III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 790 

Condemning the atrocities that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1906, in 

which White supremacist mobs brutalized, terrorized, and killed dozens 

of Black Americans, and reaffirming the commitment of the Senate 

to combating hatred, injustice, and White supremacy. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 

Mr. OSSOFF submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the atrocities that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, 

in 1906, in which White supremacist mobs brutalized, 

terrorized, and killed dozens of Black Americans, and 

reaffirming the commitment of the Senate to combating 

hatred, injustice, and White supremacy. 

Whereas the horrific act of lynching impacted race relations 

in the United States and shaped the geographic, political, 

social, and economic conditions of Black people in ways 

that are still relevant today; 

Whereas more than 4,400 Black people were lynched across 

20 States between 1877 and 1950, 594 of whom were 

Black victims in Georgia and 36 of those documented victims were killed in Fulton County; 


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•SRES 790 IS 

Whereas, until 1906, Atlanta, Georgia, was home to more 

than 50,000 Black residents, many of whom owned 

homes and businesses in the city; 

Whereas, on September 22, 1906, at 9 p.m., 10,000 White 

men and boys gathered at the corner of Pryor and Decatur Streets, an area known as Five Points in downtown 

Atlanta; 

Whereas the mob was motivated by the media’s false coverage 

of Black men brutalizing White women; 

Whereas city officials, which included Mayor James G. Woodward, attempted to calm the crowds but failed to do so; 

Whereas, going through Decatur Street, Pryor Street, Central Avenue, and throughout the central business district, 

assaulting hundreds of Black people, the mob of White 

men and boys continued to hunt and kill Atlanta’s Black 

residents into the night; 

Whereas, in an attempt to control the mob, Mayor Woodward 

called the fire department out to disperse the mob using 

large streams of water, but the mob quickly regathered 

and continued to shoot and stone Atlanta’s Black residents; 

Whereas, by Monday, September 24, 1906, what is now 

known as Downtown Atlanta, was under military rule; 

Whereas the massacre continued, with plans to move outside 

of the city and into Brownsville, a Black community 

south of downtown with about 1,500 residents; 

Whereas the community gathered to prepare and fight back, 

and with great fear of a counterattack they were disarmed by State Troops, and more than 250 AfricanAmerican men were arrested; 


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•SRES 790 IS 

Whereas, through the duration of the massacre, armed Black 

residents defended their neighborhoods, both in Brownsville and in Dark Town; 

Whereas at least 25 Black residents were murdered, 2 White 

men were killed, hundreds of Black residents were 

wounded, and thousands of Black businesses and homes 

were burned or destroyed; 

Whereas the story of the Atlanta race massacre is only 1 of 

many such atrocities and horrific incidents, and shows 

the lasting impact of White supremacy in the United 

States; and 

Whereas the theft of property from Black landowners as well 

as the displacement caused by the terrorizing of the 

Black community in Atlanta, Georgia, shows how historic 

racism and injustice have significantly contributed to persistent wealth inequality between Black and White Americans in the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns the actions of the White su3 premacist mobs that drove out Black residents of 

4 Atlanta, Georgia; 

5 (2) honors the memory of the victims and ac6 knowledges the lasting impact that this incident has 

7 had on the Black community of Atlanta, Georgia; 

8 (3) expresses support for the designation of a 

9 national day of remembrance for the victims of 

10 forced migrations of Black Americans throughout 

11 United States history; and 


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•SRES 790 IS 

1 (4) reaffirms the commitment of the Federal 

2 Government to combat White supremacy and seek 

3 reconciliation for racial injustice. 

Æ 


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