Capital B Fest Day One: Black Atlanta Dives into Key Issues Shaping Politics, Education, and Crime – Capital B News

Black Atlantans say a “systemic” and “surgical” effort to disenfranchise Black voters and a new school choice law that some believe targets the state’s most vulnerable students are among their biggest concerns as the November presidential election approaches.

Those were among the takeaways from the conversations at the Atlanta stop of the Capital B’s Black Political Power Tour, which kicked off Wednesday evening. Nearly 100 community members gathered at Pittsburgh Yards in southwest Atlanta to hear insight 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 voting laws

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

As both sides prepare for a major presidential debate in Midtown this evening, state and  local politics reporter Chauncey Alcron sat down with state Rep. Billy Mitchell, Fulton County Voter Education and Outreach Manager LaShandra Little, and NAACP President Gerald Griggs, who detailed their concerns about voter suppression. 

“There’s a war,” said Mitchell, a Democrat who represents some of Atlanta’s eastern suburbs. “I used to feel a little differently when I was on the other side of policymaking. I’m on this side, and I can tell you, there’s a concerted effort to keep some people away from the polls.”

This was echoed by Griggs, who said that due to redistricting, he’s heard from voters who are confused about which candidates are running in districts they have lived and voted in their entire lives. Some aren’t sure where to vote anymore.

“It’s not just Fulton County, we saw it in Macon-Bibb, we saw it down in Coffee County,” he said. “We’ve seen it all over with the ballots being incorrect because of 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 with groups like the Georgia NAACP, New Georgia Project, or the Georgia ACLU if they feel like someone is trying to infringe on their right to vote.

What school choice means for Atlanta

In a separate panel, several local education experts, along with a parent, tackled Black families’ relationship to the contentious issue of school choice. Monica Hall, founder of T.H.R.I.V.E Christian Academy, said Georgia’s newly passed Georgia Promise Scholarship could be a game changer for families who want to explore alternatives to traditional public education. The scholarship creates state-funded education savings accounts for eligible students to use on private school tuition or homeschooling materials, and is open to students who live in neighborhoods zoned for low-performing public schools.

“I’m not anti-public school, but I am 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 others, the best academic situation may be in your own home, and it may be in a micro school, and it may be at a private school on the other side of town.”

Jessica Johnson, a member of the Atlanta Board of Education, disagreed, arguing that the new school choice measure targets the most vulnerable student populations across the state. Parents need to follow the money to find the true intention of the legislation, she said.

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

Disrupting gun violence in Atlanta

A third panel shifted focus to solutions to gun violence in local communities. 

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

“De-escalation is very important,” Shields said. “Until we learn what the definition of de-escalation is and how to utilize that, we will not have that impact in our community.”

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

“Everything is not anger,” he said. “You may be disappointed, and the power of being able to explain how you feel is a portion of de-escalation.”