Atlanta Honors Colonel Ann Wright with Proclamation

Proclamation

Atlanta City Council

In Honor of Colonel (Ret.) Ann Wright

Whereas, Colonel (Ret.) Ann Wright served in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves for 26 years, was a diplomat for 15 years, and deputy chief of mission in U.S. Embassies in Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. She also held assignments in Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada and Nicaragua and participated in civil reconstruction projects after military operations in Grenada, Panama and Somalia; and,

Whereas, She received the State Department’s Award for Heroism as Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Freetown, Sierra Leone, during the evacuation of Sierra Leone in 1997; and,

Whereas, Colonel (ret.) Wright showed moral and professional leadership in speaking out and resigned her post in protest to government actions she felt were illegal and/or a threat to the United States and the U.S. Constitution: the preemptive war in Iraq without the United Nations Security Council agreement, the administration's lack of efforts in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the lack of a policy for North Korea, and the curtailment of civil liberties in the U.S; and,

Whereas, She co-authored the book “Dissent: Voices of Conscience: Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq,” in which she presented why it is so important in a democracy for people to speak out when the actions of government become dangerous to the security of the nation; and,

Whereas, As an activist, Colonel (Ret.) Wright continues to courageously speak out against the injustices perpetrated by our government inside this country and in other counties around the world.

Now, Therefore, WE, the members of the Atlanta City Council, and on behalf of the citizens of Atlanta, hereby proclaim the 7th day of October 2009 as Colonel (Ret.) Ann Wright Day in the City of Atlanta.

In Witness Whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and caused the seal of the city of Atlanta to be affixed:

• Lisa M. Borders, President, Atlanta City Council
• Carla Smith, Council District 1
• Kwanza Hall, Council /District 2
• Ivory Lee Young, Jr., Council /District 3,
• Cleta Winslow, Council District 4
• Natalyn Mosby Archibong, Council District 5
• Anne Fauver, Council District 6
• Howard Shook, Council District 7
• Clair Muller, Council District 8
• Felicia A. Moore, Council District 9
• C.T. Martin, Council District 10
• Jim Maddox, Council District 11
• Joyce M. Sheperd, Council district 12
• Ceasar C. Mitchell, Post 1 At-Large
• Mary Norwood, Post 2 At-Large
• H. Lamar Willis, Post 3, At Large