IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1523 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Booker T. Washington High School 

in Atlanta, Georgia. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 

Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia (for herself, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. 

BISHOP of Georgia, and Mr. CARTER of Georgia) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 

Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Booker T. Washington 

High School in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Whereas, when it was constructed in 1924, Booker T. Washington High School became the first public high school 

for Black students in Atlanta; 

Whereas Booker T. Washington High School remained the 

only public Black high school in the city until 1947; 

Whereas public education had existed in Atlanta since 1872, 

and the lack of school buildings for Black students was 

purposefully designed to block access to education for 

Black individuals; 

Whereas Atlanta’s Black community fought for the right to 

a public education, helping to pass school bond referenVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:28 Sep 27, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1523.IH HR1523

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 1523 IH 

dums in 1903 and 1910 with the promise that the funds 

raised would be used to build a Black high school; 

Whereas no such school was constructed following the passage of either referendum; 

Whereas, in 1919, the NAACP and Black community leaders 

conducted a successful voter registration drive, and newly 

registered Black voters used their newfound political 

power to defeat a new school bond referendum; 

Whereas Black voters, having demonstrated their political 

might, helped pass a school bond referendum in 1921 

based on the promise that the funds would be used to 

build Black schools; 

Whereas the school board pledged $1,290,000 for the construction of Black schools following the 1921 referendum; 

Whereas construction was completed on January 29, 1924, 

and the first public Black high school in Atlanta opened 

on September 8, 1924; 

Whereas the school was fittingly named after Booker T. 

Washington, the revered leader and educator; 

Whereas Booker T. Washington High School initially offered 

standard high school academic subjects and vocational 

training; 

Whereas the first principal of Booker T. Washington High 

School, Charles L. Harper, and his dedicated faculty, set 

high expectations for their students and supplemented 

their education by leading educational tours, creating 

athletics, music, and drama programs, and erecting a 

statue of Booker T. Washington at the front of the 

school; 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 1523 IH 

Whereas Black students from across the State of Georgia attended Booker T. Washington High School because of 

the quality of the education it provided and the lack of 

educational opportunities elsewhere in the State; 

Whereas Booker T. Washington High School quickly became 

a cornerstone of Atlanta’s Black community; 

Whereas, throughout the years, Booker T. Washington High 

School has continued to serve as a beacon of light in the 

community, serving as a meeting space for alumni 

groups, community and civic organizations, and high 

school, collegiate, and semiprofessional sports leagues; 

Whereas Graham W. Jackson became the school’s first band 

director in 1928 and built the Booker T. Washington 

High School band into one of the finest high school music 

programs in the country; 

Whereas the Booker T. Washington High School marching 

band has received numerous honors, including three Certificates of Merit from Atlanta’s mayors, and has performed on some of the biggest stages in Atlanta and 

across the country; 

Whereas the school’s marching band became the first high 

school marching band to perform on national television 

during the 1969 Coaches All-America Game, has also 

performed during Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Hawks 

halftime shows and the 1988 Democratic National Convention, and has been featured in the films ‘‘School 

Daze’’ and ‘‘Drumline’’; 

Whereas visitors to Booker T. Washington High School include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, activist Jesse Jackson, 

civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and President George W. 

Bush; 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 1523 IH 

Whereas alumni of Booker T. Washington High School have 

gone on to achieve great success and include— 

(1) civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; 

(2) Judge Romae T. Powell; 

(3) surgeon Dr. Asa Yancey; 

(4) former Secretary for Health and Human Services Dr. Louis Sullivan; 

(5) Georgia State Legislator ‘‘Able’’ Mable Thomas; 

and 

(6) educator Dr. Pearlie Craft Dove; 

Whereas, in 1986, Booker T. Washington High School was 

placed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing the school’s historic, cultural, architectural, and 

artistic value; and 

Whereas, on September 16, 2024, Booker T. Washington 

High School and the broader Atlanta community gathered at Atlanta City Hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the school’s opening, and additional celebrations 

will take place throughout the school year: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the 100th anniversary of Booker 

3 T. Washington High School’s opening; 

4 (2) applauds the determination, perseverance, 

5 and political savvy of the Atlanta Black community 

6 in organizing to ensure that funds were provided to 

7 construct a Black public high school; 

8 (3) celebrates the historic, educational, and cul9 tural impact that Booker T. Washington High 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
5 

•HRES 1523 IH 

1 School and its alumni have had on Atlanta, Georgia, 

2 the United States, and the world; and 

3 (4) calls on Booker T. Washington High 

4 School’s current students, teachers, and administra5 tors to continue striving for greatness. 

Æ 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS