Note: Bills that change current law do not show the amended text correctly below. Please view Original PDF to see amended sections:
HR 233 - Introduced - PDF
HR233
191776-1
By Representatives Knight, Grimsley, Coleman, Ainsworth,
Alexander, Baker, Ball, Beckman, Beech, Black, Blackshear,
Boothe, Boyd, Bracy, Brown, Buskey, Butler, Carns, Chesteen,
Chestnut, Clarke, Clouse, Collins, Crawford, Daniels, Davis,
Drake, Drummond, Ellis, England, Farley, Faulkner, Faust,
Fincher, Ford, Forte, Fridy, Garrett, Gaston, Givan, Greer,
Hall, Hanes, Harbison, Harper, Henry, Hill, Hollis, Holmes
(A), Holmes (M), Howard, Hurst, Ingram, Jackson, Johnson (K),
Johnson (R), Jones, Lawrence, Ledbetter, Lee, Lindsey,
Lovvorn, Martin, McCampbell, McClammy, McCutcheon, McMillan,
Millican, Mooney, Moore (B), Moore (M), Morrow, Nordgren,
Pettus, Polizos, Poole, Pringle, Rich, Rogers, Rowe,
Sanderford, Scott, Sells, Sessions, Shedd, Shiver, South,
Standridge, Todd, Treadaway, Tuggle, Wadsworth, Warren,
Weaver, Whorton (I), Whorton (R), Wilcox, Williams (JD),
Williams (JW), Williams (P), Wingo and Wood
RFD:
First Read: 22-FEB-18
191776-1:n:02/15/2018:AR/ar LSA2018-880
COMMEMORATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MRS. RECY
TAYLOR.
WHEREAS, Mrs. Recy Corbitt Taylor was an
extraordinary Alabamian whose story and fight for justice was
an early catalyst of the Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Taylor was born on December 31, 1919,
to a family of sharecroppers in Abbeville in Henry County,
Alabama; and
WHEREAS, on September 3, 1944, Mrs. Taylor was
kidnapped while leaving church and gang-raped by six white
men; despite a confession from one of the men who also named
the others who took part, two grand juries subsequently
declined to indict the men and no charges were ever brought
against her assailants; and
Mrs. Taylor's refusal to remain silent about a
brutal rape she suffered, perpetrated by white men, provided
an early organizational spark for the Civil Rights Movement;
and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Taylor's rape and the subsequent court
cases were among the first instances of nationwide protest and
activism among the African-American community; and
WHEREAS, the publication of Danielle L. McGuire's
book "At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and
Resistance - a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from
Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power" in 2011, led to a joint
resolution being adopted by the Alabama Legislature officially
apologizing on behalf of the state "for its failure to
prosecute her attackers" and acknowledged "the lack of
prosecution for crimes committed against Recy Taylor by the
government of the State of Alabama," and that "failure to act
was, and is, morally abhorrent and repugnant, and that we do
hereby express profound regret for the role played by the
government of the State of Alabama in failing to prosecute the
crime"; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Taylor passed away on Thursday,
December 28, 2017, just days shy of her 98th birthday, and
three weeks after the release of the documentary, "The Rape of
Recy Taylor"; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Taylor's story is a pivotal link in
the ever evolving pursuit of justice for victims of sexual
assault; her legacy continues to live on in the countless
lives she touched and fuels justice for victims of sexual
violence in all communities, especially for those who feel as
if they have no voice; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, That Mrs. Recy Corbitt Taylor is
highly honored and commended for her courage and dignity, and
this resolution is offered to her family in admiration and
appreciation of her life's achievement and service, along with
heartfelt sympathy.