Under the Gold Dome

LAB Atlanta visits the Georgia Capitol in Downtown Atlanta.

On Friday, February 15, Lab ATL went to the Georgia State Capitol. The Georgia General Assembly, Georgia’s legislative body, was in session, and we had the opportunity to meet State Representative Spencer Frye, who represents Athens, GA.

As we approached the Georgia Capitol, the gold dome rose prominently over the surrounding buildings, its bright hue standing in contrast to the monochrome cityscape around it.

Around the Capitol stood a crowd of statues. Among those immortalized were Confederate leaders, as well as citizens of a newer South, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jimmy Carter, who in 1970 declared that “if you walked through the State Capitol as a visitor… nowhere… would you see any indications that we had black citizens who were distinguished and accomplished.”

“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Having completed our circuit around the Capitol building, we ascended the steep stone steps to the entrance, where a small crowd was clustered, waiting to enter.

We entered a dimly lit foyer, where we passed through security, and into the grand atrium directly beneath the golden dome.

We entered one of the two wings on either side of the central atrium, where we spread out to take photos of the various statues and paintings within.

After a short wait, we were introduced to State Representative Spencer Frye, representing Athens, GA. He talked a bit about what he does as a representative, briefly discussing his off-term job as executive director of Athens’ branch of Habitat for Humanity, then opened the floor for questions.

Representative Frye led us to the Congress chamber, where Congress was in session and was voting on laws and resolutions.

After sitting in on Congress, we went up to the fourth floor, where there are a number of exhibits and displays containing objects from Georgia’s history.

Having thoroughly explored the Georgia Capitol, we made our way outside and back to Lab.