This archive report was first published on 15 June 2020.
On February 23, 2020, my world was shattered when my son Ahmaud Arbery was brutally murdered while jogging in Georgia. As I reflect on that fateful day, I am reminded of the countless times Ahmaud would go jogging, always with a smile on his face. His love for fitness was contagious, and I would often tease him about trying to look as young as me. Little did I know, his life would be cut short by a senseless act of hate.
Ahmaud was unarmed, but he was black. To me, this was clearly a hate crime. But Georgia is one of four states in the country without a hate crime law. If Georgia had a hate crime law, Ahmaud's killers could face additional sentencing for murdering my son because of the color of his skin. As we've seen in the protests about George Floyd, Ahmaud is just one of the many black lives that has been lost due to hatred.
Georgia lawmakers have passed a hate crime bill, but it's been stalled for a year. Chairman Jesse Stone and Lieutenant Governor Duncan, please do the right thing. State senators are going back into session, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support this bill. Pass a hate crime law, not just for Ahmaud, but for all the victims of hate crimes in Georgia.
