HR1699: HR1699 United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade; 03/25/26; recognize

This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally recognizes March 25, 2026, as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, an annual observance honoring the millions of African men, women, and children forced across the Atlantic Ocean during the Middle Passage. The resolution recounts Georgia history connected to this legacy, including General Sherman's March to the Sea, the Freedmen's Bureau, and the work of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, a Reconstruction-era legislator and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Georgia who called for reparations. It also highlights Atlanta's Big Bethel AME Church and its role in the civil rights movement and Pan-African history. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies to the public and press.

• Formally recognizes March 25, 2026, as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Georgia.
• Recounts historical events tied to slavery, Reconstruction, and Black civic life in Georgia, including the Freedmen's Bureau and Bishop Henry McNeal Turner's work.
• Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
• Creates no new statute, funding, or legal requirement, since it is a commemorative resolution rather than a law.

This resolution mainly affects the House of Representatives itself, through its clerical distribution directive, and serves a symbolic and educational purpose for Georgians interested in the history of slavery, Reconstruction, and civil rights, particularly in Atlanta.

Because this is a commemorative resolution rather than a binding law, its practical effect is symbolic: it publicly marks a day of remembrance and directs official distribution of the text, without altering any rights, funding, or legal obligations for Georgians.

• The resolving clause recognizes March 25, 2026, as the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
• The preamble recounts historical background, including the Middle Passage, Sherman's March to the Sea, Special Field Orders No. 15, and the Freedmen's Bureau in Georgia.
• The preamble references House Bill 303, through which Georgia previously recognized Bishop Henry McNeal Turner and the Reconstruction-era 'Original 33' legislators.
• The final resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies available to the public and press.

1. 2026-03-12House Read and Adopted (House)
2. 2026-03-12House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-12House Hopper (House)

• Derrick Jackson (D, HD-068)Primary sponsor
• Billy Mitchell (D, HD-088)
• Teddy Reese (D, HD-140)
• Gabe Okoye (D, HD-102)
• Arlene Beckles (D, HD-096)
• Segun Adeyina (D, HD-110)

• slavery remembrance
• Georgia history
• civil rights
• Reconstruction era
• Atlanta history