--- title: SR 729. Obama, Former President Barack; commend and condemning racist attacks and rhetoric directed toward him collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr729 cite_as: SR 729, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr729 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr729.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr729/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73001 date: 2026-02-10 status: introduced 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/sr728.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr730.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr729.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 729 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-09 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Harold Jones - Kim Jackson - Elena Parent - Nan Orrock - Nikki Merritt - Kenya Wicks - Ed Harbison - Tonya Anderson - Emanuel Jones - David Lucas - Gail Davenport - Freddie Sims - Sally Harrell - Jaha Howard - Sonya Halpern - Michael Rhett - RaShaun Kemp - Josh McLaurin - Derek Mallow - Randal Mangham text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR729/2025 upstream_id: 2112343 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Barack Obama - Black History Month - racism - Georgia Senate resolutions - civil rights --- # SR 729. Obama, Former President Barack; commend and condemning racist attacks and rhetoric directed toward him ## Text Senate Resolution 729 By: Senators Jones II of the 22nd, Jackson of the 41st, Parent of the 44th, Orrock of the 36th, Merritt of the 9th and others A RESOLUTION Commending and honoring former President Barack Obama during Black History Month and condemning racist attacks and rhetoric directed toward him; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Barack Hussein Obama was born in the United States on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and from an early age experienced a life shaped by travel, curiosity, and engagement with cultures across the United States and the world, including time spent in the Midwest and Indonesia; and WHEREAS, Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University with a degree in International Relations, during which time he actively protested the great historical evil of apartheid in South Africa; and WHEREAS, in 1988, Barack Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he made history as the first Black editor of the Harvard Law Review, graduating magna cum laude in 1991 and beginning a distinguished career as a constitutional law scholar and professor; and WHEREAS, Obama achieved international literary acclaim with his memoir Dreams From My Father, regarded by some as the finest book ever written by a President and outselling every other President's book offerings; and WHEREAS, from 1997 to 2004, Barack Obama served the people of Illinois as a member of the Illinois State Senate before his election to the United States Senate in 2004, where his leadership and oratory ignited a hope based movement of people working together to continue our nation's progress; and WHEREAS, in 2008, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first Black President in American history, winning an electoral landslide unparalleled in the 21st century, and drawing nearly 2 million people to the Mall for the largest Inaugural ever; and WHEREAS, his two-term presidency was marked by recovery from the Great Recession, a historic rescue of the American auto industry, the most significant expansion of access to health care in generations, and the end of the war in Iraq; and WHEREAS, in 2009, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his contributions to diplomacy and international cooperation; and WHEREAS, throughout his public life, presidency, and post-presidency, Obama endured persistent and often vicious racist attacks, including the insidious "birther" movement, which sought to delegitimize his presidency with ugly racism; and WHEREAS, in 2026, during Black History Month, the sitting President of the United States posted a video containing offensive and racist tropes and refused to issue an apology, drawing widespread condemnation, including rebukes from United States Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina who described the video as "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House"; and WHEREAS, such rhetoric stands in direct opposition to the values of equality, dignity, and mutual respect that Black History Month exists to honor and uplift; and WHEREAS, Barack Obama remains a figure of extraordinary historical importance whose life and presidency expanded the boundaries of possibility for millions of Americans and inspired generations at home and abroad. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and celebrate the extraordinary life, legacy, and service of former President Barack Obama during Black History Month. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body condemn racist rhetoric and conduct from any quarter, including that emanating from the President of the United States, and affirm its commitment to the principles of equality, justice, and respect. 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 public and the press. ## 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 would honor former President Barack Obama during Black History Month and condemn racist rhetoric directed at him, including a recent video posted by the sitting President. ### Plain-language summary This is a Senate resolution, a formal statement of the chamber's position rather than a change to Georgia law. It recounts Barack Obama's biography, from his birth in Hawaii through his time at Columbia and Harvard Law School, his service in the Illinois and United States Senates, his two terms as the 44th President, and his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The resolution also describes racist attacks Obama has faced, including the birther movement, and a 2026 video posted by the sitting President that it says contained racist tropes and drew criticism from Senator Tim Scott. The Senate resolves to recognize Obama's legacy during Black History Month, condemn racist rhetoric and conduct from any source including the President, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally commends and honors former President Barack Obama's life and public service during Black History Month. - States the Georgia Senate's condemnation of racist rhetoric and conduct from any source, including from the President of the United States. - Recounts a 2026 video posted by the sitting President that the resolution describes as containing racist tropes, and cites criticism of it from Senator Tim Scott. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press. - Does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute; it is a statement of the Senate's position, not a binding law. ### Who it affects This resolution primarily concerns former President Barack Obama and the sitting President of the United States, whose recent conduct it addresses. It also reflects the position of the members of the Georgia Senate and does not impose obligations on any other group. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it does not change any rights, duties, or funding in Georgia. Its practical effect is symbolic: it places the Georgia Senate on record honoring Obama and condemning racist rhetoric, and directs that the statement be publicly distributed. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses recount Obama's education, his time in the Illinois and United States Senates, his presidency, and his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. - It describes recurring racist attacks against Obama, including the birther movement questioning his eligibility for the presidency. - It references a 2026 video posted by the sitting President during Black History Month and quotes Senator Tim Scott's criticism of it. - The resolved clauses state the Senate's recognition of Obama's legacy and its condemnation of racist rhetoric and conduct from any source, including the President. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-09) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-10) - Sponsors: Harold Jones, Kim Jackson, Elena Parent, Nan Orrock, Nikki Merritt, Kenya Wicks, Ed Harbison, Tonya Anderson, Emanuel Jones, David Lucas, Gail Davenport, Freddie Sims, Sally Harrell, Jaha Howard, Sonya Halpern, Michael Rhett, RaShaun Kemp, Josh McLaurin, Derek Mallow, Randal Mangham - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73001 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr729.md?full=1