•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 pas-
sage 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 con-
struction 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; 
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Whereas Black students from across the State of Georgia at-
tended 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 Cer-
tificates of Merit from Atlanta’s mayors, and has per-
formed 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 Con-
vention, and has been featured in the films ‘‘School 
Daze’’ and ‘‘Drumline’’; 
Whereas visitors to Booker T. Washington High School in-
clude Archbishop Desmond Tutu, activist Jesse Jackson, 
civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and President George W. 
Bush; 
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•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 Serv-
ices 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, recog-
nizing 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 gath-
ered at Atlanta City Hall to celebrate the 100th anniver-
sary of the school’s opening, and additional celebrations 
will take place throughout the school year: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the 100th anniversary of Booker 
T. Washington High School’s opening; 
(2) applauds the determination, perseverance, 
and political savvy of the Atlanta Black community 
in organizing to ensure that funds were provided to 
construct a Black public high school; 
(3) celebrates the historic, educational, and cul-
tural impact that Booker T. Washington High 
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School and its alumni have had on Atlanta, Georgia, 
the United States, and the world; and 
(4) calls on Booker T. Washington High 
School’s current students, teachers, and administra-
tors to continue striving for greatness. 
Æ 
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