[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 139 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF BOOKER T. 
                         WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NIKEMA WILLIAMS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2024

  Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as students return to school 
for the upcoming school year, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
Anniversary of the opening of Booker T. Washington High School in 
Georgia's Fighting Fifth Congressional District.
  In September 1924, the opening of Booker T. Washington High School 
marked the first opportunity for Black students in the State of Georgia 
to attend a public high school. This momentous achievement was the 
culmination of tireless organizing and a direct result of Atlanta's 
Black Community's political power and determination.
  In fact, not until the NAACP and Black community leaders conducted a 
successful voter registration drive and new Black voters defeated a 
school bond referendum in 1919 did promises of a new Black high school 
bear fruit, with money from a 1921 school bond used to construct what 
would become Booker T. Washington High School.
  Black students came from across the state to study at Booker T. 
Washington High School, as it remained Georgia's only public high 
school for Black students until 1947. The school's origins in 
organizing and collective power are evident in the remarkable alumni it 
has produced, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., groundbreaking 
surgeon and educator Dr. Asa Yancy, State Representative ``Able'' Mable 
Thomas, trailblazing lawyer and judge Romae T. Powell, former United 
States Secretary for Health and Human Services Dr. Louis Sullivan, and 
educator Dr. Pearlie Craft Dove.
  From its inception, Booker T. Washington High School has been part of 
the fabric ot Atlanta and the State of Georgia and an integral part of 
its community. Students, neighbors, and alums continue to tout the 
skill and energy of the marching band and take every opportunity to 
enjoy school spirit and their music.
  Booker T. Washington High School deserves a place in history, not 
just in the history of Atlanta or Georgia, but of our country. I hope 
you will join me in both recognizing this historic day and in 
cosponsoring a resolution to be introduced later this month that will 
commemorate the 100th anniversary of Booker T. Washington High School.

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