--- title: HR 1896. Garvey, Marcus Mosiah; honoring the life and memory; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1896 cite_as: HR 1896, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1896 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1896.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1896/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74444 date: 2026-03-25 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/hr1895.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1897.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1896.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1896 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-25 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Dewey McClain - Brian Prince - Gabe Okoye - Billy Mitchell - Arlene Beckles text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1896/2025 upstream_id: 2138401 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Marcus Garvey - Georgia history - Black history - commemorative resolution - African Methodist Episcopal Church --- # HR 1896. Garvey, Marcus Mosiah; honoring the life and memory; condolences ## Text House Resolution 1896 By: Representatives McClain of the 109th, Prince of the 132nd, Okoye of the 102nd, Mitchell of the 88th, and Beckles of the 96th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Marcus Mosiah Garvey; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed annually on March 25, calls upon the global community to remember the millions of African men, women, and children who endured the horrors of the Middle Passage and whose forced labor helped build the economic foundations of the modern world; and WHEREAS, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1816, emerged as a spiritual and institutional response to the injustice of slavery and racial exclusion, nurturing generations of ministers, educators, and civic leaders committed to freedom, dignity, and the uplift of people of African descent; and WHEREAS, institutions established by the AME Church—including Morris Brown College, founded in 1881—embodied the principle that the descendants of enslaved Africans must build and sustain their own institutions of learning, faith, and community leadership in pursuit of intellectual liberation and economic self-determination; and WHEREAS, these ideals of racial pride, self-reliance, and global unity were powerfully amplified by Marcus Mosiah Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, who mobilized millions throughout the African Diaspora around the vision of Pan-African solidarity and the restoration of African dignity; and WHEREAS, Garvey's message resonated deeply within Black churches and educational institutions across the United States, including in Atlanta, where he addressed the community on March 25, 1917, at the historic Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the most influential spiritual and intellectual centers of the Black South; and WHEREAS, the convergence of these histories—the remembrance of the Transatlantic Slave Trade recognized by the United Nations, the liberating witness of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the global vision articulated by Marcus Mosiah Garvey—reflects a shared moral commitment to remembrance, justice, and the restoration of dignity to the descendants of enslaved Africans. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body honor the life and memory of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a visionary leader, global organizer, and champion of Black dignity whose philosophy of Pan-African unity transformed the consciousness of people of African descent throughout the world. 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 honors the life and legacy of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the Pan-African organizer who spoke in Atlanta in 1917, marking his connection to Georgia's Black history. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives commemorates Marcus Mosiah Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. It recounts his 1917 visit to Atlanta's Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and ties his legacy to the broader history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Morris Brown College, and the United Nations' International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed each year on March 25. The resolution does not create any new law, funding, or program. It simply states that the House honors Garvey's life and memory as a leader in Pan-African unity and Black dignity, and directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally states that the Georgia House of Representatives honors the life and memory of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. - Recounts historical background connecting Garvey to Atlanta's Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Church more broadly. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and the press. - Creates no new law, funding, program, or penalty; it is a commemorative statement only. ### Who it affects This resolution mainly affects the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who must prepare and distribute copies. It has symbolic significance for Georgians connected to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Morris Brown College, and communities honoring Marcus Garvey's legacy. ### Why it matters While the resolution changes no laws, it places the Georgia House on record recognizing Garvey's historical ties to Atlanta and his influence on Pan-African thought, giving public and institutional acknowledgment to this history. ### Key provisions - The preamble (whereas clauses) recounts the UN's International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed March 25. - The preamble describes the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816 and Morris Brown College in 1881. - The preamble notes Garvey's March 25, 1917 address at Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta. - The resolved clause formally honors Garvey's life and memory as a Pan-African leader. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-25) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-25) - Sponsors: Dewey McClain, Brian Prince, Gabe Okoye, Billy Mitchell, Arlene Beckles - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74444 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1896.md?full=1