Vincent Fort

Fort was born in New Britain, Connecticut on April 28, 1956. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in American history from Central Connecticut State College and a Master of Arts in African-American history from Atlanta University,{{cite web |url=http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2007_08/senate/fortprintbio.pdf |title=Senator Vincent D. Fort: Senate District 39 |work=legis.ga.gov |access-date=November 6, 2011}} where he wrote his thesis on an oral history of the sit-in movement during the civil rights era at the Atlanta University Center.{{Cite thesis |last=Fort |first=Vincent Dean |title=The Atlanta Sit-In Movement, 1960–1961: an oral study |date=May 1, 1980 |degree=M. A., History |publisher=Atlanta University (AU) |hdl=20.500.12322/cau.td:1980_fort_vincent_d }} He also completed doctorate coursework at Emory University.{{Cite web | url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/12211/vincent-fort#.WcvRjtOGPow |title = The Voter's Self Defense System}}

Fort was described as a career educator and was previously a professor at Morris Brown College and Morehouse College, two historically black colleges in Atlanta.{{Cite web |title=Sen. Vincent Fort | HuffPost |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/sen-vincent-fort |website=HuffPost}}{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2017 |title=Senator Vincent Fort |url=https://atlantamarch.com/senator-vincent-fort/}}

Fort was the first author of Georgia's predatory lending law, which, until replaced by a measure written by Congressman Tom Price, was the strongest law in the country.{{Cite web | url=https://theintercept.com/2017/09/18/atlanta-mayor-vincent-fort-bernie-sanders/ | title=Vincent Fort Angered Democratic Elites when He Endorsed Bernie Sanders. Can He be Atlanta's Next Mayor?| date=September 18, 2017}} His legislation to fight predatory lending has been recognized by the national media as a model that could have helped reduce the severity of the 2008 financial crisis, had Georgia Republicans not repealed it and if it had been adopted by more states. He appeared on or been quoted in numerous local, national and international media outlets about the topic, including CNN, Fox News, the New York Times, MSNBC, the Washington Post, Newsweek, The Nation Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, HDNet with Dan Rather and Financial Times.{{cite web |url=https://vincentfort.com/meet-vincent/ |title=About Vincent - Vincent Fort for Atlanta Mayor |website=vincentfort.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927202418/https://vincentfort.com/meet-vincent/ |archive-date=2017-09-27}}

He also sponsored and co-sponsored bills against prostitution, hate crimes, drug-related nuisances, discrimination against citizens with disabilities, racial profiling, disabled access to housing, and collective bargaining for law enforcement officers.{{when|date=July 2009}} His hate crimes legislation made him the first Georgia legislator to sponsor a bill to create a state hate crimes law. Fort was described as a supporter of Grady Memorial Hospital.Associated Press (September 27, 2007) "[http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/272007142035.htm Fort, others chastise Johnson]" ABCmoney.co.uk Accessed November 6, 2011.

Fort ran against Balch in the Democratic primary for the state senate in 2010. Fort won the primary with 67% of the vote.[http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2010_0720/swgasenate.htm Georgia Department of Elections 2010 primary results]

During his tenure in the State Senate, Fort served on committees dealing with the judiciary, education, State institutions and properties, MARTA, appropriations, redistricting and reapportionment.{{cite web |url=http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2007_08/senate/fortbio.php |title=Georgia State Senator Vincent Fort (D-39) |work=legis.ga.gov |access-date=November 6, 2011}}

In February 2010, Fort opposed a bill that would prevent Georgians from being forced to receive a microchip implant against their will, calling it "a solution in search of a problem."[http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=140485&catid=3 Ga. Senate: No Forced Microchip Implants In Humans | 11alive.com] On October 26, 2011, he was arrested along with 52 other members of Occupy Atlanta, in support of the protesters.{{cite news|last1=Boone|first1=Christian|last2=Cook|first2=Rhonda|date=October 26, 2011|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/occupy-atlanta-police-arrest-1209963.html|title=Occupy Atlanta {{!}} Police arrest protesters|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215201130/http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/occupy-atlanta-police-arrest-1209963.html|archive-date=February 15, 2012|access-date=October 4, 2023|via=Wayback Machine}} He was also arrested in a protest for Medicaid expansion in Georgia at the office of Governor Nathan Deal.{{Cite news | url=http://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/medicaid-out-jail-following-moral-monday-arrests/BIP6EBXCBS60741O2pKWHM/ |title = 'Medicaid 10' out of jail following Moral Monday arrests|newspaper = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}} In the aftermath of the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Fort criticized police militarization in Georgia.{{cite web|last1=Fort|first1=Vincent|title=End police militarization now|url=https://creativeloafing.com/content-230697-opinion---end-police-militarization|website=Creative Loafing|access-date=August 26, 2014}}

In February 2016, Fort announced he would relinquish his support for Hillary Clinton, instead supporting Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries.{{cite news|last1=Bluestein|first1=Grey|title=Vincent Fort flips from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders|url=http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/02/16/vincent-fort-flips-from-hillary-clinton-to-bernie-sanders/|access-date=February 17, 2016|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=February 16, 2016|archive-date=February 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217080820/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/02/16/vincent-fort-flips-from-hillary-clinton-to-bernie-sanders/|url-status=dead}} He issued a statement saying, "After months of looking at Bernie’s record and studying his positions on healthcare, Wall Street, predatory lending and the minimum wage, I came to the conclusion that Bernie’s position on the issues that affect my constituents in Georgia the most conform most closely to my positions." He also cited the ejection of Black Lives Matter protestors from a Hillary Clinton speech at Clark Atlanta University in 2015 as motivation to shy away from the Clinton campaign during the primary. His endorsement of Bernie Sanders for President made Fort the highest-ranking African-American legislator in the South to endorse Sanders.

As a candidate for mayor of Atlanta, Vincent Fort was endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, former Democratic Governor of Georgia Roy Barnes, Atlanta Hip-Hop artist and business owner Michael Render, also known as Killer Mike, as well as 28 local labor unions. His key campaign issues include affordable housing and stopping gentrification in Atlanta, as well as providing two free years of community and technical college to graduates of Atlanta public schools.https://vincentfort.com/issues/ Fort's platform had been described as democratic socialist.{{cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/145690/can-african-american-berniecrat-push-southern-democrats-left|title=Can an African American Berniecrat Push Southern Democrats Left?|date=November 7, 2017|first=Suzanne|last=Monyak|magazine=The New Republic|access-date=October 31, 2018}} On September 30, 2017, Bernie Sanders held a rally for Vincent Fort in Saint Philip AME Church in Atlanta's East Lake neighborhood.{{Cite web | url=http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/09/27/why-bernie-sanders-is-plunging-into-atlantas-mayoral-race/ |title = Why Bernie Sanders is plunging into Atlanta's mayoral race}} Fort finished fifth in the November election, receiving only 9,310 (10%) of the votes which were cast.{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/november-2017-georiga-elections/phZgOMwWVYgjiVC4EhmDfN/|title=November 2017 Georgia Elections|access-date=August 27, 2018|archive-date=November 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118213114/http://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/november-2017-georiga-elections/phZgOMwWVYgjiVC4EhmDfN/|url-status=dead}}

In January 2022, Fort declared his candidacy for Georgia's 13th congressional district in the 2022 election.{{Cite web |last=Bluestein |first=Greg |title=Vincent Fort is challenging David Scott for U.S. House seat |url=https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/vincent-fort-is-challenging-david-scott-for-us-house-seat/XP22A6GLTVCO7ISOV3SD4RWBTE/ |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=Political Insider (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) |language=English}} Fort came in 4th place out of 4 in the race.{{Cite web |title=House Election Results 2022 {{!}} Live Primary Updates {{!}} Voting by District |url=https://www.politico.com/2022-election/results/georgia/house/ |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=www.politico.com |language=en}}

Fort had a son and two daughters.{{cite web | url=https://www.ajc.com/politics/vincent-fort-a-longtime-champion-of-liberal-causes-in-georgia-dies-at-68/UOZGGLLHZFA23P2A2HV3H5E3AI/ | title=Vincent Fort, a longtime champion of liberal causes in Georgia, dies at 68 | work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | last1=Bluestein | first1=Greg | last2=Bunch | first2=Riley }} He died from cancer on December 22, 2024, at the age of 68.[https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/vincent-fort-former-georgia-senator-dies-68/VLIP3JE2DRAITEUCJ3ZDPECORU/ Vincent Fort, former Georgia Senator dies at 68]

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{{Portal|Biography}}

• [http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/senate/fortbio.php Senator Fort's Biography] at the Official Website of the General Assembly of Georgia
• {{IMDb name| 11578593}}

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Category:1956 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:Central Connecticut State University alumni

Category:Clark Atlanta University alumni

Category:Emory University alumni

Category:Georgia (U.S. state) state senators

Category:American democratic socialists

Category:Politicians from New Britain, Connecticut

Category:Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections

Category:21st-century members of the Georgia General Assembly

Category:Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state)