Georgia General Assembly · Full text

SR 205: Senator Vincent D. Fort Memorial Intersection; Fulton County; dedicate

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Senate Resolution 205

By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Jones II of the 22nd, Parent of the 44th, Lucas of the 26th, Jones of the 10th and others

A RESOLUTION

Honoring the life and memory of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort and dedicating an intersection in his memory; and for other purposes.

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, he 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 for all; and

WHEREAS, in 2001, Senator Fort authored Georgia's first hate crimes law, ensuring harsher penalties for crimes motivated by bias, as well as the Georgia Fair Lending Act, which stood at the time as the strongest anti-predatory lending legislation in the nation and protected consumers from abusive practices; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, he was elected as Georgia's Democratic Whip, 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, he 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, Senator 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; and

WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized by dedicating an intersection in his memory.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL

ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the intersection of State Route 139/Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and Lee Street Southwest in Fulton County is dedicated as the Senator Vincent D. Fort Memorial Intersection.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Senator Vincent D. Fort Memorial Intersection.

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 family of the Honorable Vincent D. Fort and to the Department of Transportation.