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Senate Resolution 713
By: Senators Parent of the 42nd, Butler of the 55th, Harrell of the 40th, Anderson of the
43rd, Jackson of the 41st and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and commending the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights; and for
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other purposes.2
WHEREAS, the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights empowers, advocates,3
educates, and organizes people of African descent affected by the history of slavery, de jure4
racial discrimination, and segregation in the City of Decatur schools and housing; and5
WHEREAS, the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights was named for a square mile6
of Decatur settled by freed slaves after the Civil War; and7
WHEREAS, the residents of Beacon Hill built a vibrant community of families, businesses,8
churches, and schools, and other common threads of life while enduring racial prejudice and9
societal inequality; and10
WHEREAS, the Beacon Hill community was central to the movement for racial equality and11
civil rights in Decatur and DeKalb County by forming the Decatur Colored Citizens League12
in 1950 and DeKalb Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored13
People in 1955; and14
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WHEREAS, the Beacon Hill community was incrementally condemned to make way for
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public housing, the new county courthouse, and Decatur High School as part of an urban16
renewal project in the 1960s; and17
WHEREAS, in 2015, a group of concerned citizens was convened by Mayor Emerita18
Elizabeth Wilson, the City of Decatur's first and only African American mayor, to address19
issues of equality in Decatur and the surrounding communities; and20
WHEREAS, after years of successful advocacy as an Organizing Committee of the NAACP,21
in 2015 the alliance was reorganized as an independent organization to better advocate for22
local change and continues its activism in the Decatur area on various fronts; and23
WHEREAS, some of the many victories of the alliance include dramatically increasing24
attendance in City Schools of Decatur School Board meetings, successfully advocating for25
the creation for an Equity Director position within the City Schools of Decatur, supporting26
the development of the first-ever Black Student Unions at both Decatur High School and27
Beacon Hill Middle School, and hosting panel discussions on closing the achievement gap,28
alternative school discipline practices, and school safety; and29
WHEREAS, other notable achievements of the alliance include cosponsoring and organizing30
the Take Down White Supremacy March and Rally, which was attended by 5,000 protesters31
in response to the white supremacist attack in Charlottesville; coordinating efforts to remove32
monuments to white supremacy in Decatur Square, including the Confederate "Lost Cause"33
obelisk and the "Genocide Cannon"; and sponsoring and fund raising for "Art for the34
People," a public art project that puts works created by artists of African and Indigenous35
descent on display in the City of Decatur; and36
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WHEREAS, the alliance continues to focus on the issues of equality in education, housing,
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public art and monuments, and the legal system as the road to equality and justice remains38
long and fraught with challenge; and39
WHEREAS, this remarkable organization has had a tremendous impact on its community40
and it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this41
extraordinary group of people be appropriately commended and recognized. 42
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body43
recognize and commend the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights for its many44
valuable contributions on behalf of the citizens of the community and extend best wishes for45
continued future success.46
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed47
to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Beacon Hill48
Black Alliance for Human Rights.49
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