| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 112 3555 |
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| 2 | 2 | | Senate Resolution 500 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Senators Esteves of the 35th, Halpern of the 39th and Kemp of the 38th |
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| 4 | 4 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 5 | 5 | | Honoring the life and legacy of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones; and for other purposes. |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones was born on June 5, 1944, in Montgomery,2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Alabama, a city deeply entrenched in the struggle for civil rights and social justice; and3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, by the age of nine, she had joined the NAACP youth group, where she learned4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | the principles of equal rights, voter empowerment, civic leadership, and personal5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | responsibility under the mentorship of Rosa Louise Parks; and6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, at the age of 11, she became an active advocate and participant in the7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | Montgomery Bus Boycott, distributing leaflets and walking to school for 361 days, thereby8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | contributing to the historic campaign against racial segregation; and9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, during a raid by Grundy County sheriffs at Highlander Folk School, she10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | displayed remarkable courage by singing a new verse of "We Shall Overcome," which11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | resonated throughout the nation and helped transform the song into one of America's most12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | powerful anthems for civil rights and social justice; and13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | S. R. 500 |
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| 20 | 20 | | - 1 - 25 LC 112 3555 |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, she continued her dedication to voter empowerment as a lead organizer for the |
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| 22 | 22 | | 14 |
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| 23 | 23 | | Montgomery Youth Voter Registration Campaign, working closely with leaders such as15 |
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| 24 | 24 | | James Bevel and James Orange to promote voter registration in Alabama; and16 |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, in the 1960s, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she founded the Vine City17 |
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| 26 | 26 | | Community School and the Harambee Singers; she further discovered a new home for her18 |
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| 27 | 27 | | community engagement and creative voice within the City of Atlanta's Department of Parks19 |
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| 28 | 28 | | and Recreation, where she was instrumental in integrating performing and visual arts into20 |
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| 29 | 29 | | recreational programs, empowering countless youth; and21 |
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| 30 | 30 | | WHEREAS, she was a prominent leader at the Voices of the Civil Rights Movement22 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Conference at the Smithsonian Institution, contributing significantly to the preservation and23 |
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| 32 | 32 | | celebration of African American sacred and freedom songs; and24 |
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| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, for over half a century, she remained a major cultural voice for freedom, justice,25 |
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| 34 | 34 | | and voter empowerment, tirelessly singing, teaching, and speaking out against racism and26 |
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| 35 | 35 | | inequities of all kinds.27 |
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| 36 | 36 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body28 |
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| 37 | 37 | | honor the life and legacy of Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones, recognize her extraordinary29 |
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| 38 | 38 | | contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, and commend her enduring impact on30 |
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| 39 | 39 | | generations past, present, and future.31 |
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| 40 | 40 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed32 |
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| 41 | 41 | | to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of33 |
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| 42 | 42 | | Jamila "Mary Ethel Dozier" Jones.34 |
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| 43 | 43 | | S. R. 500 |
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| 44 | 44 | | - 2 - |
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