie Williams, she became the proud mother of a |
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| 24 | 25 | | daughter, Ella Bernice, and in 1938, she moved to Houston; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Hearing of better opportunities in California, |
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| 26 | 27 | | Mrs. Primas and her family relocated in 1943 to San Francisco, |
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| 27 | 28 | | where she worked as a server at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and then |
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| 28 | 29 | | as a streetcar driver; she later became a school dietician and was |
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| 29 | 30 | | quickly put in charge of menus for five schools; all the while, she |
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| 30 | 31 | | managed her money carefully, and when she returned to Houston, she |
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| 31 | 32 | | opened a grocery store; she helped numerous customers during hard |
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| 32 | 33 | | times by allowing them to take what they needed and defer payment |
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| 33 | 34 | | until circumstances improved; in addition, she was a matron of the |
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| 34 | 35 | | Heroines of Jericho for 50 years and held many offices; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Mrs. Primas now shares a home with her |
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| 36 | 37 | | granddaughter, Denise Mickey; she is the oldest member of the |
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| 37 | 38 | | Houston Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, and she is a |
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| 38 | 39 | | longtime member of First Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church; |
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| 39 | 40 | | moreover, she has continued to participate in community events, and |
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| 40 | 41 | | she remains a staunch advocate for the democratic process, urging |
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| 41 | 42 | | younger people to vote; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, An inspiring role model, Emma Primas has earned the |
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| 43 | 44 | | deep admiration of her fellow citizens, and by sharing her |
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| 44 | 45 | | thoughtful perspectives on more than a century of change, she |
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| 45 | 46 | | enriches the lives of all who are privileged to know her; now, |
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| 46 | 47 | | therefore, be it |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 48 | 49 | | Legislature hereby honor Emma Primas for her contributions to her |
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| 49 | 50 | | community and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued |
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| 50 | 51 | | happiness; and, be it further |
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| 51 | 52 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 52 | 53 | | prepared for Mrs. Primas as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 53 | 54 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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