--- title: SR 500. Jones, Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier"; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr500 cite_as: SR 500, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr500 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr500.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr500/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71869 date: 2025-03-31 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/sr499.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr501.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr500.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 500 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-31 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jason Esteves - Sonya Halpern - RaShaun Kemp text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR500/2025 upstream_id: 2016621 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - civil rights history - Senate resolution - Atlanta arts programs - voter registration history --- # SR 500. Jones, Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier"; condolences ## Text 25 LC 112 3555 Senate Resolution 500 By: Senators Esteves of the 35th, Halpern of the 39th and Kemp of the 38th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and legacy of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones was born on June 5, 1944, in Montgomery,2 Alabama, a city deeply entrenched in the struggle for civil rights and social justice; and3 WHEREAS, by the age of nine, she had joined the NAACP youth group, where she learned4 the principles of equal rights, voter empowerment, civic leader ship, and personal5 responsibility under the mentorship of Rosa Louise Parks; and6 WHEREAS, at the age of 11, she became an active advocate and pa rticipant in the7 Montgomery Bus Boycott, distributing leaflets and walking to school for 361 days, thereby8 contributing to the historic campaign against racial segregation; and9 WHEREAS, during a raid by Grundy County sheriffs at Highlander Folk School, she10 displayed remarkable courage by singing a new verse of "We Shal l Overcome," which11 resonated throughout the nation and helped transform the song into one of America's most12 powerful anthems for civil rights and social justice; and13 S. R. 500 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3555 WHEREAS, she continued her dedication to voter empowerment as a lead organizer for the14 Montgomery Youth Voter Registration Campaign, working closely w ith leaders such as15 James Bevel and James Orange to promote voter registration in Alabama; and16 WHEREAS, in the 1960s, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she founded the Vine City17 Community School and the Harambee Singers; she further discovered a new home for her18 community engagement and creative voice within the City of Atlanta's Department of Parks19 and Recreation, where she was instrumental in integrating perfo rming and visual arts into20 recreational programs, empowering countless youth; and21 WHEREAS, she was a prominent leader at the Voices of the Civil Rights Movement22 Conference at the Smithsonian Institution, contributing significantly to the preservation and23 celebration of African American sacred and freedom songs; and24 WHEREAS, for over half a century, she remained a major cultural voice for freedom, justice,25 and voter empowerment, tirelessly singing, teaching, and speaki ng out against racism and26 inequities of all kinds.27 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body28 honor the life and legacy of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones, recognize her extraordinary29 contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, and commend her end uring impact on30 generations past, present, and future.31 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed32 to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for di stribution to the family of33 Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones.34 S. R. 500 - 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 Senate resolution honors the life and legacy of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones, a civil rights activist and cultural figure connected to Montgomery and Atlanta, and directs that a copy be shared with her family. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate recognizes the life of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones, who was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1944 and became involved in the civil rights movement as a child, including participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and mentorship from Rosa Parks. It recounts her work registering voters, her role in transforming a verse of "We Shall Overcome" into a civil rights anthem, and her later work in Atlanta founding a community school and singing group and integrating arts into the city's parks and recreation programs. The resolution does not change any law. It formally states that the Senate honors her legacy and contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, and it directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for her family. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and honors the life and civil rights contributions of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones through a Senate resolution. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to her family. - Does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute or appropriate any state funding. ### Who it affects This resolution primarily affects the family of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones, who will receive an official copy, and serves as a formal statement by the Georgia Senate; it does not impose obligations on any other group. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect, it creates an official state record honoring a civil rights figure's contributions, and provides her family with formal recognition from the Georgia Senate of her legacy and life's work. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount her early activism, including joining the NAACP youth group and participating in the Montgomery Bus Boycott at age 11. - The resolution notes her role in a Highlander Folk School incident that helped popularize a new verse of "We Shall Overcome." - It describes her later work in Atlanta founding the Vine City Community School and the Harambee Singers and her role with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. - The resolving clause states the Senate honors her life and legacy and commends her impact on past, present, and future generations. - A further resolution clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available to her family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-31) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-03-31) - Sponsors: Jason Esteves, Sonya Halpern, RaShaun Kemp - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71869 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr500.md?full=1