A bill to honor and commemorate the lives of the first African Americans elected to the Georgia General Assembly is headed to the Governor’s desk for signature.
State Representative Carl Gilliard, the bill’s sponsor who hails from Savannah, announced final passage of the bill after the Senate approved the measure unanimously. The legislation had previously received unanimous approval in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Senators Aaron Alpeoria Bradley, Tunis Campbell, Sr., and George Wallace.
Representatives
- Thomas M. Allen
- Eli Barnes
- Thomas Beard
- Edwin Belcher
- Tunis Campbell, Jr.
- Malcolm Claiborn
- George H. Clower
- Abram Colby
- John T. Costin
- Madison Davis
- Monday Floyd
- F. H. Fyall
- Samuel Gardner
- William A. Golden
- William Guilford
- William Henry Harrison
- Ulysses L. Houston
- Philip Joiner
- GeorgeLinder
- Robert Lumpkin
- Romulus Moore
- Peter O’Neal
- James Ward Porter
- Alfred Richardson
- James M. Simms
- Abraham Smith
- Alexander Stone
- Henry McNeal Turner
- John Warren
- Samuel Williams
“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Chairman Matt Brass for his dedicated leadership in carrying this bill through the Senate,” said Rep. Gilliard. “Today, we honor the giants—the Original 33 African Americans elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1868. Unfortunately, they were denied their rightful place in history due to the color of their skin, with 14 of them suffering the unimaginable fate of lynching.”
The Original 33 Memorial Act aims to honor and commemorate the lives and contributions of 33 great Americans.
“With the passage of this bill, we collectively send a powerful signal that Georgia remembers and recognizes the contributions of these 33 courageous Americans,” added Rep. Gilliard. “Finally, we can salute these great leaders and celebrate their legacy and sacrifices.”
HB 303 now heads to the governor’s desk and awaits his decision to sign or veto.
The full text of HB 303 may be found here.
