Day 1 of Capital B Fest: Black Atlanta looks at key issues shaping politics, education and crime – Capital B News

Black Atlanta residents say a ‘systemic’ and ‘surgical’ effort to disenfranchise black voters and a new school choice law that some say targets the most vulnerable students state are among their biggest concerns heading into the November presidential election.

Those were among the takeaways from conversations at the Atlanta leg of Capital B’s Black Political Power Tour, which kicked off Wednesday night. Nearly 100 community members gathered at Pittsburgh Yards in southwest Atlanta to hear perspectives from policymakers, activists and community advocates.

The event, focused on Black voters and the issues important to them this election season, is part of our annual Capital B Fest program.

Understanding Georgia’s New Election Laws

The stakes this fall are extremely high for black voters in Georgia.

As both sides prepare for a major presidential debate in Midtown tonight, local and state political reporter Chauncey Alcron spoke with State Rep. Billy Mitchell, Fulton County Voter Education and Outreach Director LaShandra Little and NAACP President Gerald Griggs, who detailed their concerns about voter suppression.

“It’s a war,” said Mitchell, a Democrat who represents some eastern Atlanta suburbs. “I used to have a slightly different opinion when I was on the other side of the table from policy makers. I’m on this side, and I can tell you that there is a concerted effort to keep some people away from the polls. »

This was echoed by Griggs, who said that because of redistricting, he has heard from voters who don’t know which candidates are running in districts where they have lived and voted their entire lives. Some people no longer know where to vote.

“It’s not just Fulton County, we’ve seen it in Macon-Bibb, we’ve seen it in Coffee County,” he said. “We saw it everywhere with incorrect ballots due to the new redistricting lines.”

Little encouraged Black voters to check their registration status on the state’s My Voter page and contact a legal representative from groups like the Georgia NAACP, the New Georgia Project or the Georgia ACLU if they feel that someone is trying to undermine their right to vote.

What free school choice means for Atlanta

On a separate panel, several local education experts, as well as a parent, addressed Black families’ relationship with the controversial issue of school choice. Monica Hall, founder of THRIVE Christian Academy, said the Georgia Promise Scholarship recently adopted by the state of Georgia could be a game-changer for families who want to explore alternatives to traditional public education. The scholarship creates state-funded education savings accounts that eligible students can use to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling materials, and is open to students who live in zoned neighborhoods for low-performing public schools.

“I’m not anti-public school, but I’m pro-student and I’m pro-parent,” Hall said. “For some people, the best academic situation may be in your local public school, and for other people, the best academic situation may be in your own home, and it may be in a micro-school, and it may be in a private school on the other side of town.

Atlanta school board member Jessica Johnson disagrees, arguing that the new school choice measure targets the state’s most vulnerable student populations. Parents need to follow the money to discover the true intent of the legislation, she said.

“They’re focusing on the bottom 25 percent of schools in Atlanta, the public schools that are already under-resourced and under-capacity, and then they’re going to divert that money,” Johnson said. “What happens when we divert resources that could be used to provide more support to students who need it most? »

Disrupting Gun Violence in Atlanta

A third panel focused on solutions to gun violence in local communities.

Criminal justice reporter Madeline Thigpen spoke with Atlanta City Councilmember Antonio Lewis, Mothers Against Gang Violence founder Tekesia Shields, and Aaron Johnson of Partnership for Southern Equity to discuss solutions to the problem.

“De-escalation is very important,” Shields said. “Until we know what the definition of de-escalation is and how to use it, we’re not going to have that impact in our community.”

Johnson said impact also comes from centering the power of words in community conversations.

“It’s not all anger,” he said. “You may be disappointed, and being able to explain how you feel helps with de-escalation. »