--- title: SR 426. AverySunshine; congratulate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr426 cite_as: SR 426, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr426 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr426.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr426/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71494 date: 2025-03-21 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/sr425.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr427.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr426.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 426 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-21 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Harold Jones - Derek Mallow - Brandon Beach - Gail Davenport - Kim Jackson - Bill Cowsert - Elena Parent - Nikki Merritt - Nan Orrock text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR426/2025 upstream_id: 2012193 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Georgia Senate resolution - music honors - Atlanta artists - ceremonial recognition --- # SR 426. AverySunshine; congratulate ## Text 25 LC 112 3431 Senate Resolution 426 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Jones II of the 22nd, Mallow of the 2nd, Beach of the 21st, Davenport of the 17th and others A RESOLUTION Congratulating AverySunshine on winning Best Progressive R&B Al bum; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, known professionally as AverySunshine, Denise Nicole White has established3 herself as a celebrated singer, songwriter, and pianist, blending R&B and soul to create music4 that resonates with audiences worldwide; and5 WHEREAS, in recognition of her exceptional artistry and dedicat i o n t o h e r c r a f t ,6 AverySunshine won Best Progressive R&B Album for So Glad to Know You, marking both7 her first nomination and win in this prestigious category; and8 WHEREAS, a native of Chester, Pennsylvania, AverySunshine discovered her passion for9 music at an early age, beginning piano at eight, studying class ical music by 11, and10 expanding into jazz by 13 before performing at her first recital; and11 WHEREAS, she refined her musical talents through her involvemen t with the12 Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir, her high school choir, and Spelm an College in Atlanta,13 where she initially pursued a degree in piano before earning a degree in philosophy; and14 S. R. 426 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3431 WHEREAS, during college, she co-founded the Gospel and R&B duo DaisyRew with Maia15 Nkenge Wilson, performing in Africa, churches, and Atlanta venu es such as the Apache16 Café, a platform that helped launch the careers of many notable artists; and17 WHEREAS, after college, she served as Minister of Music at St. Paul AME Church in18 Atlanta, where she met guitarist and producer Dana Johnson, wit h whom she collaborated19 to develop her career and establish her distinctive musical identity; and20 WHEREAS, under the name AverySunshine, she released her self-ti tled debut album in21 2010, featuring collabora tions with renowned musicians such as Takana Miyamoto, Roy22 Ayers, and Christian McBride as well as earning critical acclaim from USA Today and The23 Washington Post; and24 WHEREAS, she has since performed worldwide, touring extensively across the United25 States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Africa, and she has contributed as a keyboardist for26 distinguished artists such as Tyler Perry and Jennifer Holliday; and27 WHEREAS, AverySunshine's win for Best Progressive R&B Album aff irms her status as28 one of the most dedicated and influential artists in Atlanta's music scene, placing her among29 the greatest performers in the industry.30 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body 31 congratulate AverySunshine upon winning the Best Progressive R& B Album award and32 extend best wishes for continued success.33 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed34 to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to AverySunshine.35 S. R. 426 - 2 - ## 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 congratulates recording artist AverySunshine, an Atlanta based singer, for winning Best Progressive R&B Album, honoring her music career and ties to the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It recognizes AverySunshine, whose real name is Denise Nicole White, for winning Best Progressive R&B Album for her record So Glad to Know You, which was both her first nomination and win in that category. The resolution recounts her biography, including her early piano and music studies, her time at Spelman College in Atlanta, her work as a church music minister, and her career touring and collaborating with well known musicians. The Senate formally congratulates her and directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. ### What it does - Formally congratulates AverySunshine, on behalf of the Georgia Senate, for winning Best Progressive R&B Album. - Recites her biography and musical career, including her education at Spelman College in Atlanta and her performing history. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to AverySunshine. - Extends the Senate's best wishes for her continued success but creates no legal requirements or funding. ### Who it affects The resolution names AverySunshine (Denise Nicole White) directly and involves the Georgia Senate and its Secretary, who must prepare a ceremonial copy of the document for her. ### Why it matters This resolution has no legal effect and changes no Georgia law; it is a symbolic honor. Its main real-world consequence is that AverySunshine receives an official commendation from the Georgia Senate recognizing her award and career. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe AverySunshine's musical career, education at Spelman College, and her award for Best Progressive R&B Album. - The resolved clause has the Senate congratulate her and wish her continued success. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to her. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-21) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-03-21) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Harold Jones, Derek Mallow, Brandon Beach, Gail Davenport, Kim Jackson, Bill Cowsert, Elena Parent, Nikki Merritt, Nan Orrock - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71494 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr426.md?full=1