--- title: HR 988. The Savannah Tribune; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr988 cite_as: HR 988, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr988 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr988.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr988/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72116 date: 2025-04-04 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/hr987.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr989.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr988.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 988 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-04 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Edna Jackson - Anne Westbrook - Ron Stephens - Carl Gilliard - Bill Hitchens text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR988/2025 upstream_id: 2021283 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Savannah history - African American history - journalism - legislative commendation --- # HR 988. The Savannah Tribune; commend ## Text 25 LC 129 0451 House Resolution 988 By: Representatives Jackson of the 165 th, Westbrook of the 163 rd, Stephens of the 164 th, Gilliard of the 162nd, and Hitchens of the 161st A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending The Savannah Tribune; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, during the years between the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the2 beginning of the Reconstruction Era in 1865, three Savannah Afr ican American civic and3 business leaders, John H. DeVeaux, Louis B. Toomer, Sr., and Lo uis M. Pleasant, took4 advantage of this brief period of opportunities for African Ame ricans in the South,5 recognizing the need for a newspaper dedicated to covering news and issues related to the6 African-American community of Savannah; and7 WHEREAS, despite facing an unfavorable environment of segregation and resistance from8 white citizens with policies designed to block black progress, DeVeaux, Toomer, and9 Pleasant moved forward with personal resources from DeVeaux, who was born in 1848 to10 a free black family, to finance the establishment of The Colored Tribune in 1875, renamed11 The Savannah Tribune in 1876, for the stated purpose of defending "the rights of the colored12 people and their elevation to the highest plane of citizenship;" and13 WHEREAS, The Tribune, one of the first African American-owned and operated newspapers14 in the United States, was published until 1878, when forced to close because white printers15 in the city refusing to produce the newspaper; and16 H. R. 988 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0451 WHEREAS, DeVeaux and R.W. White founded The Tribune Publishing Company with its17 own printing plant and reopened The Savannah Tribune in 1886, with DeVeaux serving as18 editor until 1889, when he was appointed as Collector of Custom s, and relocated to19 Brunswick, Georgia, after which Savannah businessman, Soloman " Sol" C. Johnson,20 assumed editorship and upon DeVeaux's death in 1909 became owner of The Tribune; and21 WHEREAS, under Sol Johnson's editorship, The Tribune served as the only print source in22 south Georgia and north Florida for news about race riots and the injustices of the Jim Crow23 era such as lynchings and the lack of educational opportunities that were imposed upon24 blacks; and25 WHEREAS, upon the death of Sol C. Johnson in 1954, his Goddaugh ter, Willa Ayers26 Johnson, who worked as secretary at The Tribune, assumed ownership and published The27 Tribune until September 1960, when it closed its doors; and28 WHEREAS, The Savannah Tribune was re-established in 1973, by banker Robert E. James,29 who was owner and publisher until 1983, when his wife, Shirley Barber James, a community30 leader and university educator, became the publisher and sole owner; and31 WHEREAS, with the exception of hiatuses from 1878 to 1886, and 1960 to 1973, The32 Savannah Tribune has operated continuously, even in the wake of a devastating fi re in33 January 2006, when the local journalism community rallied around The Tribune such that it34 was able to continue the proud tradition of not missing a publication date since its rebirth in35 1973.36 NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that37 the members of this body recognize The Savannah Tribune as a be acon in journalism,38 H. R. 988 - 2 - 25 LC 129 0451 celebrate 150 years as a valued Savannah tradition on June 28, 2025, and commend its39 continuing proud legacy of championing causes that uplift Afric an Americans locally,40 regionally, and nationally through print and digital media.41 42 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized43 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution ava ilable for distribution to44 Shirley Barber James, publisher of The Savannah Tribune.45 H. R. 988 - 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 commends The Savannah Tribune, an African American newspaper founded in Savannah in 1875, as it marks 150 years of publishing in 2025. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors The Savannah Tribune, one of the earliest African American owned and operated newspapers in the United States. It recounts the paper's founding in 1875 by John H. DeVeaux, Louis B. Toomer, Sr., and Louis M. Pleasant, its early closure due to white printers refusing to produce it, its reopening in 1886, and its various owners over the decades including Sol C. Johnson, Willa Ayers Johnson, Robert E. James, and Shirley Barber James. The resolution formally recognizes the newspaper as a beacon in journalism, celebrates its 150th anniversary on June 28, 2025, and commends its legacy of covering issues affecting African Americans locally, regionally, and nationally. It directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to Shirley Barber James, the paper's current publisher. ### What it does - Formally recognizes The Savannah Tribune as a beacon in journalism on behalf of the Georgia House of Representatives. - Commends the newspaper's 150 years of operation, marking the anniversary date of June 28, 2025. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to publisher Shirley Barber James. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulation; it is a ceremonial statement rather than a change to Georgia statutes. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors The Savannah Tribune newspaper and its publisher, Shirley Barber James. It also recognizes the historical legacy of past owners and editors, including John H. DeVeaux, Sol C. Johnson, Willa Ayers Johnson, and Robert E. James. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or funding consequences, it gives official state recognition to a historically significant African American newspaper, publicly acknowledging its role covering civil rights era news and its continued operation in Savannah's journalism community. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses trace the newspaper's history from its 1875 founding as The Colored Tribune through name changes, closures, and reopenings. - The resolved clause recognizes The Savannah Tribune as a beacon in journalism and celebrates its 150th anniversary on June 28, 2025. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to publisher Shirley Barber James. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Edna Jackson, Anne Westbrook, Ron Stephens, Carl Gilliard, Bill Hitchens - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72116 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr988.md?full=1