* Press release excerpt…

Governor JB Pritzker today announced the 2021 recipients of the Order of Lincoln, the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service. Established in 1964, the Order of Lincoln honors Illinois residents whose work uplifts every community in the state. This year’s Lincoln Laureates will be honored at the upcoming 57th annual Convocation at the Chicago History Museum. The eight recipients join a cohort of over 350 distinguished Illinois residents who have joined the Order of Lincoln over the last five decades.

One of this year’s recipients, Dr. Joanne Smith of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will be awarded the honor posthumously.

“This year’s Order of Lincoln recipients represent the values that make Illinois great. Hard work, innovation, and determination have long been the foundation of our communities and the eight recipients of the Order of Lincoln have exhibited all of that and more,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m so proud to award these talented men and women with our state’s highest honor and I commend them for their incredible contributions to Illinois – and the world.”

“The Lincoln Academy is honored to award the Order of Lincoln to these remarkable individuals,” said Frank Clark, chancellor of the Academy. “Abraham Lincoln exemplified what is great about our state, and the achievements and contributions of these honorees continues to illustrate the vibrancy and richness of Illinois.” […]

Mavis Staples, now in her eighth decade of singing truth, is an intrepid musical pioneer who has blurred the lines between gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, Americana, and hip hop. Since her first paying gig at Chicago’s Holy Trinity Baptist Church in 1948, the Chicago native has found success as both a solo artist and member of her family’s band, The Staple Singers. Close friends of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Staple Singers were the spiritual and musical voices of the Civil Rights movement before finding international pop radio stardom during the 1970’s with hits like “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” Staples was the subject of the Peabody-award-winning 2015 HBO documentary “Mavis!,” was named a 2016 Kennedy Center Honoree, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017; The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

* Turn it up…