MS SC599

Recognizes Arthur James Tate as the first African-American to serve in the Mississippi Senate since Reconstruction, elected in a special election in 1979.

Notes Tate represented Senate District 15A (Holmes, Madison, and Yazoo Counties) and was born August 16, 1939, in Carthage, Mississippi, with education from Leake County Agricultural High School and Tougaloo College.

Highlights Tate's career as a merchant, teacher, and insurance salesman, and his active involvement in community organizations including the Canton Business League, Chamber of Commerce, Council on Aging, and NAACP.

Directs that the resolution be presented to Arthur Tate, forwarded to the State Superintendent of Education for distribution during Black History Month, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.