Joseph Beasley, a longtime Georgia human rights activist, has died, just a few weeks before what would have been his 89th birthday. 

Born to sharecroppers in Fayette County, Georgia, Beasley said in interviews that a history lesson opened his eyes to the power of activism.  

“When I was able to attend school in a segregated, one-room school house, I learned about the Haitian Revolution that began with the rebellion of African slaves in 1791 and ended when the French were defeated at the Battle of Vertieres in 1803,” Beasley wrote in African Leadership Magazine in 2015. “The battle effectively ended slavery there and got me energized. I remember thinking as I read about it that it was possible to have a different life.”

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force who attended graduate school at Clark Atlanta University, Beasley first joined the Jesse Jackson-founded Operation PUSH in 1976, according to nonprofit The History Makers. In 1979, he moved back to his home state of Georgia to work as the executive director of the organization’s Atlanta chapter. He continued with the organization for decades, eventually being named Southern Regional Director. At the same time, he began serving as the human service director at Atlanta’s Antioch Baptich Church North.

Beasley’s work took him across Georgia and around the world. He traveled to South Africa to register voters ahead of Nelson Mandela’s historic electoral victory in 1994 and went to Haiti to monitor the nation’s second democratic election the next year, The History Makers said.

“Joe Beasley’s legacy runs deep — from growing up on a Georgia plantation to serving 21 years in the Air Force, to becoming a powerful voice for justice through Rainbow PUSH,” Attorney Gerald Griggs wrote. “He spent his life fighting for civil rights at home and abroad. A true global servant for our people.”

Beasley also founded and led African Ascension, an organization with the goal of linking Africans on the continent with those in the diaspora.

“He devoted his life to uplifting our people, confronting injustice, and standing steadfast on the front lines of the struggle for human and civil rights not only in Georgia, but across the globe,” the Georgia NAACP wrote on Facebook. “His voice was bold, his spirit unbreakable, and his impact immeasurable.”

Beasley’s funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers say they are drafting legislation to make social media safer for children after a Senate committee spent months hearing from community members and experts. The proposals are expected to be taken up during the upcoming legislative session.

What we know:

Georgia lawmakers are joining states nationwide in pressing for tougher laws to hold social media companies accountable for children’s safety on their platforms and when those users interact with artificial intelligence.

The Senate Impact of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence on Children and Platform Privacy Protection Study Committee spent months hearing from parents and experts about how to make the internet safer for kids.

What they’re saying:

Democratic state Sen. Sally Harrell, who co-chairs the committee, said it adopted its final report Wednesday.

She said lawmakers are working on bipartisan bills to address growing concerns about how social media, gaming, AI and other online platforms are affecting Georgia children. The proposals include legislation to prevent companies from using addictive design features in social media and games, as well as requirements for developers to test chatbots to ensure they are safe for children to interact with.

“Congress should be acting,” Harrell said. “This should be a congressional issue. It should be dealt with nationally. But Congress isn’t doing anything. They haven’t done anything to help our kids be safe online for almost 30 years. And so the states really feel like we have to take leadership on this.”

What’s next:

Lawmakers stressed that this is a bipartisan effort and encouraged the public to work with them, noting they are already receiving pushback from some of the companies that own and operate major social media platforms.

Georgia’s ruling party has introduced new legislation that would dramatically weaken protections for peaceful assembly, further shrinking democratic space and flouting basic human rights standards guaranteed by the country’s constitution and international law.

The bill, tabled on December 8, is being reviewed under an expedited procedure without a substantiated justification for bypassing the ordinary legislative timeline.

The bill’s provisions would significantly broaden the requirement that protest organizers submit written notification before holding an assembly. Current law requires prior notification five days before the protest only when it would block a road used by automobile traffic. The new bill would extend this requirement to any roadway intended for vehicles or pedestrians. In practice, the obligation would arise for almost all assemblies held on city streets, near administrative buildings, or around political institutions, severely limiting the ability to organize protests.

The draft law would also grant the police wide discretion to impose binding instructions on the time, location, or route of assemblies. These instructions could be justified on broad grounds including “protecting public order,” ensuring the normal functioning of institutions, preventing obstruction of pedestrian or vehicle movement, or allegedly protecting human rights. The vague phrasing of these provisions increases the risk of authorities’ arbitrary interference and unjustified restrictions on peaceful gatherings.

The bill also introduces harsh new penalties for administrative offenses related to assemblies. Failure to submit advance notification—currently punishable by a 2,000-Georgian lari (about US$742) fine—would carry up to 20 days of administrative detention. Failure to comply with a police order to relocate or terminate an assembly would be punishable by up to 15 days of detention for protest participants or up to 20 days for organizers. Repeated violations would constitute a felony, punishable by up to one year in prison for participants and up to four years for organizers.

The bill’s introduction comes at a time of intensifying efforts by Georgia’s authorities to curb pro-democracy protests. By expanding prior-notification requirements, increasing police discretion, and imposing severe penalties, the new legal provisions would effectively hollow out the right to peaceful assembly.

The Georgian government should withdraw the bill and ensure all regulation of public assemblies fully complies with democratic standards and Georgia’s human rights obligations.