Julian K. Smith, Jr.

Sharing a few pics from Atlanta's Bethune Cookman University Alumni meeting!!!!

It was blessing to shake hands with the President of BCU Dr. Albert Mosley, he spoke well sharing a portion of his vision for Bethune.

Congrats Shontericka Hall and your leadership team of our Atlanta Chapter of Bethune Cookman Alumni.

I was blessed to be able to provide live music during dinner for this wonderful occasion for my beloved Alma Mater.

Experience the American Tapestry at the Atlanta History Center

On July 4, 2026, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Across the nation, communities will celebrate this milestone—but the American Tapestry exhibition asks us to do more: to engage deeply with the full, complex story of how our nation was made.

Recent events, including the removal of the slavery memorial at the President’s House in Philadelphia, underscore the urgency of preserving every thread of our shared history. When essential threads are lost or ignored, the tapestry of our collective memory is weakened.

The American Tapestry brings that history to life as a single, interwoven work of art—strengthened, not diminished, by its complexity. Thirteen hand-embroidered panels, one for each of the original colonies, are being created by skilled artisans from New Hampshire to Georgia.

Each panel highlights contributions often overlooked yet essential to the struggle for independence. When completed, the panels will travel to all thirteen colonies, connecting communities through shared memory, reflection, and civic engagement.

For Georgia, the Atlanta History Center proudly serves as the host site, welcoming both the panel and the stitchers to engage the public in this living tapestry.

Developed in partnership with historical associations nationwide, the project is grounded in scholarship, shaped by community care, and made visible through the artistry of the stitchers themselves.

History here is not fixed on a wall—it is woven, preserved, and made tangible by human hands.

A central highlight of the Georgia Tapestry panel is the tribute to the Chasseurs Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, the Creole militia from what is now Haiti who fought with extraordinary courage during the 1779 Siege of Savannah.

Composed of both enslaved and free men, these soldiers held English fire long enough to allow Colonial forces to retreat, preventing what could have been a devastating massacre.

Fighting for wages, honor, and in many cases the promise of freedom, they became the largest Black armed force to serve in the American Revolution, playing a pivotal role in one of the most diverse and consequential battles of the war.

The panel also depicts a young drummer boy who would later become one of Haiti’s kings, Henri Christophe, linking this chapter of American history directly to the founding of Haiti.

This panel invites a profound question: Why did Black soldiers, many of whom were enslaved or the descendants of enslaved people, fight for the independence of a nation that still practiced slavery? Their answer is woven into courage, strategy, hope, and the complex pursuit of liberty—a story this exhibition brings vividly to life.

The Haitian American Historical Society erected a memorial statue honoring these soldiers, ensuring that their bravery and sacrifice are never forgotten.

The Georgia Tapestry panel affirms this legacy and highlights the annual commemorative march each October to the battlefield site, a living tribute to their courage and global impact.

We encourage visitors to participate in the march and visit the memorial statue, engaging with history firsthand and reflecting on the resilience and enduring contributions of these remarkable soldiers.

This tribute panel, created in collaboration with the Coastal Heritage Society of Savannah, connects communities, memory, and scholarship, reminding us that the story of America is a living, interwoven tapestry.

As the nation looks toward its next 250 years, the American Tapestry affirms a simple truth: the future we are weaving depends on whether we choose to preserve every thread of the past.

America's Tapestry https://www.americastapestry.com/tapestries/georgia

Georgia's State Representative Derrick Jackson, GLBC Chair Senator Nikki Merritt and Members of Georgia's Legislative Black Caucus:

Thank you for your consideration in reading this virtual letter and viewing my video proposal to uplift wisdom, justice and moderation concerning the legacy of slavery in the state of Georgia through the legislation of a statewide reparations task force.

I am one of Georgia's native sons from Dekalb County's southern border and a 3rd generation member of Allen Temple AME Church-Atlanta on Atlanta's Westside where I serve as Men's Ministry Leader and Trustee. Currently, I am a full-time graduate student earning my Master’s in the Art of Teaching Social Studies at Georgia State University.

In initiative to further support the education and development of children in my community I established the J K Smith Sr Foundation. I also serve as Vice-President of the MBC-Friends of Fountain Hall helping to lead community collaboration for the restoration of Atlanta's 1st National Landmark for Education, Historic Fountain Hall on the campus of Morris Brown College.

My beloved queen mother, Willene White-Smith was recognized as one of Georgia's outstanding citizens last year. Thank you Rep Derrick Jackson for taking time to congratulate my mother at Georgia's State Capitol. Your encouraging words were uplifting and I look forward to support your campaign for governor.

During my time as a graduate student, I have endured discriminatory loss of scholarship funding due to DEI policies in education at the behest of President, Donald Trump. The current removal of Philadelphia's memorial to slavery at the President's House near Independence Hall in alignment with President Trump's Executive Order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" raises concerns of federal infringement of states rights to choose how to display and preserve the history of their state.

I write to encourage this body to facilitate formal dialogue with the California Legislative Black Caucus regarding their leadership on reparative justice—specifically their work on SB 518, a landmark bill that lays the foundation for reparative infrastructure rooted in historical truth, economic equity, and community healing.

Georgia holds a unique and powerful historical position concerning the cause of freedom and justice in America. From Sherman’s Field Order No. 15 and the Original 33 Black legislators, to the Siege of Savannah and the state’s central role in the Civil Rights Movement, our legacy demands action.

Georgia has seen similar revisionist history in resistance of progress by the 1960's Civil Rights Movement to reinforce a narrative of White Supremacy and Black Disenfranchisement through the State-Sponsored completion of the Stone Mountain Confederate memorial in the 1970's— over 100 years after the Civil War—was a deliberate revival of "Lost Cause" ideology.

It is with urgent expediency that I encourage Georgia's Legislative Black Caucus to promote collaboration with California's Legislative Black Caucus concerning Reparations Legislation. California’s SB 518 offers a successful legislative model for Georgia to duplicate in the context of our state. We have the opportunity to:

• Leverage HBCU's as intercollegiate engines of equity and innovation in the state of Georgia

• Expand Black agricultural enterprise through land-based reparations in collaboration with Historically Black Colleges, Churches and Communities in the state of Georgia

• Leverage the Port of Savannah to build trade partnerships with Caribbean nations, starting with Haiti, in recognition of the bravery displayed by Haitian soldiers in the October 1779 Siege of Savannah during the American Revolutionary War for Independence from England

• Align reparative policy with education Georgia's Social Studies Standards like SS8H3, SS8H6, and SSUSH10 to create opportunity for students civic engagement

Local governments in Fulton County, City of Atlanta, and City of Decatur have initiated reparations research and legislation. A state-wide reparations task force will help unify these efforts while setting a national precedent for state-wide initiatives for reparative justice in the former Confederate States of America.

I urge this Caucus to explore how California's Legislative Black Caucus built bipartisan support, structured its Reparation Task Force, and aligned its state-wide reparations work to design community centered solutions to resolves gaps in education achievement, income inequality, health care, infrastructure and agriculture.

Reparation Legislation is the Conversation of our Voter Registration!!

Black students of Georgia have naturally grown apathetic to symbolic socio-political gestures from elected officials.

Black students desire to participate in systems that affirm their worth and invest in their future.

Representative Jackson, Senator Merritt and Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, y'all have my full support to help facilitate the aforementioned ideals starting in South Dekalb and Atlanta's Westside.

With legacy in action for progress in motion,

Julian K. Smith, Jr.
Concerned Citizen of Georgia

About last night... Cheers to 40 years 🎺💜🎉

Today is Dr. Carter G. Woodson's birthday
Dec 19, 1875
New Canton, VA

Key Achievements:

Father of Black History Month: He initiated "Negro History Week" in 1926, expanding into the nationwide Black History Month celebrated today, to ensure Black history was recognized.

Founder of ASALH: He established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now ASALH) in 1915, a pivotal organization for Black historical research and preservation.

Pioneering Scholar: A Harvard-educated historian (the second Black American to earn a Ph.D. from there), he published groundbreaking books like The Negro in Our History and founded scholarly journals to document Black experiences.

Established Black Studies: His work created the academic framework for Black history, training future generations of Black historians and legitimizing the field.

Colorized photo by Benjamin Watson