Warnock sworn in as first African-American senator from Georgia; Ossoff also takes his Senate seat
Jenna Ingalls | Staff Writer
Rev. Raphael Warnock, the first African-American senator from Georgia, was sworn into office on Wednesday, Jan. 20..
Not only is he the first African-American Georgian senator, he and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate in more than a decade. Their wins in the Jan. 5 runoffs now tilt the power of the U.S. Senate toward the Democrats by one vote, that of Kamala Harris, who as Vice President will be president of the Senate.
It also is a historic day for Ossoff, who like Warnock hails from Atlanta. Ossoff is the first Jewish person to be a U.S. senator from Georgia.
Harris swore in Warnock and Ossoff, along with California’s Alex Padilla (who was selected to take Harris’ spot by Gov. Gavin Newsom), at 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
Before Warnock was a politician, he was the youngest pastor to preach at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was also a pastor at this church.
Warnock does not shy away from the call for social justice in his pulpit or politics. For Warnock, his ministry and activism go hand-in-hand. Some of Warnock’s listed priorities include:
The expansion of Medicaid.
Supporting efforts to make Election Day a federal holiday; and
· protect, improve and build upon the Affordable Care Act;
Encourage Medicaid expansion and support rural and urban hospitals;
Reform the bail system and end mass incarceration;
Protecting the sanctity of voting by restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act/John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Alhough voter suppression was made illegal under the 1965 Voter Suppression Act, de facto voter suppression continues to take place, keeping voters of color and young voters from the poll. Stacey Abrams, Georgia politician and first African-American woman to run for governor in Georgia, started the Fair Fight Action. Abrams and her organization have registered hundreds of thousands of voters in Georgia, giving a voice to populations that were going unheard in other elections.
The Associated Press credits Abrams with the Democratic wins by Warnock, Ossoff and President-elect Joe Biden in the state. Biden and Harris take their oaths of office at noon on Jan. 20.
Warnock defeated Kelly Loeffler and Ossoff edged David Perdue in the Jan. 5 runoffs for the two U.S. Senate seats.
Contact Jenna Ingalls at JEINGALLS@augusta.edu.
John Ossoff becomes the first Jewish person to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate; here he is shown speaking at an Augusta rally. Above, at the top of the page, is Rev. Raphael Warnock, also speaking at an Augusta rally. (photos by Rakiyah Lenon)
