--- title: HR 1620. Morehouse Boxing Club; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1620 cite_as: HR 1620, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1620 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1620.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1620/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73955 date: 2026-03-06 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/hr1619.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1621.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1620.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1620 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-06 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Eric Bell - Bryce Berry - El-Mahdi Holly - Mekyah McQueen - Sheila Jones - Carl Gilliard text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1620/2025 upstream_id: 2130675 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Morehouse College - collegiate boxing - HBCU athletics - legislative commendation --- # HR 1620. Morehouse Boxing Club; commend ## Text House Resolution 1620 By: Representatives Bell of the 75th, Berry of the 56th, Holly of the 116th, McQueen of the 61st, Jones of the 60th, and others A RESOLUTION Commending the Morehouse Boxing Club; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Morehouse Boxing Club was founded in 2021 by Jacobey D. Bell in the lobby of Perdue Hall at Morehouse College; and WHEREAS, as a product of the Guns Down Hands Up Boxing Gym, Mr. Bell was inspired by the discipline, structure, and principles instilled in him through boxing, which motivated him to establish a program that would offer similar guidance and opportunity to other young men; and WHEREAS, the club began humbly yet boldly, frequently filling the lobby of Perdue Hall for meetings, practices, and sparring tournaments, demonstrating immediate student interest and engagement; and WHEREAS, despite facing early challenges and administrative reprimands for hosting practices and sparring tournaments on campus, the club persevered through determination and commitment; and WHEREAS, Morehouse College Chief of Police Charles Prescott intervened in support of the organization, becoming its first official advisor and helping ensure that meetings and competitions could be conducted safely and in accordance with campus policy; and WHEREAS, through years of hard work, loyalty, and dedication, the Morehouse Boxing Club earned the opportunity to compete in the 2025 United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association (USIBA) National Tournament; and WHEREAS, in the face of adversity and strong national competition, the team distinguished itself by earning two championship belts, won by Kaleb Hudson and Elijah McClean; and WHEREAS, the Morehouse Boxing Club proudly became the first Historically Black College or University to enter and win at the USIBA National Tournament, establishing a historic milestone for HBCUs nationwide; and WHEREAS, the organization now seeks to return to the 2026 USIBA National Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, with both returning athletes and new competitors representing Morehouse College and the State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, the mission of the Morehouse Boxing Club is to engage the community on and off campus by promoting discipline, physical fitness, mentorship, and healthy lifestyles as positive alternatives for young people; and WHEREAS, the club regularly visits local middle and high schools to present boxing not only as a competitive sport but also as a pathway to higher education and leadership development; and WHEREAS, the organization is actively working to secure scholarship opportunities to enable young athletes to attend Morehouse College and further their academic and athletic aspirations; and WHEREAS, the following student athletes exemplify the Morehouse Boxing spirit of dedication, fitness, scholarship, and mentorship: Ethan Stevenson, Senior, Economics Major, Baltimore, Maryland, 147 pounds Beginner Division, third place with a 1 and 1 record, who aspires to pursue a career in finance and establish his own investment and wealth management firm; Alofamoni Galoia, Junior, Business Major, Pavaiai, Tutuila, 165 pounds Beginner Division, who aspires to home ownership and entrepreneurship; Joshua Callahan, Freshman, Biology Major, Atlanta, Georgia, 154 pounds Beginner Division, who plans to pursue a career in hematology within the medical profession; Elijah McClean, Sophomore, Business Administration Major with a concentration in Marketing, Brooklyn, New York, 165 pounds Open Division Champion with a 1 and 0 record; Emmanuel Seifu, Freshman, Kinesiology Major, Marietta, Georgia, 154 pounds Open Division with a 3 and 2 record, who aspires to pursue professional boxing and become a Physician Assistant; Kaleb Hudson, Junior, Biology Major, Lithonia, Georgia, 140 pounds Beginner Division Champion, who aspires to pursue a career in psychedelic research and holistic health entrepreneurship; Breonne Dupree, Sophomore, Dual Degree Engineering Major, Atlanta, Georgia, 132 pounds Beginner Division, who aspires to become a hardware engineer at an impactful technology company and open a consignment business; and Chad Pitts, Junior, Economics Major, Atlanta, Georgia, 135 pounds Open Division, who aspires to pursue a professional boxing career following graduation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend the Morehouse Boxing Club for its historic achievements, dedication to mentorship and community engagement, and for representing Morehouse College and the State of Georgia with excellence and distinction. 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 the Morehouse Boxing Club. ## 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 commends the Morehouse Boxing Club for its historic 2025 national championship performance and its community mentorship work, and directs a copy be given to the club. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors the Morehouse Boxing Club, a student organization founded in 2021 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. It recounts the club's founding, its early struggles to be recognized on campus, and its growth into a competitive team that won two championship belts at the 2025 United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association National Tournament, becoming the first Historically Black College or University to win at that tournament. The resolution lists several student athletes by name, major, hometown, and weight division, and notes the club's work visiting local schools and pursuing scholarship opportunities. It formally states that the House commends the club for its achievements and community engagement, and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the club. Like other commendation resolutions, it does not change any Georgia law. ### What it does - Formally commends the Morehouse Boxing Club for winning two championship belts at the 2025 USIBA National Tournament. - Recognizes the club as the first Historically Black College or University to win at the USIBA National Tournament. - Names specific student athletes, their majors, hometowns, and career aspirations as part of the commendation. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for the club. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors the Morehouse Boxing Club, its founder Jacobey D. Bell, its advisor Chief Charles Prescott, and several named student athletes. It has no legal effect on the general public, other schools, or state agencies. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic rather than legal weight. It creates an official state record recognizing the club's achievements and its work mentoring young people, but it does not create funding, rights, or obligations for anyone outside the club being honored. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the club's 2021 founding at Morehouse College and its early administrative challenges on campus. - The whereas clauses credit Chief Charles Prescott with becoming the club's first official advisor. - The whereas clauses describe the club's 2025 USIBA National Tournament win, including champions Kaleb Hudson and Elijah McClean. - The resolving clause has the House commend the club for its achievements and representation of Morehouse College and Georgia. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available to the club. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-06) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-06) - Sponsors: Eric Bell, Bryce Berry, El-Mahdi Holly, Mekyah McQueen, Sheila Jones, Carl Gilliard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73955 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1620.md?full=1