--- title: SR 1042. 23rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration by the Daughters of Mary Magdalene; recognize; Oglesby-Fox, Pamela Howard; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr1042 cite_as: SR 1042, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1042 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1042.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1042/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74432 date: 2026-03-27 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/sr1041.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1043.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1042.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 1042 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-27 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Derek Mallow text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR1042/2025 upstream_id: 2138417 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Juneteenth - Savannah - commendation resolution - community organizations --- # SR 1042. 23rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration by the Daughters of Mary Magdalene; recognize; Oglesby-Fox, Pamela Howard; commend ## Text Senate Resolution 1042 By: Senator Mallow of the 2nd A RESOLUTION Recognizing the 23rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration by the Daughters of Mary Magdalene and commending Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and emphasizes cultural pride through events inspired by recollections of our ancestors' and grandparents' struggles against slavery and segregation, and their fight for freedom, dignity, justice, and equality for generations to come; and WHEREAS, the Daughters of Mary Magdalene is a nonprofit community organization that serves areas lacking economic, social, and cultural resources by offering educational materials, mentoring, and oral history griots to motivate and help uplift people to reach their full potential; and WHEREAS, the theme for this year's Juneteenth celebration is, "Rebuild, Reconstruct and Re-Educate!"; and WHEREAS, one of the highlights of the Juneteenth celebration is the Honorees Program, which recognizes ordinary people who exemplify extraordinary character and dedicate their life's work to helping an benefitting children, young adults, and others throughout the community; and WHEREAS, Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox is being recognized as a 2026 Juneteenth Celebration Honoree; and WHEREAS, a native of Savannah, Pamela is a 1971 graduate of Woodville-Tompkins High School and Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science, where she graduated with honors in 1976 from the Diploma Program and later earned an Associate of Science degree in Funeral Services in 1987; and WHEREAS, Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox made history as the first woman to operate as a licensed Embalmer in Savannah-Chatham County where she is also a licensed Funeral Director, making her a trailblazer in her field; and WHEREAS, beyond her professional accomplishments, Pamela is widely recognized as a dedicated community activist and advocate. She is the co-author of Savannah's Black "First Ladies", a work that chronicles the stories of African-American women who achieved historic "firsts" in Savannah and helped shape the city's progress; and WHEREAS, Pamela has served on numerous boards and committees throughout the community. She currently serves on the ADA Appeals Board for Chatham Area Transit. She is also a Founding Member of the Ivory Bay Community Development Corporation and The Weeping Time Commemoration Committee; and WHEREAS, Pamela is married to Mr. Aaron R. Fox, and of all her accomplishments, Pamela considers her greatest blessings to be her family: her daughter Taiyanika, her grandson Terrence, and her four great-grandchildren; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper to recognize the Daughters of Mary Magdalene for presenting the longest-serving Juneteenth celebration in Savannah, of more than 23 years, and commend Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox as a 2026 Juneteenth Celebration Honoree. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend the Daughters of Mary Magdalene and Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the Daughters of Mary Magdalene and Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox. ## 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 Senate resolution recognizes the 23rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration hosted by the Daughters of Mary Magdalene in Savannah and commends Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox as a 2026 honoree. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It honors the Daughters of Mary Magdalene, a Savannah nonprofit that has run the city's Juneteenth celebration for more than 23 years, making it the longest-running Juneteenth event in Savannah. The resolution also commends Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox, a Savannah native and the first woman to work as a licensed embalmer in Savannah-Chatham County, as a 2026 Juneteenth Celebration Honoree. It recounts her career in funeral services, her community service on boards including the ADA Appeals Board for Chatham Area Transit, and her co-authorship of a book on African-American women who achieved historic firsts in Savannah. The Senate directs its Secretary to send copies of the resolution to the organization and to Oglesby-Fox. ### What it does - Formally recognizes the Daughters of Mary Magdalene for hosting Savannah's longest-running Juneteenth celebration, over 23 years. - Commends Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox as a 2026 Juneteenth Celebration Honoree for her career and community service. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the organization and Oglesby-Fox. - Does not change any Georgia statute, appropriate funding, or create any new program or requirement. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Daughters of Mary Magdalene nonprofit and Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox. It has no legal effect on the general public, state agencies, or Georgia businesses since it is a commendation rather than a binding law. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic weight rather than practical consequences: it gives official Senate recognition to a long-running community celebration and an individual's career, but it does not change funding, rules, or rights for Georgians. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes and commends both the Daughters of Mary Magdalene and Pamela Howard Oglesby-Fox. - A further resolution clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to both honorees. - The preamble (whereas clauses) details the history of the Juneteenth celebration and Oglesby-Fox's professional and civic accomplishments but creates no legal obligations. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-27) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-27) - Sponsors: Derek Mallow - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74432 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1042.md?full=1