Georgia Historical Society to Dedicate New Historical Marker Recognizing Political and Civic Leader Mamie George Williams

Staff Report

Wednesday, May 24th, 2023

The Georgia Historical Society, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. - Savannah Alumnae Chapter, and The Savannah Tribune, will dedicate a new historical marker on Thursday, May 25, 2023, recognizing Mamie George Williams. The dedication is open to the public and will take place at 11:00 a.m. at Carnegie Library, 537 East Henry Street, in Savannah, Georgia.

A lifelong resident of Savannah, Mamie George Williams was an African-American political and civic leader in the first half of the twentieth century whose career spanned more than three decades. Throughout her lifetime, she volunteered for organizations such as the Red Cross and the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. She led fundraising efforts for a home in Macon that helped African-American girls in need. Williams also served as vice president of Carver State Bank before her death in 1951.

"An African-American suffragist, Mamie George Williams led the charge of registering 40,000 Black women in Georgia to vote following the passage of the 19th Amendment,” said Velma Maia Thomas, historian and marker applicant. “In 1924, she became the first woman from Georgia and the first African-American woman in the nation to serve on the Republican National Committee. She chaired a fundraising committee for African-American Girl Scouts in Georgia and served as matron of the Chatham Protective Home for children. In politics, Williams stood her ground. To civics and special programs, she gave her all."

To learn more about the Mamie George Williams historical marker, please contact Keith Strigaro, Director of Communications at the Georgia Historical Society, at 912-651-2125 ext. 153 or [email protected].