---
title: HR 1699. United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade; 03/25/26; recognize
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1699
cite_as: HR 1699, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1699
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1699.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1699/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74082
date: 2026-03-12
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/hr1698.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1700.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 134
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1699.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1699
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-12
last_action: House Read and Adopted
sponsors:
  - Derrick Jackson
  - Billy Mitchell
  - Teddy Reese
  - Gabe Okoye
  - Arlene Beckles
  - Segun Adeyina
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1699/2025
upstream_id: 2133328
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - African American history
  - civil rights
  - Atlanta history
  - legislative resolution
  - reparations
---

# HR 1699. United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade; 03/25/26; recognize

## Text

House Resolution 1699
By: Representatives Jackson of the 68th, Mitchell of the 88th, Reese of the 140th, Okoye of the
102nd, Beckles of the 96th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing March 25, 2026, as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of
the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, as the United States of America approaches and celebrates the 250th
Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this milestone invites the nation to reflect
upon the full story of its founding, recognizing both the ideals of liberty proclaimed in 1776
and the struggles endured by those who labored to make those ideals a reality for all people;
and
WHEREAS, the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the
Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed annually on March 25, stands as a solemn global
recognition of the millions of African men, women, and children who were violently
uprooted from their homelands and forced across the Atlantic Ocean through the horrors of
the Middle Passage; and
WHEREAS, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution in December
2024 launching the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, running
from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2034, reaffirming the global commitment to justice,
recognition, and development for African-descended peoples, linking the remembrance of
the transatlantic slave trade to contemporary initiatives for equality, dignity, and reparative
justice; and
WHEREAS, the Union victory in the Civil War, culminating in General William Tecumseh
Sherman's March to the Sea from Atlanta to Savannah, decisively weakened the
Confederacy, contributed to the abolition of slavery in America, and was accompanied by
Special Field Orders No. 15, an unprecedented directive granting land and resources to
formerly enslaved African Americans; and
WHEREAS, the Freedmen's Bureau in Georgia, where Bishop Henry McNeal Turner served
with distinction, played a critical role during Reconstruction by providing support, education,
legal protections, and resources to newly emancipated African Americans, advancing early
efforts for Black self-determination, land ownership, and economic empowerment in the
postwar South; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, a Civil War chaplain and Reconstruction
legislator among the historic Original 33, helped write Georgia's Reconstruction-era
constitutions and championed the expansion of Black civic participation, securing the right
to vote, hold office, and engage fully in public life for newly emancipated African
Americans; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Turner also established the African Methodist Episcopal Church in
Georgia, strengthening the spiritual, educational, and civic foundation for African Americans
in the state, and recognized the moral and material consequences of slavery by boldly calling
for reparations in the form of restitution for stolen labor and human capital; and
WHEREAS, the observance of March 25 also serves as a moment of education and
reflection, reminding present and future generations of the historical forces that shaped the
modern world and the ongoing responsibility to advance justice, human dignity, and racial
equality; and
WHEREAS, the City of Atlanta holds a special place in the global story of
African-descended people, particularly through institutions such as Big Bethel African
Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1847 and recognized as a National Historic
Landmark, which served as the birthplace of Morris Brown College and as a spiritual, civic,
and educational center often called "Sweet Auburn's City Hall" for its central role during the
Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, the Pan-African vision advanced by Bishop Turner helped inspire later
movements for global Black unity, including the work of Marcus Garvey, who addressed the
Atlanta community at Big Bethel AME Church on March 25, 1917, proclaiming a message
of racial pride, unity, and redemption for people of African descent worldwide; and
WHEREAS, the State of Georgia recognized the historical contributions of Bishop Henry
McNeal Turner and the Reconstruction legislators known as the Original 33 through House
Bill 303, acknowledging their enduring role in expanding democracy, civil rights, and the
moral imperative of reparative justice; and
WHEREAS, commemorating March 25, 2026, as the United Nations International Day of
Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade affirms Atlanta's ongoing
commitment to historical truth, global remembrance, and the pursuit of justice for all people,
including the fulfillment of moral and reparative obligations identified by Bishop Turner.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body recognize March 25, 2026, as the United Nations International Day
of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a powerful reminder that
the pursuit of liberty, justice, human dignity, and reparative justice remains an unfinished
journey—one that calls each generation to continue building a more just and equitable
society.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the
public and the press.

## 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 recognizes March 25, 2026 as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, honoring history tied to Georgia figures like Bishop Henry McNeal Turner.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives formally recognizes March 25, 2026 as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It does not change any Georgia law; instead it is a ceremonial statement explaining why the day matters, tracing history from the transatlantic slave trade through the Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau, and Bishop Henry McNeal Turner's work in Georgia's Reconstruction-era legislature and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
The resolution also highlights Atlanta's Big Bethel AME Church and its connection to Pan-African history, including a 1917 visit by Marcus Garvey. It directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies of the resolution available to the public and the press, which is the resolution's only operative action.

### What it does

- Formally recognizes March 25, 2026 as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press.
- Creates no new law, funding, penalty, or program; it is a commemorative statement only.
- References Georgia's earlier House Bill 303 recognizing Bishop Henry McNeal Turner and the Reconstruction-era Original 33 legislators.

### Who it affects

This resolution primarily affects the public record and civic recognition; it does not impose duties on residents, businesses, or agencies beyond directing the House Clerk to distribute copies. It is symbolically relevant to Georgians interested in African American history, Atlanta's civic institutions, and descendants of enslaved people.

### Why it matters

Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it carries no legal or financial consequences and changes no rights or obligations. Its significance is symbolic, formally placing the Georgia House on record marking the day and connecting it to state history involving Reconstruction and civil rights.

### Key provisions

- The resolving clause recognizes March 25, 2026 as the UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
- A series of whereas clauses recount history including the transatlantic slave trade, the Civil War, Special Field Orders No. 15, and the Freedmen's Bureau in Georgia.
- The resolution cites Bishop Henry McNeal Turner's role in Georgia's Reconstruction constitutions, the AME Church, and calls for reparations.
- A final resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies available to the public and the press.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-03-12)
- Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-12)
- Sponsors: Derrick Jackson, Billy Mitchell, Teddy Reese, Gabe Okoye, Arlene Beckles, Segun Adeyina
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74082

> The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1699.md?full=1