Senate Resolution 100
By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Davenport of the 17th, Jones II of the 22nd, Kirkpatrick of
the 32nd, Jackson of the 41st and others
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and memory of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens
with the passing of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort on December 22, 2024; and
WHEREAS, the Honorable Vincent D. Fort was born on April 28, 1956, in New Britain,
Connecticut, a beloved son of Charles Fort Sr. and Clara Hutchinson Fort; and
WHEREAS, after completing his higher education, he settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where he
became a respected historian, taught at Morehouse College and Morris Brown College, and
served as assistant director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project; and
WHEREAS, the Honorable Vincent D. Fort further served as a Georgia State Senator for the
39th District from 1996 to 2017, representing parts of Atlanta, East Point, College Park,
Union City, and unincorporated Fulton County as well as consistently advocating for justice
and equity; and
WHEREAS, in 2001, the Honorable Vincent D. Fort authored Georgia's first hate crimes
law, ensuring harsher penalties for crimes motivated by bias, followed by the passage of the
Georgia Fair Lending Act in 2003, which stood as the strongest anti-predatory lending
legislation in the nation at the time and protected consumers from abusive practices; and
WHEREAS, from 2011 to 2017, he served as the Minority Whip of the Georgia Senate
Democratic Caucus, during which time he championed legislation against discrimination,
racial profiling, environmental racism, and labor injustices while supporting fair wages, labor
unions, and stronger community protections; and
WHEREAS, the Honorable Vincent D. Fort was named "Legislator of the Year" in 2017 by
the Georgia Association of Educators for his advocacy of Senate Bill 30, which aimed to
improve public education funding and enhance community schools; and
WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to his wife, Cheryl, and the two were
blessed with three remarkable children, Nyahuma, Clara-Faith, and Zoë, as well as three
wonderful grandchildren, Gizelle, Chloe, and Sunday; and
WHEREAS, the Honorable Vincent D. Fort was a powerful voice for economic and racial
equality, and his commitment to the people will leave a lasting impact on the City of Atlanta
and the State of Georgia.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
join in honoring the life and memory of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort and express their
deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of the
Honorable Vincent D. Fort.