08 LC
36 1152
House
Resolution 2007
By:
Representatives Ashe of the
56th
and Kaiser of the
59th
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
and commending M. M. (Peggy) Harper; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
M. M. (Peggy) Harper has long been recognized by the citizens of this state for
the vital role that she has played in leadership and her deep personal
commitment to the welfare of the citizens of the City of Atlanta;
and
WHEREAS,
this second generation community activist gained invaluable experience during
her high school years as a participant in the "Work-Place-Folk" program and a
study abroad program through which she witnessed first hand the impact community
development and community decline can have on different areas; and
WHEREAS,
after high school, she became active in the civil rights campaigns of the
1960´s and helped to start the Florida Black Student Union before moving to
Atlanta where she became involved in the construction of the East-West line of
MARTA as an employee of Parson, Brinkerhoff and Tutor´s Train Control
Signal Division; held administrative and program management positions at Georgia
Institute of Technology; worked in corporate recruiting, marketing, and human
resources for several Atlanta based Fortune 500 companies; and managed a $2.5
million self-administered benefit program for a Wisconsin based company with
employees in six states; and
WHEREAS,
this shining star attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia through the
Return-To-College (RTC) program where she participated in the Global Awareness
program, earning a scholarship to study economic development in the Republic of
China; had her paper chosen for presentation for the 1988 State of Georgia
Undergraduate Conference on Asian Studies; was the first RTC participant to hold
an editorial position on the college´s newspaper and to hold the elected
positions of historian and president in the Student Black Awareness Association;
and brokered an agreement with the school´s administration to allow a free
standing display on African American history in the lobby of the school´s
classroom building throughout the year to display the accomplishments of black
Americans; and
WHEREAS, she now diligently and conscientiously devotes innumerable hours of her time and energy to the betterment of her community and state through community economic development and human capacity development as evidenced by her having held several offices in her neighborhood organization, the Mechanicsville Civic Association, including historian and representative to the Atlanta Community Empowerment Corporation´s Board of Directors and her current position of Economic Development Chairperson; and
WHEREAS, she now diligently and conscientiously devotes innumerable hours of her time and energy to the betterment of her community and state through community economic development and human capacity development as evidenced by her having held several offices in her neighborhood organization, the Mechanicsville Civic Association, including historian and representative to the Atlanta Community Empowerment Corporation´s Board of Directors and her current position of Economic Development Chairperson; and
WHEREAS,
as the Mechanicsville neighborhood´s representative to Fulton County´s
Romae T. Powell Juvenile Justice Center Project, she was a member of the
committee to select the architect, the builder, and the artist for the
lobby´s public art; and
WHEREAS,
she also facilitated a partnership between the Fulton County Office of Workforce
Development and a community agency to provide candidates for construction
employment in order to meet Fulton County´s requirement of "one resident
hired per million dollars spent" for all capital improvement projects and served
as the liaison between the agency and the project´s contractors;
and
WHEREAS,
she has tirelessly given of herself to others by actively participating as a
member of the Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU-V) for which she served as the
corresponding secretary from 2000 to her election as vice president in 2003 and
subsequently as President, a capacity in which she served with the faith and
confidence of her peers for two terms after filling an unexpired term;
and
WHEREAS,
the Atlanta Planning and Advisory Board was fortunate to have such an
illustrious individual become a member as NPU-V´s representative, serving
on the board´s City Utilities Committee and as corresponding secretary,
president, and representative to the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Renewal
Community CoRa, Inc.; and
WHEREAS,
the passion and efforts of this unbelievably talented woman on behalf of her
community are unparalleled and have been recognized through her receipt of
numerous honors and awards such a nomination for the WXIA Community Service
Award, the 2001 Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta´s "Woman of
the Year," the Annie E. Casey Foundation Atlanta Civic Site´s nomination
for the Community Recognition Award, and the 100 Black Women´s Metropolitan
Atlanta Chapter 2006 Unsung Heroine Award; and
WHEREAS,
this gifted speaker is a highly sought after presenter who has often
participated in seminars and workshops sponsored by various groups including
Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Hands On Atlanta, The Sierra
Club, Clark-Atlanta University´s DuBois Institute, and the City of
Savannah´s Metropolitan neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS,
she is a founding appointee to the Pharmacy and Outpatient Services Advisory
Board for Grady Hospital and the Fulton County Strategies for Healthier
Communities Task Force, serving as Chair of the Harriet G. Darnell Strategies
Task Force Tax Subcommittee; and
WHEREAS,
she is also a member of the State of Georgia Historic Preservation
Division´s Georgia African-American Historic Preservation Network, sitting
on its steering committee during calendar years 2002-2004; and
WHEREAS,
this woman of remarkable drive and energy was also appointed by Atlanta City
Councilmember Cleta M. Winslow to represent Council District 4 on the Atlanta
City Council´s Gentrification Task Force in 2000 and most recently was
appointed to the Friends of Mills Board of Directors, which provides support to
the Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Center; and
WHEREAS,
she is a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for
integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness; and
WHEREAS,
as a community activist and role model for people from all generations and walks
of life, she brings honor to the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and our
country; and
WHEREAS,
in all that she is and all that she does, she truly sets a higher bar for the
rest of us; therefore, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding
accomplishments of this distinguished Georgian be appropriately
recognized.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body honor and commend Peggy Harper for her significant contributions and
service as a community activist and leader and as an outstanding citizen for the
City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Peggy Harper.