Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock's bill to designate West Hunter Street Baptist Church as a National Historic Site passed a key Senate Committee last week.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock's bipartisan legislation to establish West Hunter Street Baptist Church as a National Historic Site, protecting and preserving the church's legacy for generations to come.

Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock introduced the bipartisan, bicameral legislation last June to create the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site in honor of the late Reverend Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., a prominent civil rights leader who began his pastoral service at the church in 1961 and served for nearly three decades.

Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05) introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House alongside Reps. Henry C. "Hank" Johnson (GA-04) and Austin Scott (GA-08).

The bill now moves to the full U.S. Senate for consideration.

"Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was a great Georgian, a great American, and a titan of the civil rights movement," Sen. Ossoff said. "This is why I am working to establish Atlanta's West Hunter Street Baptist Church as a National Historic Site and preserve the legacies of Reverend Abernathy, his wife Juanita, and the church."

"The civil rights tradition in Atlanta traces its roots to the Black Church," said Senator Reverend Warnock. "Few institutions mean more to that rich history than West Hunter Street Baptist Church, and the incomparable Reverend Ralph David Abernathy Sr. Reverend Abernathy inspired generations of Atlantans during some of the darkest moments in our country's history and instilled in them the belief that they must never fail to fight for freedom. I am proud to work with Senator Ossoff to help memorialize this storied institution and its leader for generations to come."

In 2023, the Senators also brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass the bill through a key Senate Committee and are now continuing their work to pass the bill into law.

Click here to read the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site Act.

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