FAMUans should renew campaign for Rattler specialty license plate in Georgia

For nearly 16 years, Howard University alumni have held the mayorship of Atlanta, Georgia. Shirley Franklin served from 2002 to 2010. She was followed by Kasim Reed from 2010 to present. But despite that achievement, Howard still doesn’t have a specialty license plate in Georgia.

Two other out-of-state historically black universities, Alabama A&M University and Hampton University, actually have Georgia license plates for sale while Howard doesn't.

Now that Florida A&M University alumna Keisha Lance Bottoms is about to be sworn in as the new mayor of Atlanta on January 2, 2018, FAMU supporters should renew the campaign for a Rattler license plate in Georgia.

Back in 2012, the Metro-Atlanta Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association (NAA) pushed to get a Rattler tag approved in Georgia. The plate was set to be manufactured as soon as 1,000 pre-orders at $35 each were paid before the state-imposed two-year window expired in October 2014.

Unfortunately, the Rattler specialty license plate didn’t get enough pre-orders by the deadline.

As an out-of-state university, FAMU wouldn’t receive any money from the sale of a Rattler tag. This is different from the specialty license plate program in Florida, which automatically remits money from tag sales back to the public universities that participate in it. But the license plate would be a way to promote FAMU pride across the state and help recruitment efforts.

Florida State University is currently the only Florida school that has a Georgia tag. It’s time for that change by getting a FAMU license plate in the Peach State.