Montgomery, AL – Gov. Bob Riley has signed a resolution honoring the state's first black lawmakers.
The resolution by Democratic Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery says black Alabama residents played an integral part in the Legislature from 1868 to 1878. At the height of Reconstruction in 1874, there were 33 black lawmakers in the Legislature.
Riley signed the document Tuesday in the Old House Chamber.
The resolution calls for the names of the black legislators to be placed on plaques that will be displayed in the rotunda, on the grounds outside the Capitol and inside the entrance to the Alabama Statehouse.
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