--- title: HR 1553. Toliver, Ms. Pearlie; life, leadership, and enduring contributions; role in advancing civil rights, community development, economic empowerment, and leadership in the Macon-Bibb region; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1553 cite_as: HR 1553, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1553 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1553.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1553/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73826 date: 2026-03-03 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1552.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1554.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1553.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1553 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-03 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Tangie Herring - Anissa Jones - Miriam Paris text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1553/2025 upstream_id: 2128651 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - civil rights history - Macon-Bibb County - Mercer University - community leadership - House commendation resolution --- # HR 1553. Toliver, Ms. Pearlie; life, leadership, and enduring contributions; role in advancing civil rights, community development, economic empowerment, and leadership in the Macon-Bibb region; commend ## Text House Resolution 1553 By: Representatives Herring of the 145th, Jones of the 143rd, and Paris of the 142nd A RESOLUTION Commending the life, leadership, and enduring contributions of Ms. Pearlie Toliver and her role in advancing civil rights, community development, economic empowerment, and leadership in the Macon-Bibb region; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Ms. Pearlie Toliver was a distinguished Mercer University alumna who, in 1965, enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and became one of the first Black female students to help integrate the university during a pivotal era in higher education and civil rights; and WHEREAS, Mercer University was among the first private colleges in Georgia to voluntarily desegregate, and Ms. Toliver’s courage to attend and persevere in a climate of intense social and racial challenge stands as a testament to her character and commitment to equality; and WHEREAS, prior to attending Mercer University, Ms. Toliver was also among the first African American students to be involved in integrating public schools in Macon-Bibb County, breaking barriers and setting an example for future generations; and WHEREAS, during Mercer’s 2023 Founders’ Day celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the university’s integration, Ms. Toliver returned to deliver an inspirational address reflecting on her experiences, resilience, personal growth, and dedication to academic excellence and community service; and WHEREAS, following her graduation, Ms. Toliver enjoyed a successful and impactful 37-year career in retail banking and mortgage lending, including service as vice president for Branch Banking and Trust Co., where she advanced community reinvestment initiatives that helped racially and economically revitalize neighborhoods in Macon; and WHEREAS, Ms. Toliver actively served her community and state through leadership roles on numerous boards and commissions, including chairing the Board of Commissioners of the Macon Housing Authority, participating on the Bibb County Consolidated Government Transition Team, and contributing to the Georgia Tobacco Commission, Georgia Student Finance Commission, and other civic and educational bodies; and WHEREAS, a lifelong proponent of leadership development, Ms. Toliver graduated from Leadership Macon in 1985 and later received the Robert F. Hatcher Distinguished Leadership Award, Women of Achievement Award, and the Liberty Bell Award from the Macon Bar Association in recognition of her exemplary service and influence; and WHEREAS, she was a lifetime member of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and served on local and state boards for the League of Women Voters, actively promoting civic engagement, economic empowerment, and financial security for all citizens. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend Ms. Pearlie Toliver for her extraordinary life of service, her role in advancing civil rights and educational access, and her lasting contributions to the economic and social fabric of the Macon-Bibb region. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Ms. Pearlie Toliver. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution formally commends Pearlie Toliver of Macon for her role in integrating Mercer University and Macon-Bibb schools and for her decades of civic and banking leadership. ### Plain-language summary This is a commendation resolution passed by the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Ms. Pearlie Toliver of the Macon-Bibb region. It recounts her history as one of the first Black female students to help integrate Mercer University in 1965 and her earlier role helping integrate public schools in Macon-Bibb County. It also details her 37-year career in retail banking and mortgage lending, including work reinvesting in Macon neighborhoods, and her service on boards such as the Macon Housing Authority and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally states the House's recognition of her contributions and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Ms. Toliver. ### What it does - Formally commends Ms. Pearlie Toliver for her life of service and civil rights contributions, with no changes to Georgia law. - Recounts her history integrating Mercer University in 1965 and Macon-Bibb County public schools before that. - Documents her 37-year banking career and community reinvestment work in Macon neighborhoods. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Ms. Toliver. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names and honors Ms. Pearlie Toliver. It also references Mercer University, Macon-Bibb County public schools, the Macon Housing Authority, and several civic and banking organizations she was involved with, but creates no obligations for them. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or regulatory effect; it is a symbolic honor. Its significance lies in publicly recording Ms. Toliver's role in desegregation history and community development in the Macon-Bibb region as part of the official record of the Georgia House. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses detail Ms. Toliver's role integrating Mercer University in 1965 and Macon-Bibb County public schools before that. - The whereas clauses describe her 37-year banking career, including service as vice president for Branch Banking and Trust Co. - The whereas clauses list her civic leadership roles, including chairing the Macon Housing Authority board and serving on the Georgia Student Finance Commission. - The resolving clause formally commends Ms. Toliver for her service and contributions to the Macon-Bibb region. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to Ms. Toliver. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-03) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-03) - Sponsors: Tangie Herring, Anissa Jones, Miriam Paris - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73826 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1553.md?full=1