Committee advances bill to place monument honoring 33 Reconstruction-era Black legislators

The State Properties Committee voted to pass House Bill 303 on a voice vote, advancing a proposal to install a monument listing the 33 African American state legislators elected to the Georgia General Assembly during Reconstruction who were expelled in 1868.

The bill would mandate placement of a monument either on the State Capitol grounds or in another prominent location, supporters said. John Moy, senior director for policy at the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, told the committee the measure would "commemorate their pioneering these pioneering legislators" and that placing the memorial in a visible site would acknowledge their contributions in state history.

State Senator Donzella James, who spoke in support, said she urged the committee "to again support the creation of this monument, providing a lasting tribute to the original 33 and to reaffirming our commitment to acknowledging and learning from every facet of Georgia's rich history." James also referred to family history and earlier Black officeholders, saying she looks at pictures of her uncle "outside the Senate chamber" when she enters and that he stood on the shoulders of the group the bill would honor.

Matthew (Max) Hess, who said he supported the bill, argued it is important for the monument to list names. He cited Tunis Campbell as an example and stated, "He is the author of that language. And we don't know that unless we know his name," connecting the listing of names to recognizing individual contributions.

Committee members moved and seconded that House Bill 303 be passed out of committee. The vote was taken by voice; no recorded roll-call votes were listed in the transcript. The chair announced the result after committee members called "aye," and the chair said he also voted in the affirmative.

Supporters framed the measure as a way to tell a fuller version of state history and to honor legislators who served during a pivotal and contested period. The committee did not record specific amendments, funding sources, or a precise installation site in the discussion on the record.

The bill will move forward from the committee; committee members used the motion language urging that it "go the whole way this time," signaling intent to advance it to subsequent legislative steps.