Georgia Black Women’s Roundtable Calls for Action on Local and National Priorities as Legislative Session Opens in High-Stakes Election Year
ATLANTA – More than 300 Black women leaders carried the voices of their home districts into the halls of the Georgia State Capitol on the first day of the 2026 legislative session, meeting with lawmakers to deliver a clear message in this critical election year: Black women are united, unapologetic, and unstoppable. Convened by the Georgia Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), the day included a press conference and culminated in a powerful exchange as Georgia state legislators joined the women for a candid conversation during their luncheon.
At the press conference, Helen Butler, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda (People’s Agenda) and convener of GA BWR, stated, “Black women have come together to advocate for our issues. Legislators need to listen, because we are voting our issues. Over 300,000 Black women have lost jobs or been pushed out of work, and that is a crisis that cannot be ignored. We will continue to show up, organize, and forge ahead because we are determined to create opportunities for our communities.”
“We are mothers, we are educators, we are caregivers, we are business owners, we are voters, and we are united. We make up one of the most consistent voting blocs in the country,” exclaimed Dee Dawkins–Haigler , president, Organization of World Leaders. “We need to make sure we have livable wages. Make sure that our children have access to a good education, affordable healthcare, and most of all, we need to make sure that people realize that we are not to be played with.”
Mary-Pat Hector, CEO of RISE, declared, “Let me be clear: this is not just another day at the Capitol. This a very important year for our community. We have elections.” The nationally recognized youth leader continued, “They’re trying to take us back. They’re trying to take our voting rights, they’re trying to take away the rights that we have for our body, and today Black women in Georgia say no longer. This is not going to be the last day that we show up to the Capitol this year in these kinds of numbers. We’re not going to just continue to show up to the Capitol, we’re going to show up in the community, we’re going to knock on these doors, we’re going to get our community to fight back.”
Other speakers at the press conference included Dr. A. Lois Keith, national chair, National Council of Negro Women (NCNW); Rep Kim Schofield (63rd District); Rep Doreen Carter, (93rd District) vice chair Georgia Legislative Black Caucus; Dr. Penny Brown Reynolds, former Fulton County Judge and deputy assistant secretary, USDA; Mayor of Jonesboro, Dr. Donya L. Sartor; Dr. Alieka Anderson-Henry, Chairwoman of Clayton County; and Deborah Scott, CEO and founder, Georgia Stand Up.
During the Black Women U3: United, Unapologetic, Unstoppable 2026 luncheon, lawmakers listened to women’s concerns and discussed current legislation shaping Georgia’s future. Participants raised a wide range of deeply personal and community-specific issues directly with elected officials. One woman urged lawmakers to rein in aggressive homeowners associations, citing rising monthly fees and excessive fines for minor infractions that have placed some homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Another called for required bereavement leave, sharing the toll of losing a loved one without time to grieve. A mother who lost her son to a sports-related injury advocated for legislation to strengthen high school sports safety standards, underscoring the urgent need to protect student-athletes.
State representatives who addressed the luncheon included: Rhonda Burnough (77th District), Viola Davis (87th District), Sheila Jones (60th District), and Kim Schofield (63rd District).
Representatives from over 36 different women organizations attended the day of action. Sponsors and partner organizations joining the People’s Agenda included Atlanta Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Organization of World Leaders; ProGeorgia; NCNW, and Rep GA.
GA BWR is an initiative of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda and the Georgia affiliate of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s Black Women’s Roundtable. Founded by the late civil rights leader Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, the People’s Agenda is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on year-round voter registration, education, and mobilization in Black communities throughout Georgia. Their headquarters are in Atlanta with offices in Athens, Albany, Macon, Augusta, LaGrange, Rome, and Savannah. For more information visit thepeoplesagenda.org or @gcpagenda on social media.