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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 223 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 223

Recognizing the significance of Atlanta, Georgia, as the cradle of the 
                         civil rights movement.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2023

 Mr. David Scott of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. 
Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Payne, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, and Mr. Davis of 
Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Recognizing the significance of Atlanta, Georgia, as the cradle of the 
                         civil rights movement.

Whereas, in July 1881, a washerwoman strike of mostly Black women was one of the 
        first major examples of the impact of Black labor in Atlanta and the 
        power of coordinated, nonviolent organizing;
Whereas, in 1909, Atlanta University Professor W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the 
        founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
        People;
Whereas, on January 15, 1929, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
        was born in Atlanta;
Whereas, in 1946, African-American community leaders in Atlanta established the 
        All Citizen's Registration Committee (ACRC) to register voters and 
        increase involvement in the political process;
Whereas, in 1948, 8 African-American officers were hired to the Atlanta Police 
        Department, desegregating the city's police force;
Whereas, in 1949, the Atlanta Negro Voters League (ANVL) was founded to 
        coordinate political advocacy and bolster the power of African-American 
        voters;
Whereas, in 1956, Atlanta was the site of the ``Sugar Bowl Riots'', when 
        Pittsburgh Panthers football player Bobby Grier became the first African 
        American to play in a bowl game in the Deep South;
Whereas, in 1957, Dr. King and Ralph David Abernathy formed the Southern 
        Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to develop and implement 
        nonviolent protest strategies and advance the fight for equal voting 
        rights;
Whereas, on October 12, 1958, the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple was 
        bombed by White supremacists due to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, the Temple's 
        Rabbi, and its congregation's active and vocal support for civil rights 
        and integration;
Whereas, in 1959, local activism led to the desegregation of Atlanta public 
        transit services;
Whereas, in 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was 
        headquartered in Atlanta and chaired by the honorable John Lewis, to 
        focus the energy and efforts of students participating in the civil 
        rights movement;
Whereas, in 1960, the Atlanta University Center (AUC) established the Atlanta 
        Student Movement to lead sit-ins to protest segregation in public 
        facilities;
Whereas, in 1960, Dr. King, along with 52 other activists, was arrested at an 
        Atlanta department store lunch counter sit-in while protesting 
        segregation;
Whereas, in 1961, Morehouse College student Charles Black led demonstrations 
        against the lack of African-American health care workers in Atlanta 
        health facilities, eventually leading to the desegregation of Grady 
        Memorial Hospital;
Whereas the Atlanta-based SCLC was critical in securing the passage of the Civil 
        Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, highly 
        consequential pieces of legislation that guarantee full rights and equal 
        protection of the law for all Americans;
Whereas, in 1964, the landmark Supreme Court case Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. 
        v. United States found that the Federal Government had the power to 
        enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and prohibit discrimination on the 
        basis of race;
Whereas political advocacy efforts in Atlanta were instrumental in promoting the 
        passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 
        1965, the crown jewels of the civil rights movement;
Whereas, in 1965, partially as a result of the successes of the Civil Rights Act 
        of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 11 Black people were elected 
        to the Georgia House of Representatives, including Atlanta-based civil 
        rights organizer Julian Bond;
Whereas, in 1968, 150,000 people joined in Dr. King's funeral procession through 
        the streets of Atlanta, to honor his memory and demonstrate that further 
        action was needed to advance the cause of equality;
Whereas political advocacy efforts in Atlanta were instrumental in promoting the 
        passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, parts of which are commonly 
        called the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination on 
        the basis of race, religion, nationality, disability, or sex;
Whereas, in 1972, Andrew Young was elected to Congress from Atlanta, becoming 
        the first Black representative from the Deep South since Reconstruction;
Whereas, in 1973, Maynard Jackson was elected as Atlanta's first African-
        American mayor, also becoming the first African-American mayor in the 
        Deep South, providing inspiration to civil servants and voters across 
        the United States;
Whereas, in 1976, the Sweet Auburn Historical District in Atlanta was designated 
        as a National Historic Landmark District for its significance as a 
        prosperous African-American neighborhood and center of commerce;
Whereas, in 1977, Atlantan Andrew Young was appointed as the first Black United 
        States Ambassador to the United Nations;
Whereas, in 1981, the honorable John Lewis began his career as an elected 
        official as a member of the Atlanta City Council;
Whereas, in 1986, the honorable John Lewis was elected to represent Atlanta in 
        the House of Representatives, where he would go on to serve for 33 
        years;
Whereas Atlanta has ascended as a global city and a world-class leader in 
        business, entrepreneurship, athletics, transportation, politics, social 
        equity, faith, culture, education, health, and science;
Whereas Atlanta's reputation for cohesive economic achievement has earned it the 
        nickname ``The City Too Busy to Hate'';
Whereas Atlanta is home to numerous stellar institutes of higher learning, 
        including Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark Atlanta 
        University, Spelman College, Morris Brown College, and the Georgia 
        Institute of Technology; and
Whereas Atlanta continues to be recognized as a center of diversity, 
        inclusivity, excellence, and social, economic, and educational 
        opportunity for all: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes Atlanta's significance as the cradle of the 
        civil rights movement for the city's immense contributions to 
        the cause of equal rights; and
            (2) honors Atlanta's role as a dynamic, vibrant city that 
        continues to lead by example to show the success that is 
        possible when Americans are given equal opportunities to pursue 
        excellence.
                                 <all>
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