--- title: SR 139. Morris Brown College Day; recognize March 21, 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr139 cite_as: SR 139, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr139 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr139.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr139/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70004 date: 2025-02-06 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/sr138.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr140.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr139.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 139 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-06 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Donzella James - Sheikh Rahman - RaShaun Kemp - Jason Esteves - Kenya Wicks - Ed Harbison - Derek Mallow - Randal Mangham - Nan Orrock - Sonya Halpern - Michael Rhett - Freddie Sims - Gail Davenport text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR139/2025 upstream_id: 1958403 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Morris Brown College - historically Black colleges - commemorative resolution - Georgia Senate - higher education history --- # SR 139. Morris Brown College Day; recognize March 21, 2025 ## Text Senate Resolution 139 By: Senators James of the 28th, Rahman of the 5th, Kemp of the 38th, Esteves of the 35th, Wicks of the 34th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing March 21, 2025, as Morris Brown College Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, eighteen years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the ministers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church of the State of Georgia, fully realizing the necessity of an institution for the preparation of young men and women for every department of Christian work and also cognizant of the importance of an industrial training school for both genders, resolved upon the establishment of a school to be known as Morris Brown College; and WHEREAS, Morris Brown College of the AME Church was granted a charter from the State of Georgia in May 1885, becoming the first institution in the state solely under African American patronage; and WHEREAS, the school first opened in October 1885 with Mrs. Mary McCree serving as principal; in 1890, the first graduating class from Morris Brown College received their diplomas; and WHEREAS, for more than 130 years, Morris Brown College has received and nurtured students from around the world; the institution's deep seated commitment to a profound purpose, diligence of effort, hard work, perseverance, and belief and trust in God provides access to opportunities for educational development in a nurturing environment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize March 21, 2025, as Morris Brown College Day at the state capitol. 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 Morris Brown College. ## 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 March 21, 2025 as Morris Brown College Day at the state capitol, honoring the historically Black college's founding and history. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a change to state law. It recounts the history of Morris Brown College, which was chartered by the State of Georgia in May 1885 and became the first institution in Georgia founded and run solely under African American leadership. The resolution notes the school opened in October 1885 and has educated students for more than 130 years. The Senate formally resolves that March 21, 2025 will be recognized as Morris Brown College Day at the state capitol. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Morris Brown College. The resolution creates no new legal requirements, funding, or penalties; it is a symbolic honor. ### What it does - Designates March 21, 2025 as Morris Brown College Day at the Georgia state capitol. - Recounts the history of Morris Brown College, including its 1885 charter and founding by AME Church ministers in Georgia. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Morris Brown College. - Creates no new statutory requirements, funding, or penalties since it is a ceremonial resolution. ### Who it affects Morris Brown College, its students, alumni, and administrators, who receive the formal recognition, and the Georgia Senate, which passes and distributes the ceremonial resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect on Georgians, but it gives official state recognition to Morris Brown College's history as Georgia's first institution founded solely under African American patronage, marking a symbolic honor rather than a policy change. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Morris Brown College's 1885 charter from the State of Georgia and its founding by AME Church ministers. - The resolution notes the school opened in October 1885 with Mrs. Mary McCree as principal and graduated its first class in 1890. - The resolving clause formally recognizes March 21, 2025 as Morris Brown College Day at the state capitol. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to the college. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-06) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-06) - Sponsors: Donzella James, Sheikh Rahman, RaShaun Kemp, Jason Esteves, Kenya Wicks, Ed Harbison, Derek Mallow, Randal Mangham, Nan Orrock, Sonya Halpern, Michael Rhett, Freddie Sims, Gail Davenport - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70004 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr139.md?full=1