Georgia Lawmakers Sign Voter Suppression Bill Into Law Under Painting of Slave Plantation
The photo of white lawmakers celebrating a bill that will disenfranchise Black voters went viral on Thursday night.
Twitter/Brian Kemp
A photo of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signing the state’s new restrictive voting bill into law on Thursday night quickly went viral, thanks to the gaggle of white Republican men standing around him, celebrating a bill that will mostly affect Black voters. But Twitter sleuths have uncovered another vile twist: The men are standing below a painting of a notorious slave plantation in Wilkes County. A guide from Georgia Council of the Arts confirms the painting is titled Brickhouse Road (Callaway PLNT). It depicts the Callaway Plantation, once a 3,000-acre plantation that owned up to 100 slaves. Their master was so cruel he built a quasi-jail on the property for unruly slaves, and set dogs onto those who tried to escape, according to an oral history from Mariah Callaway, a woman who was born into slavery on the plantation in 1852. Georgian voter rights activist Stacey Abrams has dubbed the new voter suppression bill “Jim Crow 2.0.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.