--- title: HR 820. Black Women and Girls Awareness Day; April 8; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr820 cite_as: HR 820, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr820 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr820.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr820/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71811 date: 2025-03-27 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hr819.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr821.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr820.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 820 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-27 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Rhonda Taylor - Carolyn Hugley - Al Williams - Kim Schofield - Sandra Scott - Viola Davis text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR820/2025 upstream_id: 2016165 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Black women and girls - awareness day - Georgia House resolution - civic recognition --- # HR 820. Black Women and Girls Awareness Day; April 8; recognize ## Text 25 LC 47 3683 House Resolution 820 By: Representatives Taylor of the 92nd, Hugley of the 141st, Williams of the 168th, Schofield of the 63rd, Scott of the 76th, and others A RESOLUTION Designating April 8 of each year as Black Women and Girls Awareness Day; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, a mature, diverse, educated population of women and gi rls is necessary for3 Georgia to achieve a bright future. Since 1970, the population of women and girls in Georgia4 has more than doubled, reaching over 5.66 million; and women have taken on an increased5 role in the state's workforce, growing from 40 percent of the t otal workforce in 1970 to6 nearly 60 percent of the total workforce today. Black women an d girls in Georgia are7 dedicated citizens who contribute to this state's vibrant cultu re, thriving economy, and8 neighborly communities; and9 WHEREAS, despite immense progress in recent decades, many Black women and girls still10 face substantial hardships beyond those of other demographics, such as limited educational11 opportunities, economic hardships, and unique healthcare concerns. Despite such hardship,12 Black women and girls continue to demonstrate their commitment to the pursuit and13 successful acquisition of education. Today, approximately 96 p ercent of young Black14 women graduate high school and represent an increasing proporti on of those enrolled in15 postsecondary education. Notably, Georgia is home to Spelman College, which is a college16 H. R. 820 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3683 for women that is ranked No. 1 among all historically Black colleges and universities in the17 nation by U.S. News and World Report; and18 WHEREAS, through the course of their lifetimes, Black women and girls are at a greater risk19 of encountering health challenges including a wide variety of d eadly, yet preventable,20 chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a nd high blood pressure. 21 Additionally, Black women and girls are more likely to be the victim of domestic violence22 and sexual assault, indicating that additional protections are necessary to reduce the incidents23 of Black women and girls being killed, made unsafe, or reported missing in our state; and24 WHEREAS, although Black women comprise almost 8 percent of the general population,25 they are especially underrepresented among Science, Technology, Engineering, and26 Mathematics (STEM) degree-holders, making up of all degrees awarded only 4.2 percent of27 biological sciences, 2.8 percent of physical sciences, 2.6 percent of computer sciences, 2.328 percent of mathematics and statistics, and 0.99 percent of engi neering. It is especially29 important to target job creation, introduce high-tech skills tr aining, and increase STEM30 opportunities for Black women in order to reduce long-term unem ployment and31 underemployment; and32 WHEREAS, Black women and girls play a vital role in maintaining Georgia's No. 2 ranking33 for growth of women-owned firms, as well as the state's status of having the fifth most firms34 owned by women. Approximately 39.1 percent of all Black-owned businesses across the35 United States are run by women which is significantly higher th an the 22.3 percent of all36 businesses run by women in general across the United States. Additionally, Black women37 in Georgia have the highest labor force participation rates amongst all demographics; and38 H. R. 820 - 2 - 25 LC 47 3683 WHEREAS, the House of Representatives recognizes the trials and successes of Black39 women and girls and the impact they make across our state every day and supports their40 continued success.41 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that42 the members of this body designate April 8 of each year as Blac k Women and Girls43 Awareness Day.44 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized45 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the46 public and the press.47 H. R. 820 - 3 - ## 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 designates April 8 of each year as Black Women and Girls Awareness Day, recognizing the contributions and challenges faced by Black women and girls in the state. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives creates an annual day, April 8, called Black Women and Girls Awareness Day. The resolution's preamble describes progress and challenges facing Black women and girls in Georgia, including educational achievement, healthcare disparities, underrepresentation in STEM fields, and business ownership trends. The operative part of the resolution simply designates the date and directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies available to the public and press. It does not create any new programs, funding, or legal requirements beyond the symbolic designation of the day. ### What it does - Designates April 8 of each year as Black Women and Girls Awareness Day in Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and press. - Does not create any new funding, agency requirements, or legal obligations beyond the symbolic designation. ### Who it affects This resolution primarily affects Black women and girls in Georgia by formally recognizing their contributions and challenges. It also involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who must distribute copies of the resolution. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no funding or legal mandate, it gives official state recognition to an annual day highlighting the achievements and struggles of Black women and girls in Georgia, which can be used for public awareness events and advocacy. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause designates April 8 of each year as Black Women and Girls Awareness Day. - A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies available for public and press distribution. - The preamble (whereas clauses) cites statistics on education, health, STEM representation, and business ownership among Black women and girls in Georgia, providing context but no binding legal effect. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-27) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-27) - Sponsors: Rhonda Taylor, Carolyn Hugley, Al Williams, Kim Schofield, Sandra Scott, Viola Davis - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71811 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr820.md?full=1