Honoring Georgia's Original 33: Permanent memorial planned for state's 1st Black lawmakers

Atlanta titans and state lawmakers joined at the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday to honor a group of men known as the Original 33. 

The Original 33 were the first 33 African American legislators elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1868. 

Rep. Carl Gilliard from Savannah sponsored House Bill 303. HB 303 would place a monument honoring the Original 33 on the Georgia State Capitol Grounds. 

The bill was signed into law in 2025. 

"It feels tremendously like a weight of the world has been lifted that these great men can finally be recognized," Gilliard said. 

According to the Original 33 Foundation, the men were elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1868. 

That year, a group of White Democrats and Republicans worked to expel them from office. 

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled they could hold office, and by 1870, the Original 33 had been reinstated. 

"I think about the 33, but I know the 33 had families," said former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin. "They had constituents, they had voters. They had people who made it possible for them to be elected." 

Jackson, the first woman to serve as Atlanta mayor and the first African American woman to lead a major southern city, joined former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Leah Ward Sears and former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young to recognize their contributions. 

"They actually represented the first step in what has been a long, challenging, relay race for justice in Georgia," Sears said. 

Some of the Original 33's descendants were also here, including Pamela Colby whose great, great grandfather was Representative Abram Colby. 

"It was really through the work of others, the research they did, and they introduced us to our ancestor," Colby said. 

She only recently learned about her connection to the Original 33. 

"We recognize the Original 33, Colby said. "But really, we are recognizing the entire communities of all of those men and everything that they did and endured." 

A temporary exhibit by SCAD was on display during Wednesday's ceremony honoring the Original 33. 

Gilliard said they would like to see the permanent monument included in capitol building tours. He said they would like the monument to be placed on the third floor which connects both the House and Senate chambers. 

Gilliard said they have a potential meeting next month with the Capitol Commission to discuss the proposed location.