Celebrating 19 years
Coming Up
Community
Johnson to host ‘When Women Succeed, America Succeeds’ ....page 4
Conyers 6th grader battling rare disease seeks community’s help ....page 7
SERVING DEKALB, FULTON, GWINNETT, HENRY AND ROCKDALE COUNTIES
VOLUME 20 NUMBER 28
We Worship
D.I.V.A. women’s conference celebrates 10 years ....page 10
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OCTOBER 11, 2014
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Ellis keeps his cool, frustration rises among jurors By Joshua Smith
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hen suspended DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis stepped inside the elevator recently to take a lunch break from the corruption trial, he smiled and seemed upbeat. Ellis and his wife, Philippa, shared a light moment, discussing parenting with a young mother who was inside the elevator with her infant daughter. “I remember mine at that age. I don’t want to go back to those years,” Ellis told the woman. “I like when they get a little older and are a little more independent.”
Ellis and his wife have school-aged paternal twins. If Ellis was stressed over the 13 felonies that could put him behind bars for two decades, he didn’t show it. He was congenial, saying hello to a reporter, during that Oct. 8 encounter. In contrast, jurors in the Ellis corruption trial seem stressed. They have squabbled during deliberations. One of them returned to the courtroom looking as if she had been crying. Another has been fighting sleep, nodding throughout the trial. The jury called for a new foreman on Oct. 9, See Ellis trial, page 6
DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James
Suspended DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis
Photos by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter stumps for votes in Rockdale
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Photo by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG News
Along with Rockdale Party Chairman Tommy Plummer, Rockdale CEO Richard Oden, Clerk of Courts Ruth Wilson and State Sen. Ron Ramsey were among the officials who welcomed Jason Carter.
By Valerie J. Morgan
emocratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter drew a packed house to the Rockdale Democratic Party headquarters on Parker Road in Conyers on Oct. 4. As Carter made his way through the standing-room-only crowd, he was welcomed by cheering supporters who wore blue, green and white stickers that read “Jason Carter for Governor.” Carter, 38, outlined his platform on the economy, education and ethics, generating applause several times as he pounded away at the lack of “coherent vision” by leadership now at the helm. He said that leadership is not focused, pointing out the pluses of Georgia’s economy including a new port in Savannah and global access through Hartsfield International Airport against the backdrop of an under-funded educational system and inadequate support for teachers. Said Carter: “Georgia has no business
at the bottom. This is a state we’ve been proud of for so long, that has always been pushing forward, that for the longest time was the leader and driving force of economic development and prosperity and progress in the South and now we’re dead last in unemployment; dead last, in terms of how fast we’re recovering from the recession; at the bottom, in terms of high school graduations; at the bottom in terms of all kinds of health indicators. I mean that’s not where we need to be. That’s not where Georgia belongs.” Carter said those are the main reasons he’s running for governor, drawing applause. The state senator from Decatur talked about his proud heritage in Georgia. He said his family moved to Georgia from North Carolina in 1768. His children, who are ages 8 and 5, are 10th generation Georgians who attend public school. “I do not want them to ever move away to get a good education or a good job,” Carter See Jason Carter, page 9
Democrats push “Fab 5” to buttress Carter, Nunn in battle for the top By Joshua Smith
As the countdown for the Nov. 4 General Election draws near, Georgia’s “Fabulous Five”—the slate of black women on the Democratic ticket running for statewide offices—are drawing national attention. Georgia has never had a black woman to hold a state office and national publications such as The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Essence magazine and BET online are taking note. Democrats are banking on the five women to propel Jason Carter to the office of governor, and Michelle Nunn to the U.S.
Senate. The ticket is one they hope will topple the GOP and turn the state blue. The GOP has been a stronghold in Georgia since the beginning of the century. There would be a new chapter in history not only for Georgia but the nation with the victories of the five black women: Connie Stokes for lieutenant governor; Doreen Carter, for secretary of state; Liz Johnson, for insurance commissioner. Valarie Wilson, for school superintendent; and Robin Shipp, for labor commissioner. The five women would join a tiny sorority: There are only two black women in the U.S. who hold statewide offices: Denise Nappier,
state treasurer in Connecticut, and Kamala Harris, California’s attorney general, according to the Washington Post. Only 10 black women have served in a statewide office in the country’s history, the Post has reported. State Rep. Dawkins-Haigler, who represents Georgia’s District 91, said the time for change is now. “It’s time to change the face of politics in the State of Georgia. The current leadership in the seats these women are running for do not represent the diverse voters of this state. Remember, there are five See Fab 5, page 9
While visiting Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta for her September “Reach Higher” initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama posed for pictures with the “Fab Five.” Mrs. Obama offered the women words of encouragement and said that increasing the voter turnout by three percent with Democratic voters, could result in Democratic victories.