Nº01 - FEBRUARY 2019
WHO SPEAKS FOR US? “The Voices of Athens" Lamon Carson
"Hear it Ring, hear it ring" Troy Copeland
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
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ighlight magazine celebrates and advocates for Athens’ Black communities. In a world where the media continues to misrepresent or omit relevant facts and truths for the historically marginalized, this periodical is our response. Highlight is committed to factual and thought provoking content while also providing everyday citizens opportunities to voice generally unacknowledged perspectives and concerns. We will provide an authentic platform for gathering and sharing ideas, empowering those who seek answers for empowering themselves.
Highlight aspires to educate our audiences on topics that support their lives while encouraging the pursuit of better, more productive living. While in politics characterized by racial and cultural differences there are often taboo topics that aren't address publically. Failing to engage with taboos can be more costly. Highlight risks going against predominant cultural norms in seeking to cultivate community. In this light, the adage “It takes a Village to raise a King or Queen.” endures. There is much talent and potential in Black communities throughout Athens. History demonstrates that, like all cultures, Black culture grows and struggles through cycles and degrees of consensus and dissent. However, many neither know nor value the significance of that history. Because the experiences and triumphs of their ancestors and forebears remain largely untold, some lack the premise they need to shape and direct their own identities. In addressing this problem, Highlight maintains that every informed, reasonable voice representing marginalized communities needs to be heard.
re businesses communicate with citizens to fulfill their needs as well as their desires. A system where those seeking employment can find it. Have a friend that has a business that really helps people? Tell us. We want to know. We want to grow better habits and share new ideas. Again, countless times the media has published content meant to bias our judgment without a concern for facts or truth. Such propaganda manipulates consumers into thinking and acting against their best interests. Highlight is willing to be used to return the power of perspective to the people, encouraging every citizen from every district of Athens to use their voices constructively. No matter if you live on The Eastside, Westside, North Ave, outside of the loop, etc, individual voices become powerful in chorus. Differences shouldn’t separate but strengthen and enrich us. Together we can overcome the barriers created and exploited by institutions. We can challenge and overcome differences of class, race, ethnicity, gender, etc. For example, Athens has a very high poverty rate and we have a responsibility to change that. We can develop employment opportunities as splendidly diverse as the city itself. Highlight proposes change that the community needs--change of that deeper, more enduring variety Martin preached...the kind of change that requires struggle and sweat.
Highlight acknowledges that challenging and changing the system must involve everyone, not just those that have the free time to show up at City Council meetings because they don’t have to work two or three jobs to survive. We urge you to use your voice through Highlight to challenge that system and do your part in making that change. While there is strength in numbers, someti Additionally, Highlight is mes it takes a very large crowd to committed to building and being a demonstrate it. Highlight wanserious network web--a place whe- ts to help you gather that crowd. HIGHLIGHT
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Contents The Voices of Athens: 1 Photo Essay Mokah & Knowa Johnson 2 Athens Anti Discrimination Ken Dious 3 Civil Rights Attorney Broderick Flanigan 4 Flanigans Portrait Studio La`keisha Gantt 5 Board of Education District 7 Lemuel “Life" Laroche 6 Chess & Community Kireena Gallagher 7 WXAG Host Irami Osei-Frimpong 8 Linda Lloyd 9 Economic Justice Coalition Minority Business Directory 10
Hear it ring, hear it ring 11 By Troy Copeland
Political Cartoon by 12 Broderick Flanigan Around Town 13
Highlight Magazine Editor & Publisher Lamon Carson Contributors Malcom Brown Troy Copeland Broderick Flanigan
THE VOICE S OF ATHENS
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he Voices of Athens are people who have endured hardships that keep them striving for success, standing up for themselves, speaking for themselves, and leading their own movements. By their example, they want to encourage the rest of Athens to do likewise. In sharing and demonstrating their commitment to making a better world, they channel potential support for our community, helping constructively change a city that has been lead to only value some of its citizens. As a result, we’ve missed opportunities for empowering marginalized communities. Real political action is not about who has the best punch lines and slogans. The fruit of your labor speaks for itself. If citizens don’t commit to better, more responsible citizenship, we cant progress as a city. Our leaders aren’t just those that are heads of “big time” organizations. Most full time activists work one, two, or three jobs just to provide for themselves while leading when and where they can. “It takes a village” as we said earlier. And just as those who raise their Voices realize, Athens is your village--the place where you have not only a voice but the responsibility to use it. With our voices we can hold the city accountable. We can hold each other accountable. If we fail, many will continue to suffer. We can’t rely entirely on elected officials to speak for us. We know that politicians lie. Often, it seems, they lie particularly to the historically oppressed. At the very least,
they make promises they later betray--policies intended to help minorities end up exclusively benefiting others. The leaders introduced in this first issue hail from many different industries. Hopefully, in reading their stories citizens can understand how we are trying to improve Athens for Everyone. It is necessary to provide businesses opportunities for not only making but saving money while providing consumers both what they want and need. Likewise, if you could develop your own marketable app wouldn't you? Athens has a lot of youth and adult development programs--a lot with unnecessary walls and barriers limiting access to each other. But what if we brought them all together to create better habits and skills? We want to connect groups such as Chess and Community and Project Rewire with others in order to bring a large, diverse crowd together. Instead of them being separate, they could be united in their missions to provide opportunities for our citizens. By working together, Athens can close the learning gap between generations. We hope to teach young people early about skills such as financial literacy and how to balance a checkbook while also exposing the older generations to new technologies and platforms that make their lives easier. It’s going to take some hard work to develop this city we call home. With the help of those that want to see a better future for all, we can keep the culture alive while creating the new one.
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Mokah & Knowa Johnson Athens Anti- Discrimination Movement What experiences lead you to activism? We both come from marginalized communities but couldn't fully recognize the root of the issues growing in environments where survival was the focal point. Our experiences as entrepreneurs, artists, and parents are what really equipped us to adapt to most situations. Mokah: On a more personal level, listening to Trayvon Martin "Not Guilty" verdict was my awakening but at the time I did nothing but cry about it. Surprisingly in 2015, we both jumped into action when a local bar owner created a derogatory drink called "Nigerita" for their drink their menu. I got tired of feeling helpless, I got tired of doing nothing, so that's what finally led me personally into activism and politics. What do you feel strengthens and weakens your organization/activism?
Mokah: I would also say being able to work together as a couple is a strength and blessing, especially when we're both hyper focused on a particular project or cause such as planning a major event or mobilizing against injustices. Working together can also be a weakness because sometimes it's difficult to separate personal and professional time such as being able to simply sit down and have a glass of wine without talking about politics, activism, or what's the next business move . What is your greatest achievement so far in the community?
mission is in Athens? We want to stand against racial and social discrimination and to help implement antidotes to ensure the opportunity for diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our community. How do you think we should change Athens? We need more diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our community.
Mokah: We must also seek ways to improve the economic disparity within the black community and reduce the wealth gap by redistributing financial Mokah: Launching the "End School To resources in the areas where it is truly Prison Pipeline" program and helping needed. We have to stop catering to those who already have privilege. to get the anti-discrimination bar admittance ordinance established in What do you think the future is for 2016 has been some of our greatest Athens and its Black community? achievements.
Knowa: Being We are grateful for the Knowa: Our faith, concern, dedicaresponse and support from the comtion and endurance are our strengths. munity including other organizations. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a weakThat is a humbling experience in ness but, being unaware of issues that itself. exist in areas outside of our work. That's due to lack of exposure or being What would you say your primary focused on other projects.
Knowa: One or two things in my mind. It's either whatever we can come together to decide for ourselves as a sub-community or what others not from the community decide for us. Mokah: If we can collectively collaborate, pull our resources together, and avoid division, the future of the Black community will be promising. What movement do you endorse and why? Mokah: Anti discrimination and all the areas it affects. Especially the "School to Prison Pipeline� and the monetized bail system. The criminal justice system and discrimination relating to public accommodation. Where do you see yourself and movement within 5 years? We only look forward to being active, alive and making more connections, which leads to coalition building for change. What’s your next project and how people get involved? Mokah: Currently the School to Prison Pipeline, and reform, or elimination of the monetized bail system are our priorities besides the regular operation of programs. We're going to need some foot soldiers.
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Ken Dious Kenneth Dious & Associates
How do you feel about urban renewal, when did it take place, and how did it transform Athens?
Where did you attend high school and which year did you graduate?
I feel gentrification had nullified the Black community. We no longer have a majority voting system. Home ownership divided up the unity of the community. Which stopped us from creating change. Those that created wealth created distance from themselves and those that weren't. They left a community to fall. It diminished our culture of supporting one another in a time of need and created barriers between generations.
I attended Athens High and Industrial and actually graduated as part of its very last class, too--in 1964, before it was changed to Burney Harris. I remember the principal--Mr. Ernest T. Roberson. Athens always had legacies, and a couple more to name were Samuel F. Harris and Mrs. Annie H. Burney. Which the name change was named after.
Were you involved in Athens during the civil rights movement? Yes, I was. I was 14 the very first time I marched in front of The Varsity in downtown Athens. On many hot days against the Klan where they antagonized us, there was a lot of fighting. We would throw food and rocks at them. They would flash weapons and threaten our lives. To integrate the Varsity was a tough thing within itself. We developed a routine downtown sit in which ended with a lot of police encounters. Where did you attend church and how long have you been in attendance? I've been a member of Hill Chapel Baptist my whole life. Growing up, everyone I knew went there. I was exposed to a lot of great role models and was able to better connect with God.
Who are the legacies or landmarks of the baby boomer generation that were brought up in Athens that influenced the culture that we have today? That's a good question. Virginia Walker who influenced change as a community advocate is one worth the praise. She established many community boards. She was also responsible for the neighborhood health center and Miriam Moore center. What do you feel is missing between the Millennial generation and the Baby Boomer generation? I think the Baby Boomer generation was the first generation of integration. They forgot to teach the Millennials the history of black people in America. The real history and not what is shaded and highlighted in the media. The history of Athens, we assumed they learned it and now it has caused a problem. Saving money, buying property, and skilled labor are some opportunities that were withheld from Millennials and I don't think either knew until recently.
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Broderick Flanigan Flanigans Portrait Studio
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How do you define your role in the Athens community? I see my role in the community as a bridge connecting people, institutions and getting resources where they need to be. Almost like a community organizer in certain respects. Inserting my energy in positive aspects where I can for the black community of Athens to thrive off of. How have your experiences, education and influences led you to shape your entrepreneurial activities today? My entrepreneurship stems from my hunger for knowledge in learning things I didn’t learn in college. I went to Georgia Southern University and have a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a emphasis in exercise science. Going down that path and having resistance reshaped how i approached business. UGA small business development and other workshops developed my entrepreneurship. Soaking up knowledge from the local entrepreneurs in Athens and going to things like Soundboard and utilizing other marketing opportunities to build my career. Influencers like Isaiah Ellison with Ellison Tax Service and Ken Dious and Associates are some of my local inspirations. Seeing them create their own paths in growing their businesses, using that growth to then be a service to the community. The motto of Creature Comforts and their “Get Comfortable” campaign where they invested resources into the non-profit world is another thing I aspire to achieve. What is your most memorable achievement through your efforts/work in this community? My most memorable achievement was the mural of Martin Luther King and Malcom X that I painted with kids from the neighborhood of Nellie B and other schools in Athens. We also held a forum educating the kids on black history and elders and how we can learn from them. I feel I haven’t done enough with my efforts to move the needle of poverty in Athens and that is a huge problem here that needs to be solved. It takes more than individual practices to influence that change. As the saying goes, it takes a village wanting to influence growth--not just socially but economically. What are you most passionate about? My true passion is family, community, and the arts. Leading people to see and utilize their abilities confidently. I doubted myself when I started but through the support and knowledge i filled my mind with i was able to achieve some of my goals. All I want is to do for others what was done for me and be a great teacher. It has been a amazing journey to explore my passion of the arts and apply them with my entrepreneurship to give back to the community. What is your vision for Athens? My vision for Athens is for there to be a more robust middle class not only surviving but thriving. Right now there is a lot of poverty in Athens and I feel there are forces that contribute to that. Certain structures make it difficult for certain people to grow, systematic racism is still alive. It hurts our community such as the ability of people realizing where they are and creating preparations to become independent and putting themselves in a better place. How does your passion and your vision for Athens align? My passion and vision intersect in my art. For example a recent piece of art I made about Mariah Parker and how America looks different for different people. We are all still Americans especially Black Americans. There is no right or wrong as long as you do right by others and treat peers with dignity. Providing for your family and not hurting anyone to me is the true American dream. The purpose of
my passion for the arts and the social justice I strive for is trying to be the bridge to connect marginalized communities. Staying away from how others try to make projects of Black people and once they get their information or notoriety they bounce. Setting the standard for people to come to Athens and leave it better than they found it. That is what I want to do--leave Athens better than i found it. What life lessons have you learned from the work that you do in the Athens community? I’ve learned a lot of Life lessons. One is to never take for granted opportunities and your position in life. When I traveled to Kenya I witnessed the differences in education and poverty. It’s a very different kind of poverty here, in the United States, compared to that in Kenya. A child I encountered only had one pair of shorts with holes in it. Here in North America people are crazy about materialism. They may not make a lot of income but they always have more than they need; several shoes, shirts, electronics, and appliances. It really put things in perspective of how blessed and fortunate I am. What are your biggest contributions to causes you care about and what have been your most memorable shortfalls? My main shortfall, I feel, is that I haven’t moved the needle on poverty in Athens. Making sure people get fare waged jobs and access to educational programs so they can get better jobs. Helping build the black middle class. That’s why I supported Dr. Richard Wingfield’s progressive platform. There were things I could align with like the federal job guarantee so citizens could afford a generally healthy lifestyle. Those are things I feel America should embody as being one of the richest nations in the world. One of my greatest contributions was my work with Chess and Community with Lemuel Laroche helping bring the vision of critical thinking and uplifting exposure to kids. I was the assistant director for a while and enjoyed my role during my time there. I also participated and supported Athens Anti Discrimination Movement in getting the Athens Bar Ordinance passed so minorities wouldn’t be discriminated against in downtown Athens. What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the Millennial generation right now and what can an older generations in the community do about it? The education system is abysmal here in Clarke County. About fifteen percent of black kids in grades three through five are performing on grade level with their reading and math. That is a huge threat to future economic structure for the black community. Are we going to have a workforce that can support the economy with their skills and labor? Are we going to have a educational system that continues to lock organizations out from actually helping kids? We have a paycheck to paycheck economy--people have multiple jobs like driving uber or bartending. In my case, also, having a small business with a staff of one--trying to space out projects to keep a lasting income--that in itself isn’t stable: it’s a risk to those that are dependent on the system because it’s not a good foundation to grow. How can people get involved in your cause? What are the first steps? You can contact me via facebook at Broderick Flanigan or my email which is blflaniga@gmail.com. The first steps involve trying to align views and where the people want to put their efforts. I do several different things from community gardening, event organizing, neighborhood / housing associations, workforce development, and many different boards. If people are passionate about what they do, they will bring the drive. I am just a network with options available.
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Lakeisha Gantt: Board of Education District 7
How do you define your role in the Athens community? I think my role is still developing and being shaped by the needs and concerns of the community. I hope to be a listener, a voice for the community, and an agent of change. How have your experiences, education and influences led you to shape your entrepreneurial activities today? Who I am at this moment has been shaped more by people and interactions. Having people that mentored me, but also being apart of communities that prioritized neighborhood and church relationships were all critical for me.
who have and those who don’t). I don’t think this is resulting from bad intentions, but years of being socialized into a narrative that if we each work hard then uplift will come and that separating ourselves from the identities/images of other Black families who are struggling will ‘prove’ that a little hard work and independence will pay off. In reality, our stories and experiences are shaped by oppression and I believe that prioritizing the work of community uplift within one’s community is powerful. What are the biggest threats to the causes you support? Fear. Complacency. Arrogance. Lack of self-reflection.
What is your vision for Athens? My complete vision for Athens at this moment is working to When it comes to the causes you support what are you bigsupport and improve the culture of our schools. However, gest hopes? our schools and the challenges are a microcosm of the Athens For change…both at the personal and systemic level. Not just community and its issues. I would love to see Athens as a pla- outwardly…but internally as well. I would like to see schools ce of equity and opportunity for all families that are here. change as well as the organizations that serve them – particularly in the Black community, such as churches--change. How does your passion and your vision for Athens align? I think people are well when the society and community in What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the Millenwhich they live recognize and validate their humanity. One nial generation right now and what can an older generations aspect of that is ensuring families and students have the in the community do about it? necessary resources. Another part of this is challenging and I believe the older community should reach out. Seek to dismantling systems that work to invalidate their humanity understand themselves and the Millennial generation. Work by creating disparities, and the unparalleled stress and trau- to prevent and diminish any distance between the two genema that accompanies the disparities. rations. What life lessons have you learned from the work that you do in the Athens community? Athens is truly a great place. Everyone knows everyone. I also would like to see more unifying around advocating for marginalized populations. Particularly, in the Black community there appears to be more space between communities (those
How can people get involved in your cause? What are the first steps? Figure out their role in our community and how they either challenge or help maintain problems that our students, families, and schools face.
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Lemuel "Life" Laroche Chess & Community How have your experiences, education and influences led you to shape your entrepreneurial activities today? As a child, I watched my community come together to address many community issues and needs. This observation instilled in my consciousness the spirit of the proverb "It takes an entire village to raise a child." As a teenager and young adult, I experienced lots of letdowns and misfortunes. Instead of viewing these letdowns as a deficit in my life, I saw them as spring boards to launch me into the next phase of my growth. I've always had a village of father and mother figures who helped to guide me in my state of confusion. I vowed to take everything that was good in my life and duplicate it for another youth. I also vowed to take everything that was missing in my life and provide it as an opportunity for another child. Life has a way of providing us the lessons we need to move forward. At the University of Georgia, I learned the language that moves systems, and decided to use it to improve the Eco-system of my community. What is your most memorable achievement through your efforts/work in this community? Too many to count. I'm very proud of our annual Chess and Community Conference that brings our community together for chess tournaments and community dialogue. If I was to pinpoint my most memorable achievement, it would be taking a group of boys from this community to visit Ethiopia. What is your vision for Athens? My vision is to turn our annual Chess and Community Conference into an international conference, where youth from all over the world will visit Athens for chess tournaments and dialogues on how to change the world. My vision is to create a community that puts more effort and less lip service into prepping and planning for it's future and its youth. My vision is to see our community utilize the resources that are available and hidden in plain sight. What life lessons have you learned from the work that you do in the Athens community? Be consistent, learn to say no when you can not do something, and always ask for help when you need it. I am a small piece of a big puzzle. Avoid being pulled into someone's confusion.
What are the biggest threats to the causes you support? We often wrestle with the question, is the system broken and in need of repair? Or is the system working perfectly to produce the negative results that many people profit from? I would identify the biggest threat as Ignorance. Ignorance from people in positions of power that carry a mindset that is selfish and degrading to my community. Ignorance from some members of my community programmed to be comfortable in the chaotic state. Many don't see the urgency and don't believe we are in a state of crisis. What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the millennial generation right now and what can an older generations in the community do about it? It seems like everyone has dropped the ball and is blaming each other for the crisis we see in our community, instead of working together to explore solutions. The rise of technology is helpful in many ways, but it also affects our abilities to communicate authentically with one another. This lack of social skill development may serve to further dismantle our family systems and community. I'm concerned that we are no longer seeking advice from our elders and those precious jewels that are dying off in our communities that have held it together for so long. As we are encountering the same old systemic racial structures our parents and grandparents fought against, we don't have the unity they had. The elders in many cases have bought into the programming and believe their grandchildren to be dangerous and unapproachable. I believe the older generation needs to reach out more to communicate with the current and younger generation. There is so much that we could learn from each other. How can people get involved in your cause? What are the first steps? Visit our website www.chessandcommunity. org and donate or volunteer. We like to meet people where they are. See what skills they offer and fit it into our organization. We ask people to come to our events to see how we are impacting our youth. HIGHLIGHT
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Kirrena Gallagher RADIO HOST
Tune in at WXAG 9.27 FM/1470 AM
How have your experiences, education and influences led you to shape your activities today? Giving back even when I don’t receive anything has always been rewarding to me somehow. If I didn’t have financial responsibilities, I’d volunteer every day to help someone else. Every single experience good and bad in Athens has informed my style of advocacy and efforts.
What is your most memorable achievement through your efforts/work in this community? Working with teachers, parents and the people through social media to remove a toxic principal from one of our middle schools. What are you most passionate about? I am most passionate about making the world a better place for my children and my neighbors’ children. They deserve better. What is your vision for Athens? I envision an Athens where we set the standard for education, civic engagement, community, and innovation. A place where everyone is included and the word poverty is recognized as a mindset and not a defining feature. The place my children’s children are proud to say they are from. Would you consider yourself an activist? I just like showing up and asking questions so I can make better informed decisions. I think people like titles so they know how much respect to give you. Activism is not about the “glory” of leadership. Activism is knowing that real change will not win you the approval of important people. Activism is about humbly accepting your place amongst the millions of other people striving to make our communities and world a better place.
What life lessons have you learned from the work that you do in the Athens community? Don’t ask for permission. You may have to ask for forgiveness later. Sometimes we get the best light from a burning bridge. Empowerment is the most underused tool all of us possess. Being underestimated, undervalued and marginalized can be a strength of you know how to use it. Showing up in a space can often change the conversation. What are the biggest threats to the causes you support? Ignorance, ego, and lack of self love/respect. When it comes to the causes you support what are you biggest hopes? That one day there won’t be a need for advocacy groups, programs or services. That everyone in the service industry has a desire to work themselves out of a job. What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the millennial generation right now and what can an older generations in the community do about it? The biggest threat is that my generation was spoiled. We didn’t have to fight for much. Elders didn’t share stories of what they went through. We don’t know much about a struggle, civil rights, fighting for what is right. I think there was a feeling of “we don’t want them to go through what we went through” so we take a bunch of stuff for granted. Mostly because we were sheltered from the worries of the world. I am not sure really. I think we felt like “we arrived,” so we act accordingly. How can people get involved in your cause? What are the first steps? Be better versions of yourself. Do better. The children are watching.
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Irami OseiFrimpong How do you define your role in the Athens community? I am a public educator and organizer. How have your experiences, education and influences led you to shape your entrepreneurial activities today? There are two quotes I hold close to in this work: The first is from an old white guy, Robert Hutchins, who once said, and I still believe this to be true, “When young people are asked, ‘What are you interested in?’ they answer that they are interested in justice: they want justice for the Negro, they want justice for the Third World. If you say, ‘Well, what is justice?’ They haven’t any idea.“ A fundamental problem is having people fighting for freedom who don’t know what freedom entails. They are fighting for justice and they don’t know what justice entails. If they have a little bit of money, nobody can tell them anything because they take that money as a sign of wisdom.The second quote is from Neely Fuller Jr. "If you don't understand racism/white supremacy, everything else that you think you understand will only confuse you" We have a lot of confused people in Athens, and they will continue to be confused until we take seriously the project of studying white supremacy, and how it operates in the region’s political economy. What is your most memorable achievement through your efforts/work in this community? I hear my arguments come out of other people’s mouths when they aren’t paying attention. And if you ask many of these people about me, they’ll say they have never heard of me or that the work I’m doing isn’t important. What is your vision for Athens? I want to cultivate a culture of black empowerment, and that often means not being scared to demand a fair share of the region’s prosperity. How does your passion and your vision for Athens align? People have a hard time appreciating that freedom is a social achievement. It has certain cultural and material conditions. It’s not enough to vote if you can’t get your people on the ballot. It’s not enough to get on the ballot, if you can’t get your message out through the airwaves. It’s not enough to get your message through the airwaves if oppressors control the schools and churches. HIGHLIGHT
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I am very passionate about freedom and the citizen right to govern. My task is to get people to see how this all fits together, and that includes getting people to understand their concealed investments in maintaining the status quo. Would you consider yourself an activist? I do tend to activate, but more importantly, I consider myself an organizer. Activists speak truth to power; organizers grow people’s capacity to govern. What life lessons have you learned from the work that you do in the Athens community? It’s really important to get the order right. There are a lot of people focused on justice or freedom, without knowing about the structure of either. That’s how so much local activism gets sucked into and consumed by inadequate business models. What are your biggest contributions you have made to causes you care about and what have been your most rememberable shortfalls? I’ve been here two years. I had done my job better, Imani Scott-Blackwell would be on
the school board and Richard Dien Winfield would be the 10th District Democratic Congressional candidate. What are the biggest threats to the causes you support? The money of White liberals. We have 500 non-profits in Athens run by people who think they mean well, but they aren’t honest with themselves about their investments retaining and exploiting the status quo and putting it on the black community. When it comes to the causes you support what are you biggest hopes? Mariah Parker is doing yeoman's work on ACC’s Commission. I hope the new commissioners have the foresight to follow her lead and take her direction. What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the millennial generation right now and what can an older generations in the community do about it? The loudest Black millennials don’t know what it means to be black. They don’t know that the struggle for justice for black communities still continues and that demineshes access to generational wealth,
not just income, it's what determines the viability of black communities. We have black populations falling in to depression and substance abuse because they have been taught to blame themselves for what are fundamental and structural issues of the region’s political economy. Unfortunately, the loudest black elders are a little too quick to pat themselves on the back and declare victory. What will be the next big change/era for your cause(s)? Online advertising is great, but it doesn’t get suffused throughout the community like radio, print, or the formal education system. The real work is going to concern crawling into those arenas and putting for a narrative that makes mores sense, relative to the community’s pain, than the current conventional wisdom. How can people get involved in your cause? What are the first steps? Check out the weekly show, The Black Athenians, online on youtube. Soon, you will be able to sign up for the newsletter at progressiveathens.com
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Linda Lloyd: Economic Justice Coalition How do you define your role in the Athens community? I am a leader in the community advocating for low and no wage workers. I am also a creator of jobs through cooperatives or worker owned businesses. I am an advocate against poverty. How have your experiences, education and influences led you to shape your entrepreneurial activities today? Well, I learned proposal writing in MSW school which is the same as business writing. I did several business ventures within the Mental Retardation and Substance agency. I learned Medicaid waiver and funding through that same system. I taught 12 years at Athens Technical School in the Social Work Assistance program. I have learned organizing and voter registration at Economic Justice Coalition. I worked in and learned about poverty as I advocate for low wage workers. What is your most memorable achievement through your efforts/ work in this community? Receiving the UGA NAACP Community leader award in 2017 EJC receiving the UGA-NAACP Community Organization Leadership award in 2017
The registration of 15,000 people through EJC and collaboration with the organization since 2004. The development and vision to create three incubators under EJC since 2008; Unity Cooperative labor partners, Peachy Green Clean Cooperative; and Above and Beyond Home Care Cooperative What is your vision for Athens? My vision for Athens is equity in all quality of life issues. Now, the library is a good example of equity. You can use any room at the library, the computer and services are all free to use as you so desire. The cell phone industry is another example. Everyone has a cell phone. The free Obama phones help this. What are the biggest threats to the causes you support? Businesses that do not want to pay a living wage and health benefits. Even some government agencies do not want to pay a living wage. The community itself not wanting to pay a living wage.
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What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the Millennial generation right now and what can an older generations in the community do about it? Trying to do too much too fast. Learn from the older generation the obstacles and hurdles that they faced and how they overcame them.
Minority Owned Business Directory Athens has a 35% poverty rate and that has to change. Sadly it won’t change overnight. Highlight Magazine has partnered with the North East Georgia Business Alliance in promoting the Minority Owned Business Directory. With this directory, Highlight Magazine intends to help support Black and minority business ownership. Provide a marketplace where start-up businesses can promote, test, and sell their businesses. Stimulate economic development and increase diversity. Athens is full of entrepreneurs. Call them, tell them Highlight sent you, and see what deals they have to offer. Go to mobathens.com to find more local businesses or if interested in registering a business. Business Name
Athens Gaming Theater Barnett Taekwondo Academy Betram's Exclusives Browns Barber Shop Cheesecaketopia Classic Designs Gifts Dipped & Frosted Divine Tires DV's Tutoring Edward Jones Flawless Beauty Food for the Soul Free Radical Labs Flanigans Portrait Studio Her Fashion House Haven Charities Inc. Howard Janitorial Services Innovative Health Institute Jimmy's Automotive Repair Lil Ice Cream Dude Owens Catering Payne Construction Commercial Peachy Green Clean Co-op Precious Jones Inc Prestige Car Care Prominence Hair Company Rashe's Cuisine Three's Company Pet Sitting Troys Construction Company Wilson's Styling Shop WiseXpressions Dance Studio Vic’s Vintage
Specoaty
Location
Contact
Event Planning
Athens, Ga
(706) 224-2808
Personal Fitness Center
Athens, Ga.
(706) 543-9966
Clothing Store
Bogart, Ga.
(706) 614-7013
Barber / Beauty Shop
Athens, Ga.
(706) 353-9079
Bakery/Restarant
Athens, Ga.
(678) 429-0304
Gift Wrapping
Athens, Ga
(855) 378-5206
Bakery
Athens, Ga.
(706) 380-6011
Tire Servicing and Repair
Athens, Ga
(706) 546-6787
Tutoring
Athens, Ga
(706) 499-0560
Financial Planning
Athens, Ga.
(706) 543-7952
Wedding Services
Athens, Ga.
(706) 380-9062
Soul Food Restarants
Athens, Ga.
(706) 546-0052
Computer & Technologies
Athens, Ga.
(706) 521-3790
Non-Profit Civic Organization
Athens, Ga.
(706) 380-5151
Custom Clothing Design
Athens, Ga.
(706) 224-6514
Community & Civic Organization
Athens, Ga.
(706) 201-0211
Cleaning Services
Athens, Ga.
(706) 351-1300
Post-Secondary School
Athens, Ga.
(706) 705-2033
Auto Repair
Athens, Ga.
(706) 850-9298
Catering / Distribution
Athens, Ga.
(706) 255-7450
Catering
Athens, Ga
(706) 338-9761
Endineering
Athens, Ga.
(706) 552-3911
Cleaning Services
Athens, Ga.
(706) 248-4601
Counseling
Athens, Ga
(706) 296-0466
Autro Repair
Athens, Ga.
(727) 282-7179
Hair Vendor
Athens, Ga.
prominencehairco.com
Jamaican Catering
Athens, Ga.
(706) 850-4164
Pet Services
Athens, Ga.
(706) 250-1160
Construction
Athens, Ga.
(706) 621-2280
Barber / Beauty Shop
Athens, Ga.
(706) 543-2080
Dance Studio
Athens, Ga.
(678) 863-3464
Vintage Antique Store
Athens, Ga
706) 389-5900
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Hear it Ring Hear it
Troy Copeland “From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we're free at last!"
Ring
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
T
hey say that on Monday mornings, above the blue bird’s song, John Henry’s hammer rings. Though different versions of the folk ballad endure, this one ends with a haunting. It strikes me. The speaker doesn’t claim that anyone sees John Henry. By the time we hear the songbird’s verse, the steel driver has died, his heart broken by the relentless courage to race a steam powered machine as it drills through a mountain. However, his disembodied soul survives through the sound of his hammer, not an image of the man. In a story more centered on the person himself, people might have seen Henry’s ghost walking to or from work, his hammer on his shoulder. But the walking shade would suggest he was more than a laborer in the end. And the ballad tells the story of a laborer first and last. For in addition to his blue collared wages, Henry works himself to death as a form of protest. He would not, without a fight, be unemployed by the soulless monster of industry and the automaton engineered to represent it. So, in the years since his death, the speaker insists that people continue hearing John’s hammer. They hear it as though he is still driving steel spikes, splitting stones, tunneling through the ancient Appalachians. And this ringing is both one with nature and above it—striving with the beauty of songbirds and the rising sun. It’s an odd kind of haunting. Not by midnight’s moonlight does this “haint” pound on. Rather, what remains of John Henry signals the dawn of the work week. Or at least the ringing does. Again, the speaker doesn’t claim that people see our hero. They hear the ringing that marks his labor and—I would argue--his resistance. In this survives the trace of his presence and significance. Labor has always been a form of political action. Much like war, which Carl von Clausewitz so famously noted is “a continuation of politics by other means,” a working populace has always been implied by the self-sustaining state. In fact war, in both preparation and execution, is work most valorized. Among other things, it safeguards and provides civilian access to (and resources for) labor. And labor—either directly or by proxy—both HIGHLIGHT
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signifies and mediates human value to other humans. That shared value is what we mean when we talk about humanity, even. So, when people say that “work builds character,” it presumably adds dimension to one’s performance of value. And the performance of value--however we might disagree over where value originates--is humanity. As a character, John Henry portrays a Black man striving to demonstrate humanity in the Reconstruction era South. After emancipation, African Americans sought two things en masse—fairly compensated labor and the right to vote. Where acceptance of their humanity was still denied, society vigorously contested both. After all, financially meaningful labor signified a person equal to all others. Upon the presumption of that personhood rested the ideal of citizenship. And upon that ideal a people could participate in building a constitutional democracy that would more authentically and justly reflect and respond to their condition over time. However, interestingly enough, eminent African American activists like Booker T. Washington insisted on developing skilled laborers rather than equal access to political power. Because, with or without just wages, white America already valued black labor, white America would continue to accept both the work of black bodies and the commerce it helped sustain until the esteem for both could be transferred to black lives. At least this is what it seems Washington thought.
pression of a self. A person. To the degree that he could do so he demanded recognition of his humanity. That’s why earning a living for emancipated Americans—pre and post Civil War--was always already a form of activism. It did what traditional activism does, asserting humanity and value where such was otherwise muted and obscured. Like activism, their labor both substituted and advocated for personhood. I’ve thought about how this might explain, on some level, why so many free blacks chose to remain in the antebellum South. Perhaps in a desperate attempt to humanize their presence by owning or being responsible for the value of labor without actually laboring, some owned black slaves themselves. Others were artisans—skilled laborers of the sort Washington would eventually build a school and solicit white, progressive (but segregationist) donors to educate. In either case, Southern, Confederate free blacks outnumbered their Northern counterparts by many thousands. Second and third rate citizenship aside, they did not emigrate in hopes of finding better lives. And that means they were the larger portion of established families and communities that would become Black America. That rattles this writer. It is a fact which seems to belie the truth. Even so, it seems consistent with certain other peculiarities of Black America’s origins. The fact that there weren’t more plantation revolts, especially when the slaves knew and understood that most white men of fighting age were away at war, for example. Mind you, there were many revolts—more than history records--and slaves resisted in myriad ways. When they didn’t run away, they broke tools and feigned incompetence to subvert the productivity that otherwise reduced them to automatons like that which John Henry would die fighting. However, far from suggesting that those who didn’t fight or sabotage were “happy darkies” satisfied with their condition, I’m suggesting that most appreciated a level of irony, even paradox, not often acknowledged. I’m suggesting that they protested the savage notion of their inhumanity with a refined, nuanced performance of value. They were not, nor did they ever intend to be, what they themselves called “poor white trash” in either bondage or freedom. After all, “poor white trash” were “trash” because they didn’t contribute to the economy in any substantial way. They offered no meaningful labor. And blacks understood that their value—the value they hoped would be recognized in a saner, more civilized world to come--was inextricably tied to their being willing and able to play an indispensable role in the success of manufacturing and commerce.
The thinking has an interesting history. In many ways, African Americans have seen o u r achievements valued far and beyond our lives. From indentured servitude through Jim Crow and into the “post racial” era, the one thing that has been consistent across socially constructed racial differences is respect for what different types of bodies could produce. In a culture where, in the most traditional sense, people are expected to earn the right to live (we still call it “earning a living”) and life is not, itself, either a social contract or state of nature provision, we might note the fact that society expects and demands work from every able adult. Again, that’s because labor is necessary for and demonstrates one’s value to the community—the state. Using people of African descent as a particular example, regardless of whether one is regarded as human, his life matters to whatever degree he can play a part in supplying products that meet demands. Thus the African body was, itself, utterly consumed by the dynamic of labor and commerce. It rarely stood outside the process. It was, itself, work. Work embodied. Work personified. The figurative labor of wealthy white men and women, it was the source and emphasis of whiteness as a synonym for humanity. The excellence of slave labor was a credit to the culture slaves served, not the enslaved individuals themselves. That’s why there was nothing more radical than a black man presuming to transcend the degradation and rejection of his body to own his own labor as an ex-
Of course, if I’m right, this version of defiance simply didn’t ultimately work any better than the others. That facet of irony deserves noting, too.
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JOB TRAINING EMPLOYMENT Hope Begins Here
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Parent Supporters of Athens Schools
Fred Sewell The Realtor
Thanks, ....
BUY INVEST SELL BUILD www.fredsellsathens.com c:(706) 461-8712
Don't Just Eat Feed your soul Aunt Karen’s Collard’s
Grandma’s 3 cheese mac & cheese
food for the soul
mom’s SUNDAY chicken!
706 546-0052 )1965 W Broad St. ATHENS, HIGHLIGHT 25
C h e s s a n d C o m m u n i t y. o r g
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Around Town First Tuesdays First Tuesdays is an event hosted by Montu Miller and Dj Chief Rocka every first tuesday of each month. Located at World Famous Bar next to Browns Salon on Hot Corner, it is a place where artists from different industries and genres come to be heard. Montu and Rocka utilize their platform as a open source for comedians, singers, musicians, poets, fashion designers and even dancers, giving them experience in showcasing their crafts. They also provide the crowd an inclusive experience on what Athens has to offer.
MLK DAY 2019 PARADE Monday, January 21, 2019, for the 3rd Annual Athens MLK Day Parade and Music Fest. Local citizens, business owners, community leaders, and non-profit organizations came together for yet another day of service. Leading with a motto from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.�. Hosted by the United Group of Artist this event was packed full of many organization. Chess and Communiry made an appreance. Lady B handed out many awards to citizens for their remarkable efforts to grow the community uplift in Athens, Ga. Photography by Jason Thrasher
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