HR71INTRODUCED
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HR71
SCDG755-1
By Representatives Chestnut, Lawrence
RFD:
First Read: 18-Feb-25
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5 SCDG755-1 02/10/2025 NG (L)NG 2025-658
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First Read: 18-Feb-25
HR____ COMMEMORATING THE RENAMING OF THE MARION POST OFFICE
AFTER CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, ALBERT TURNER, SR.
WHEREAS, it is with great pleasure and pride that the
Legislature of Alabama commemorates the renaming of the
Marion Post Office after Civil Rights leader, Albert Turner,
Sr.; and
WHEREAS, born on February 29, 1936, in Marion,
Alabama, Albert Turner was one of 12 children of landowning
farmers, Emerson and Lottie Turner; several generations of
Turners had owned land in Perry County and had acquired a
higher level of education than many of their peers; Emerson
Turner had been a vocal community advocate for racial
equality and began the first public school busing system in
Perry County, helping rural Black students access the
all-Black Lincoln School in Marion; and
WHEREAS, in 1952, Albert graduated from the Lincoln
School, serving as class president; he enrolled at Alabama
A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree
with a double concentration in History and Mechanical Arts;
foreshadowing his legacy, he participated in several
Huntsville-area, student-led Civil Rights demonstrations
while in college; and
WHEREAS, on December 9, 1957, he married Evelyn Hatch
and they would have three sons and a daughter; together, the
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and they would have three sons and a daughter; together, the
couple became active leaders in Perry County's growing Civil
Rights protests; and
WHEREAS, having returned to Perry County, Albert
tried to register to vote in 1962, but was turned away due
to his "lack of education," even though many less-educated
white people were allowed to vote; infuriated, Albert and
Evelyn transformed the isolated Sportsman Club, a
Black-owned juke joint, into a covert meeting place to
coordinate Civil Rights protests; and
WHEREAS, in 1963, the Turners and fellow activist,
Spencer Hogue, founded the Perry County Civic League (PCCL);
the PCCL organized Black protests and boycotts in Marion
calling for the racial integration of public facilities and
schools and for voting rights; the PCCL established programs
for poor, elderly, and disabled Blacks while also assisting
Black farmers and businessmen in applying for federal loans
and program assistance; and
WHEREAS, after filing a series of federal lawsuits,
Albert's activism led to the successful registration of 150
Black voters in Perry County; his grassroots activism and
organizational skills attracted the attention of national
civil rights organizations; in the fall of 1964, his
successful mobilization efforts influenced the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to join the existing
Black Belt movement; and
WHEREAS, the SCLC then appointed Mr. Turner as field
secretary for Alabama in recognition for his leadership and
dedication to the Civil Rights movement; he would later help
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dedication to the Civil Rights movement; he would later help
found the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in
Selma at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge; and
WHEREAS, Albert remained committed to promoting
social, economic, and political opportunities for all; he
led the Southwest Alabama Farmer's Cooperative Association
(SAFCA) that improved Black farmer access to government
loans and programs; during the late 1970s, as America
confronted an energy crisis, he and the SAFCA advocated for
the expanded use of gasohol, a blend of petroleum and
ethanol, as a means for breaking the nation's dependence on
foreign oil imports; and
WHEREAS, in 1985, Mr. Turner became embroiled in a
voting rights scandal when he, Evelyn, and Spencer Hogue
were indicted by U.S. Attorney, Jeff Sessions; he accused
the three, later known as the Marion Three, of 29 counts of
mail fraud and illegally tampering with paper absentee
ballots in the September 1984 Perry County Democratic
Primary; following an emotional three-week trial in Selma, a
jury of seven Black and five white members deliberated for
fewer than three hours before acquitting the Marion Three of
all charges; their acquittal significantly impaired the
remaining efforts to undermine the application of the 1965
Voting Rights Act in Alabama; and
WHEREAS, in 1988, after seven attempts, Mr. Turner
won a heated contest to become a member of the Perry County
Commission; during his four terms as commissioner, he
championed education and public health initiatives and
promoted economic development for poor and working-class
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promoted economic development for poor and working-class
residents; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, That Mr. Albert Turner, Sr. is
highly commended for his efforts in desegregating Alabama
and making it a safer and fairer place for all to live; with
the full support of every member of Alabama's congressional
delegation, the Marion Post Office will be renamed the
"Albert Turner, Sr. Post Office Building" in a testament to
his works that have shaped the future of our state.
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