WASHINGTON, D.C.- The 52nd Annual Legislative Conference began earlier this week. Hosted by the Black Caucus Foundation, the annual legislative conference will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from September 20-24.
This year’s themes are “Securing Our Democracy. Protecting Our Freedoms. Uplifting Our Culture,” according to the Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) website. The conference will be co-chaired by Atlanta’s own Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, who late last week, sent a letter to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens asking that eligible signatures be accepted in order for residents that are not in favor of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to have their voices heard on the matter. Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands is Warnock’s conference co-chair.
There are a number of signature events on the schedule for this year’s conference, including the Day of Healing, which brings together faith leaders and religious followers of all faiths on Saturday.
Everything began Wednesday with an opening press conference followed by a health fair that provided screenings for the unhoused and uninsured residents of Washington, D.C. On a daily basis there can be thousands of unhoused persons in the nation’s capital, according to data from The Community Partnership for Prevention of Homelessness.
A national town hall with a focus on examining censorship, disinformation, and voter suppression took place Wednesday. There will also be appearances from both President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be delivering keynote remarks during the annual Phoenix Awards on Saturday.
Less political and more focussed on fellowship, the Congressional Black Caucus Community Breakfast, which will take place Wednesday at Franklin Park, a 4.79 acre public park downtown.The Gospel Extravaganza will take place that evening and will feature a number of choirs from across the country, speakers and performers.
One of the other unique features of the conference is the Marketplace Town Center, which is located on the second floor of the convention center. Vendors from around the country are in town to sell art, books, African-inspired clothing, hand-crafted jewelry and Divine Nine merchandise.
Rashad Reed, an artist from Peoria, Illinois, drove to the convention where he will be selling his ceramic pieces. He has been a vendor at then the past and knows it’s a good opportunity to get his work out to the masses.
“I love being here. You get a chance to meet collectors and it’s always good to get feedback,” Reed said.
Heart and Soul magazine CEO Clarence I. Brown was preparing to shut his booth down for the evening when he added, “We have been participating in ALC for over a decade. I’m happy to see it back because we get to talk to people in the community when we are here.”
Heart and Soul, a digital magazine and website that focuses its content on health and wellness, is located nearby in Virginia.
“We need the Congressional Black Caucus to keep fighting for our communities.”
African American Policy Forum (AAPF), a New York-based think tank, is also at the convention this year. The organization’s Director of Programming Glenda Smiley and a pair of colleagues were managing the AAPF booth and its tables and bookshelves full of banned Black books. Classics like “The Color Purple,” “The Bluest Eye,” and newer but equally as powerful books such as “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” “Between the World and Me,” and “The 1619 Project,” have all been on banned books lists around the country. Each book was represented at the AAPF booth.
“It’s important for us to be here when
legislatures and advocates are speaking,” said Smiley who added that people that have visited their booth Wednesday were shocked to learn that some of their favorite books were on banned lists.
“Some people have been moved to tears to learn these books are banned,” she said.
There are also booths for national brands like Amazon, Meta, Tik Tok, and
the National Association Real Estate Brokers, Inc., Zillow, Apple and the Black Information Network inside the Marketplace Town Center.
The Atlanta Voice will be in Washington for the conference and will be posting daily reports to https://theatlantavoice. com/ .
United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock wants the City of Atlanta to ensure that the signatures, more specifically all eligible signatures, are accepted in order for residents that are not in favor of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a $90 million project better known as “Cop City,” have their voices heard.
In a letter to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Warnock stated that he was “closely monitoring the litigation positions that the City has taken in light of our shared commitment to ensuring the ability of voters to make their voices heard in their government.”
In the letter, Warnock writes that he has been closely monitoring the signature match situation in Atlanta and has taken steps to meet with local voters and residents.
Over 115,000 signatures had been collected and submitted in an effort to seek a referendum on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, otherwise known as Cop City, Monday morning. The Clerk’s Office did not accept the signatures on the grounds that the submissions did meet the August 21 deadline. There is a 60-day deadline from the time the petitions were obtained by the municipal clerk, according to a statement from Clerk Emeritus of the City of Atlanta Foris Webb III.
“I urge the City to err on the side of giving people the ability to express their views, including by establishing clear and transparent deadlines regarding timelines and requirements and by using any discretion available to the City under the law to accept and count all lawfully collected signatures,” Warnock stated in his letter.
A final ruling is expected to be delivered next month. In the meantime, Warnock has questions he wanted to share with Dickens in hopes that the City is better prepared to verify signatures whenever necessary.
“Regardless of how the courts resolve this specific matter, however, I understand that the City may continue to receive petitions in the future and may need to apply its petition verification processes in other settings,” Warnock wrote.
In the letter to Dickens, Warnock mentioned how signature matching is a part of the City’s evaluation process for a referendum. The controversial system has been the source of concern for Warnock.
“I remain concerned about how the City decided to implement signature match, the City’s procedural transparency, and its ability to ensure that all eligible signatures are counted,” Warnock wrote.
In his letter, the Ebenezer Baptist ChurchPastor and Morehouse College alumnus went on to say he would like to see the City “provide greater clarity around its processes for verifying petition submissions and take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that all eligible signatures are counted.”
Warnock also asked for greater clarity regarding deliberations on this matter.
The letter concluded with questions Warnock asked that the City respond to, including, bot not limited to:
1-Why did the City conclude that signature match procedures are necessary?
2-To what extent, if any, has the City shared its reasoning as to why signature match procedures are necessary with concerned groups, advocates, and other members of the public?
3-How did the City arrive at the decision that a signature be disqualified when “major elements of the signature deviate significantly from all examples on file?
A deadline of September 25 for a response from Dickens was given as well.
Collective economic progress requires evolving “lift as you rise” to focus on community investment, not just individual success.
BY PATRICK WASHINGTONThere’s a simple rule about moving the Black community forward — lift as you rise — and you’ve probably been taught it, directly or indirectly. It’s been a tried and true mantra for folks going back generations and was foundational to the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement.
For those of us over 40, and definitely my parents’ generation, that meant “get an education” as the primary means of securing the future. However, is that basic framework enough in modern times?
Have we dropped the ball on preparing young Black folks to evolve “lift as you rise” to fit 21st-century needs?
I was recently on a call with a couple of my fellow Word In Black publishers, and the topic came up.
Folks wondered, are our young people helping each other create space for jobs and community development? It was a little difficult to put my finger on an answer.
I was recently on a call with a couple of my fellow Word In Black publishers, and the topic came up.
Folks wondered, are our young people helping each other create space for jobs and community development? It was a little difficult to put my finger on an answer.
But is a job the right way to go these days?
When I look out into the market now, I see two prominent hustles capitalizing on this need for more money and security. The first is the entrepreneur hustle. You’ve probably seen some 30-something spilling the hidden secrets about LLCs and trusts like it’s the lost map to Atlantis — and the answers are only known by the podcaster you happen to be listening to.
The other is the “Be Better at Prepping Your Family With Financial Literacy” model. Sign up for my class and get wealthy!
Now both of these are necessary to understand for business and
personal security, but like the “get a degree” advice from the past, they too seem to fall short of that community focus. Both are primarily an individualistic view of what is needed to be successful in life.
For example, I see young people excelling in personal success on social media as influencers, podcasters, and bloggers. But we may have missed the real point — the community needs to be lifted as individuals rise.
It should also be noted that the wealthy individual who happens to be Black can always be pointed to as the outcome of hard work. It’s pretty easy to say, “See, so-n-so made it. Why can’t you?”
Or even more direct: “So-n-so is rich. The only reason you aren’t is because you’re lazy or undeserving.”
It’s the same boot strap-pulling BS touted by right-wing talking heads as to why welfare and Blackon-Black crime are the real causes of Black inequity. It’s the “Black culture is just bad” rhetoric we hear so often (now more commonly in the same social media spaces as the success stories).
At the same time, it would be unfair to blame past generations for their ignorance about a changing world. Who knew we’d be here 20 years ago, and the social media tools used as much for upward mobility as distraction would have the ability to both hurt and help?
Those of us in the position to speak to this point, should.
The “lift as you rise” mantra needs to evolve just as society and culture have. The focus should now be on the community being lifted as the individual rises, specifically in the creation of opportunities by those who achieve individual success. An easier term for it is “Job Creation and Community Investment.”
I believe we can do this, and as my peers are having children, we are in a position to change the narrative. With great power
comes great responsibility, and that responsibility is now on us — the ’80s babies. As we guide our children to entrepreneurship, the second tier should be us asking a few questions: How will this help others? Who will benefit from this, and how will it make our community secure?
My growing up in the Black press is what really makes this make sense to me. By watching my father, former Dallas Weekly publisher and CEO James Washington, and the Black publishers nationwide that he worked alongside, I saw first-hand that the ecosystem is more important than the animal.
One can start a business, but, a business without community hires is just exporting resources. Being a social media influencer is cool, but influencers must support the community, not just gain personal fame and wealth.
Keep entrepreneurship, literacy, and education top of mind, but add service and support of the community.
Forgive the cliche, but “teamwork makes the dream work.” And as a group, we can make anything happen. The collective, community focus is what we’ve been lacking over the last decade, and definitely in the last generational shift.
Societal influence has polarized the generations — Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z, etc. are as strong an identity as Black or LBTQ these
days, when really there has always been an elder-youth relationship within our community that allows for the transference of knowledge and legacy — even before the ancestors were brought to these shores.
We can’t lose that if we wish to obtain that economic, social, and political freedom we constantly talk about. For those of us who are a little older, we have to start acting like elders and imparting to the youth this understanding and the emotional and intellectual tools to make the community thrive.
And therein lies the rub: individualism is as American as capitalism. And it’s a seductive lure to focus on “securing the bag” for ourselves.
But if our past has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes, an individual can spark an idea that takes hold. With time, if enough of us center the community, we can make a shift happen.
So here’s to planning the work and working the plan. You can be that individual, and so can I, and we can be the catalyst for those who choose to “lift as We rise.” And by working collectively, we have the power to achieve true intergenerational economic justice.
Patrick Washington is the second-generation CEO and publisher of The Dallas Weekly, which has been serving the Black community of the 4th largest metroplex in the nation since 1954.
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J. Lowell Ware Immortalis Memoria
The Atlanta Voice honors the life of J. Lowell Ware.
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“Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.”Illustration by Demis Courquet-Lesaulnier BY JAMES A. WASHINGTON
Ihad to laugh at this memory recently and thought I would share it one more time.
Having been seriously bedridden for a couple of weeks some while ago, I remember missing church and missing the opportunity to tithe, which I try to do regularly, if not religiously.
It was one of the first things that penetrated my spirit when my walk began several years ago. Then, I didn’t know how, why or anything else about the first fruits.
But now I consider it a privilege to give what is truly the Lord’s back to Him in appreciation for all He’s done for me, period, end of story.
Anyway, while on my face in prayer I wanted to let the Lord know, as if He didn’t already, that I owed Him some money.
As a matter of fact, if He’d accept my I. O. U., I would be sure to make it up on the Sunday I returned to worship service.
That’s when my revelation began and continues to this day.
Fortunately, for me, I believe God allowed me to get up laughing like crazy at the notion that I actually entertained the thought of God accepting or even listening to me about offering Him an I. O. U.
It was then and is now one of the more ridiculous things to come up with that walk with the Lord I was talking about earlier.
I mean even as I’m writing this today, the whole thing is ludicrous. Think about it! Me or you, giving God an I. O. U?
Can you imagine trying to pay God back for all He’s done for you?
Now the fact that it’s an impossibility is one thing; but to think that you can be in serious prayer and even consider it is another.
I found myself in total silence repeating this I. O. U. notion only
to hear myself, or rather, I’m convinced, hear the Holy Spirit asking me “Do you hear yourself?” My first reaction was embarrassment and then a great big “I’m sorry.” That was followed by me and God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and possibly most of my ancestors laughing out loud. I could hear God saying, “That’s okay. I’m gonna work with you. I appreciate the thought, but not only is it unnecessary, it’s impossible.”
You would have had to have been there to capture the moment. That’s when the realization once again of God’s particular love for me invaded my spirit and gave me pause to humble myself at the prospect of God’s continued unconditional love for me.
Now remember I was on my face
in prayer while this was going on and all I could do was to begin to thank God for all my many blessings with the renewed knowledge that I didn’t deserve not one of them.
But yet and still He gave and He gave and He continues to give each and every day. By then a praise party was going full blast and I was the punch line.
First laughing to tears at my infantile assumption about my I. O. U. and then relishing in my tears of joy at being a child of God.
It was wonderful and I just wanted to share that with you because you too, are blood bought and Holy Spirit branded and you can never thank God enough for choosing you.
And believe me when I say, He’s got a heavenly sense of humor about our ignorance of this very simple truth.
May God bless and keep you always.
“I do believe that they should legalize betting in Georgia because it brings more business into the economy and the local economy.”
“I think they should legalize sports betting just because it gives us an opportunity to make some more bread on the side; makes more money on the side in non-harmful ways.”
“I think that Georgia should legalize sports betting because, number one, we are all adults. Number two, Atlanta is the strip club capital, and if we can go to the strip club, why can’t we bet on sports?”
“But yet and still He gave and He gave and He continues to give each and every day.”
As the NFL season kicks into gear, do you think sports betting should be legalized in Georgia?
God is not a creditor, he doesn’t take I.O.U.’s
“No. People are out there betting money they don’t have. Their rent money, their alimony. Just leave it alone. Betting ain’t done nothing for nobody.”Compiled by Vincent Christie
Atlanta Fire Rescue Department firefighter and EMT Sharunda Clark walked up to the dais inside Atlanta City Council chambers and spoke of her work training new recruits. A graduate of Morris Brown College and Atlanta native, Clark was there to publicly speak in favor of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, more commonly known as Cop City.
"I am very excited about having a training academy," said Clark who spoke of the difficulty of having to bring trainees and new hires to training facilities in Douglasville, for example. Located on Wortham Road, the Douglas County Fire Department Training Facility sits on 10 acres and offers the capabilities necessary to properly train future and present firefighters and EMTs.
Clark and others that voiced their opinions at Monday's regularly scheduled city council meeting believe Fulton County should have a similar opportunity to prepare their first responders in the same manner within county limits.
"We desperately need the training facility," she continued. "Let's stop calling it cop city. Let's call it fireworks."
During the public comment portion of the meeting a number of first responders, local business owners and everyday citizens took turns advocating for the training center's existence and necessity. Mostly all who took the opportunity to speak, opponents included, believe the referendum should be on the ballot in November. Nate Bailey, another firefighter, echoed Clark's sentiments, saying that the lives of firefighters were in the balance without a proper training facility. Bailey, who was there to represent the Georgia State Firefighters Association , brought a framed folded flag with him. He told the city council members that he recently presented a similar flag to the family of a fallen comrade.
Fulton County resident Mike Russell said the name "Cop City" is not representative of the overall project.
"Every time you hear somebody call it cop city you know they aren't telling the truth," he said. "We don't want to become the next Chicago or Detroit."
Russell was complimentary of the members of city council that "stood strong in the face of the antics that took place a week ago," he said.
Ricky Brown, CEO and president of Next Step Staffing , an Atlanta-based staffing agency, took his two minutes to address the need for the training facility and the anti-cop city faction that sat in the back of the chamber during the meeting. Several times during public comments snickering and laughter could be heard coming from the section where some anti-cop city opponents sat.
"I am here in full support of the training center," said Brown, who added that he didn't care about what people were saying
behind him. "I don't want to live in a community where we don't have trained police."
Rachel Farmer, a local real estate agent and Fulton County resident asked the council to leave the ultimate decision in the hands of the people.
"It's time for us to count the votes and let the people be heard," Farmer said before returning to her seat.
SEOUL, South Korea-Monday, Sept. 18 is day one of The Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) World Peace Summit. Through its efforts to promote peace, HWPL is inviting representatives and leaders from various walks of life, transcending race, religions, and creeds to initiate conversations towards the quest for peace with their annual World Peace Summit in Seoul, South Korea.
Two of those representatives come from Atlanta, including Myrian Craft, HWP General Director of Publicity Media and Elizabeth Doyne, HWPL’s General Director of International Law Department. Both come to Seoul from the HWPL Atlanta Chapter and are attending the summit operating as Protocol Officers, guides and regulators for all the incoming attendees.
But how can a Black man living in America champion peace where unjust killings of Black men such as the murder of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, and more recently 16-Year-old Ralph Yarl, continue to take place. Craft says he joined HWPL wanting to make a cultural change.
“We’re now going beyond just our own religion, race or ethnicity,” Craft said. “We are looking past my color, who I am as a person, how am I treating you as a person. I think it’s now about where we are at, because we’re all here because of what suits us all, peace.”
In pursuit of this global peace Craft’s sentiments beautifully align with HWPL’s efforts.
“Bringing everyone to that high understanding and high treatment of how we actually should have been treating each other from the get go from the first place,” he said. Doyne, also from Atlanta, shares her perspective as someone representing HWPL’s work in the United States and about the once primarily Korean-centric organization taking center stage on a global level.
“To be from Atlanta and be representing the “A” and doing this work, it’s huge, because we’re kind of also representing America too,” Doyne said.
Doyne believes it is important to have Americans have a seat at the table, as it signifies a broader acceptance of the organization’s mission. She also touched upon the unique role of HWPL in allowing its members, particularly from the south, to actively contribute to shaping the blueprint for peace in their own regions, tackling hidden cultural and societal issues.
“Even our branch coming and represent-
ing is a shock for most to see here,” she said. “For HWPL to know that people in America actually believe in this or even being at the point where they want to do the work is huge for us, because Atlanta is a perfect place to start the peace work,” Doyne said. But just because a plan for peace works somewhere that doesn’t mean it can work everywhere, she says.
“The thing about HWPL is that they’re not sitting back telling us what to work on and what to do. When we agreed to work for this organization, we started creating the blueprint for peace in our state and in our country, step by step by ourselves,” Doyne continued.
Dr. Fallon Wilson sees a future where “Black girls code, artificial intelligence doesn’t discriminate, and Black people are driving change in America.”
Dr. Fallon Wilson has seen the future, and it is Black.
A technology maven and self-described prophet, her visions are of Black Americans thriving in a society that’s equal parts Black Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Wakanda. Every Black school and household will have broadband internet access. Well-funded historically Black colleges and universities will be at the vanguard of the nation’s technological innovation and research.
In this world, Black girls code, artificial intelligence doesn’t discriminate, and Black people are driving change in America — just like our enslaved ancestors envisioned.
“I believe Black people are the future. We have always thought of ourselves as the future,” says Wilson, a renowned social scientist, tech equity advocate and vice president of tech policy at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council.
“We have always dreamed. ‘Freedom Dreams’ is one of my favorite books, because (author) Robin D.G. Kelly chronicles how black people have always imagined freedom,” even if that future didn’t seem attainable.
“We have always had to think of ourselves beyond the current moment,” she says, “because if we stood only in the moment, it
would look devastating and demoralizing.”
Described as the Fannie Lou Hamer of tech, Wilson has spent her career working to bring sorely-needed equity to the fast-moving digital world, working with colleges, tech companies, nonprofits, and the White House to make it happen. At the same time, however, she’s an outspoken evangelist for a grassroots Black tech movement “aligned in a vision of freedom.”
That vision emerges in Wilson’s 2019 TEDx-Nashville talk, titled, “Stop Ignoring
Black Women and Hear of Our Tech Prophecies.”
In the 15-minute talk, she references civil rights pioneers, scriptures, and Black Joy to upend misconceptions about Black people in the digital landscape — and Black people’s misconceptions about technology.
But she also reminds listeners that the tech divide is real, and that the Black tech future she sees is more realistic than it seems. After all, she says, enslaved Black people had to first imagine freedom before it could even become a realistic possibility.
“I dream of a national unified Black tech ecosystem reminiscent of Black Wall Street before white supremacy annihilated it,” she told the TEDx audience, referring to the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a flourishing Black community that an angry white mob burned to the ground in 1921. “I dream of a flesh and blood Wakanda-like ecosystem.”
That ecosystem, she says, is centered in bringing broadband internet access to churches and public schools — encouraging legacy organizations like the NAACP to adopt a tech agenda, and standing up organizations like the Algorithmic Justice League and Data for Black Lives.
It sweeps in racial healing, including an acknowledgment of trauma. It speaks truth to powerful tech companies, particularly how lack of diversity results in discriminatory algorithms and biased A.I. And it includes Black Joy as a fundamental principle.
“We have to build a future and have to
get black people ready for the world that is currently being built,” she says. “And so the model that we developed for the #BlackTechFutures Research Institute is that it takes an ecosystem to address the main structural challenges that keep Black people from living and thriving in a world where machines are everywhere.”
That future has arrived, Wilson says, with the advent of A.I. and self-driving cars, among other things. But the moment, she says, is also “an opportunity to (destroy) the structural constraints of racial equity for tech futures in this country.”
Smashing those barriers, and realizing the Black community can write its own future, is essential to racial healing, she says.
But the challenge is real: According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 34% of Black adults do not have home broadband, and 30.6% of Black households with one or more children aged 17 or younger lack high-speed home internet. Wilson, however, is bullish on Black future, driven by self-empowerment and overcoming present-day obstacles.
“This is the thing about white supremacy: It keeps you always looking down so that you can never look up and look around and see how everything you need is right there,” Wilson says. “My money’s on us — that’s it.”
“I tell people all the time: We are who we have been waiting for,” she says.
This story was produced in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Are you a farmer, rancher, or forest landowner who has faced discrimination in USDA farm lending prior to January 2021? You may be eligible for financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP).
What is DFAP?
$2.2 Billion in Financial Assistance:
Thanks to Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA is allocating $2.2 billion in financial assistance to eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs.
Eligibility: Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination by USDA in its farm loan programs prior to January 1, 2021, and/or are currently debtors with assigned or assumed USDA farm
loan debt that was the subject of USDA discrimination that occurred prior to January 1, 2021, are eligible for this program.
How Does it Work?
Multiple Ways to Apply: Producers have the option to apply via the e-filing portal at 22007apply.gov or by submitting paper-based forms via mail or in-person delivery to the program’s local offices.
Free Technical Assistance: Technical assistance is available for potential applicants through four regional hubs working closely with community-based organizations.
Local Resources: Local brick-and-mortar offices are being opened across the country to ensure easy access and personalized assistance. In-person and virtual events are also being held weekly, with state-by-state information on the website.
Important Deadline: Don't miss out! The deadline for eligible farmers, ranchers, or
forest landowners to complete their application is October 31, 2023.
Learn More: Website: For detailed information about DFAP, please visit our official website at
22007apply.gov. Our website provides comprehensive information on obtaining in-person or virtual technical assistance, supplementary program resources, and detailed program guidelines.
Call Center: Our call center, available at 1-800-721-0970, operates from 8 a.m. ET to 8 p.m. PT, seven days a week, except for Federal holidays. English- and Spanish-speaking agents are available, ensuring you get the assistance you need, when you need it.
Newsletter: Information about the program, resources, recent office openings, and local events across the country is also available through a weekly e-newsletter, which you can sign up for on the program site.
DFAP is all about giving you the support you deserve. Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Apply now to secure this financial assistance.
Black boys are twice as likely to die by suicide than white youth. In 2014, 80% of suicide deaths in the Black community were men. black men in the US have the highest attempt rate for the African American community, according to a study by Dr. Patrice
NicoleThe suicide rate, according to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, among Black youth has “risen faster than in any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades, with suicide rates in Black males 10 to19 years old increasing by 60%. Early adolescent Black youth are twice as likely to die by suicide as compared to their white counterparts.”
September is national suicide prevention and awareness month, and Chris James, Director for Creative Connections, partnered with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health to create a new program for black boys in the Atlanta metro area called Black Boys Better.
The focus of the program is teaching black male students in a round table intimate setup how to identify and respond to mental health issues in a healthy manner. This week was the launch of the program, which includes sessions designed students to become emotionally literate so they can effectively express themselves:
•Day 1: Properly identifying emotions
•Day 2: Learning positive coping mechanisms
•Day 3: Exploring ethical Dilemmas
•Day 4: Conflict resolution
•Day 5: Healthy communication
After the initial sessions, the next step is to work with the schools to evaluate impact and to implement a year-long program.
“We are also exploring training the Black males at each school to continue the program as well,” he said.
Furthermore, Black Boys Better strives to help Black boys become more emotionally literate so they can most effectively express themselves and manage interpersonal conflict through methods such as discussion, poetry exercises, and more.
The program is led by Black men and Black males make up only two percent of America’s educators so this program places positive Black males in a school setting in ways most Black boys have never experienced.
James said the motivation behind the brand-new program was when he started a
program about two years ago called The Fellas Mixer where he worked with Black men around Atlanta to help them improve their mental health.
“I was thinking to myself, we need to do something like this for Black boys because those Black boys become Black men,” he said. “As we know, men and boys represent 80% of suicides in America. We’re four times more likely to die by suicide. The motivation
behind this program was because I’m a Black man and it makes sense for me to talk to young men I can relate to and I’m passionate about mental health.”
Additionally, James said he wants to help Black young boys learn how to understand their emotions so they can more effectively manage their emotions.
“As we talked about today, a lot of these young boys have said to us, they have expe-
rienced anger and sadness more than they have experienced happiness and I want to help them understand why that is,” he said.
James said he thought of the name, “Black Boys Better” because he wanted Black boys to have the ability and skills to show up better.
“It’s very straight to the point and when the organization [Georgia Department of Behavioral Health] decided to give us funding for the program, I thought they would be turned off by the name because we were specifically targeting Black boys, but everybody that we have offered this program to (because we are offering to six schools across Georgia now) everyone agrees and wants to do it,” he said.
Also, James said funding for the program came about after a talk with State Opioid Response Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Taylor Peyton.
“She was interested right away to provide us funding and she has now funded us for three different counties across Georgia: Chatham, Fulton, and Hancock County. This is our pilot year of the program, so ideally, next year we will be able to staff more schools and Black male professionals to talk to these boys about mental health,” he said.
For Black men and Black boys who may be struggling with mental health or expressing themselves, James said the first thing he would do is write it down.
“I think that’s both the easiest and safest way to take all those jumbled thoughts and brainstorm your expression on paper,” he said. “From there, you can organize those thoughts so you can more effectively articulate how you feel.”
Also, he said to practice it.
“What I mean by that is, I always ask people, ‘how do you become more physically strong’, you become more physically strong by exercising repetitively, so how do you become more mentally healthy or better at expressing yourself or better at anything, practice,” he said. “So, what I would give to any man who is struggling, because he’s struggling because he’s weak in that area, I would encourage you to say how you feel often as possible and the more you do it, the stronger you get in that area.”
Additionally, according to James, the Department of Behavioral Health is willing to fund any school that wants this program.
To find more information on how your school can have this program, contact Chris at CreativeConnectionsLR@gmail.com or visit ourcreativeconnections.com.
Read more at www.theatlantavoice.com
In
Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Education announced Dr. Lisa Herring, the former superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, will join their team as a consultant and strategic advisor. According to a release, Herring will help assist in the shaping of the department’s strategy to engage state and local officials.
“I am delighted to have Dr. Lisa Herring join us at the Department of Education, a leader whose decades of experience as a teacher and administrator will be a tremendous asset to the Biden-Harris team,” said U.S. Secretary of
Education Miguel Cardona. As strategic advisor, Dr. Herring will draw upon a professional
career that has spanned both rural and urban communities and teaching in both public and private schools to deepen our relationships and collaboration with state and local education leaders. Dr. Herring shares our commitment to accelerating academic recovery in our schools and empowering educators to help students of all backgrounds to find their purpose and fulfill their potential. I look forward to working with her to Raise the Bar in
education for all students.”
Herring served as Birmingham Public Schools superintendent from 2017 to 2020 before taking the superintendent position in Atlanta Public Schools. Her new role as a consultant and strategic advisor will help shape the department’s strategy to engage state and local officials.
Herring became the superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools in 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. APS declined to renew her contract in June 2023. Herring eventually stepped down in August. Dr. Danielle Battle would later be named to the role on an interim basis.
Lidl, one of the nation’s top-ranked grocers, will be launching a fundraising campaign from Sept. 13 to Nov. 7 to support athletic and extracurricular programs at metro Atlanta high schools.
Through the “Groceries That Give Back” campaign, Lidl will donate $1,000 to $50,000 to participating high schools, based on each dollar customers spend using the grocer’s myLidl rewards app. Lidl is committing up to $3 million to the initiative.
More than 60 Atlanta high schools signed up to participate in the fundraising drive, which includes high schools in Gwinnett, Dekalb, Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, Cherokee School Districts, Marietta City Schools, and Atlanta Independent Schools System. To view a list of the participating schools, visit https://hallo.lidl.com/give-back.
The foundation works to provide financial resources to enrich and enhance education in Gwinnett County Public Schools.
The campaign is happening at all 16 Lidl stores in metro Atlanta. Lidl has locations in Powder Springs, Snellville, Mableton, Peachtree Corners, Suwanee, Lawrenceville, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Woodstock, East Cobb, Marietta, Stonecrest, Duluth, Roswell, Buford, and Memorial Drive.
Aaron Lupuloff, senior executive director of Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation and Lidl’s regional manager, said he graciously appreciates the financial support from Lidl US.
“This campaign will allow the Foundation to provide resources and assistance to improve the educational future of ALL students,” he said. “With Lidl’s help, the GCPS
Foundation can enrich and enhance education in GCPS by sustaining our world-class standards as we encourage, embrace, educate, excite, empathize, and empower our students and teachers.”
Lupuloff said the importance for Lidl to launch the fundraising campaign to support athletic and extracurricular programs at
metro Atlanta high schools is to provide aid for students and schools.
“We have high schools, where often times athletic programs and extracurricular activities are underfunded and this would help the funding shortfall so the programs can be successful, “ he said. “This campaign can help from anywhere providing a robot or
two for a robotics club to providing different bats for softball, so there’s tons of budget constraints, and booster clubs need all the help they can get. For us, it’s going to help our band program where we can purchase an extra clarinet.”
Additionally, Lupiuloff said this fundraisier isn’t a “one and done” campaign, but Lidl will be doing something different soon.
“In the spring, Lidl is looking to do a program for the middle and the elementary schools. They want to be community partners with K-12 public schools in metro Atlanta,” he said.
“We are proud to support Atlanta’s high school students and give back to the local Atlanta area,” said Ryan McGuire, Regional Vice President of Lidl US. “We look forward to seeing customers across the region support their local high school communities and help fund athletic programs and extracurricular activities through this drive.”
Each dollar customers spend using their myLidl rewards app will earn points for their local high school.
Here are how customers can start earning points:
•Download the myLidl app and register for an account at: https://www.lidl.com/register
•Link your myLidl account to your local high school at: https://hallo.lidl.com/giveback
•Shop at your local Lidl in the Atlanta area from September 13 – November 7 and scan the app at the register to earn points.
For more information on the Groceries That Give Back campaign, visit https://hallo. lidl.com/give-back/
Health and well-being coach and plant-based cooking advocate Shelley Cooper with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) organized a spirit rally at The Battery Atlanta to raise awareness of lifestyle modifications that can help reduce the risks of breast cancer.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about 42,000 women and 500 men in the U.S. die from breast cancer each year and the disease disproportionately affects Black women, who have a higher rate of death from breast cancer than white women. In Georgia, 8,181 new cases of female breast cancer were reported in 2020.
The event’s message is simple: Eating a plant-based diet and incorporating other lifestyle changes can be powerful preventive medicine.
The highlight of the event was a special performance by 45 drummers from Jonesboro and Redan high schools. The rival drumlines “beat the drum” for breast cancer prevention for the upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. They were joined by physicians, breast cancer survivors and community members.
“I think that way too many women, Black and white, get breast cancer every year, so I am motivated to educate people and get people to take control of their own health,” she said. “Also, my motivation comes from my mother who had breast cancer when she was 42 and she was very lucky as she went on to live a long healthy life, but not every woman is as lucky. Also, not just women, but men. 500 men die of breast cancer annually, so it’s important to get together and spread the word.”
Shelley and her husband, Dr. Neil Cooper adopted a plant-based diet 11 years ago after he had a heart attack. After learning about the supporting scientific literature, she said, the couple went all in on plant-based eating and haven’t looked back.
“Science has shown that we can prevent and/or treat people who are surviving breast cancer by having lifestyle changes,” Neil said. “If we eat more plants, drink less alcohol, exercise, and get more sleep, it can change the trajectory of breast cancer.”
“We’re honored to have the Jonesboro and Redan High School drumlines. They volunteered to play and 38 states across the country will be doing the same rally to raise awareness to prevent breast cancer,” he said.
Today, Neil shares his knowledge of preventive medicine with his clients in a new
venture called Neilcoopermd.com and Shelley works alongside him providing wellness coaching and education.
“I believe in the message of plant-based eating and breast cancer risk prevention,” Shelley said. “It’s my passion to help people and this message is very important to our community.”
The Physicians Committee also said they encourage people to reduce breast cancer risk by following the four-pronged approach:
•Eat a whole food, plant-based diet
•Exercise regularly
•Limit alcohol
•Maintain a healthy weight
Other tips include:
•Fill up on veggies
•Eat more soy
•Avoid processed meats
The Atlanta rally is one of dozens being organized across the country in partnership with the PCRM to acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
For more information, visit https://www. pcrm.org
The Atlanta BeltLine announced its purchase of roughly 14 acres of land in southwest Atlanta last month, a parcel situated along University Avenue just west of Interstate 85.
Valued at $13.3 million, the acquisition is an early step in the BeltLine’s plan to develop available space lining the Southside Trail with the intention of bringing additional jobs and affordable housing to the Pittsburgh neighborhood.
“This is a catalytic opportunity to continue guiding equitable, inclusive and sustainable development in southwest Atlanta, which has many historically disinvested neighborhoods,” said Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of the BeltLine, in a statement. “Purchasing this parcel is another step that the Atlanta BeltLine is taking in our focus on righting historic wrongs that have left residents and communities behind in the face of city-wide growth.”
The parcel of land is also adjacent to Pittsburgh Yards, a mixed-use campus redeveloped to increase southwest Atlanta residents’ access to entrepreneurship and other economic pursuits. The Annie E. Casey
Foundation, manager of Pittsburgh Yards, also oversees AECF Atlanta Realty LLC, the agency behind the sale.
According to a press release announcing the acquisition, the BeltLine’s future plans for the space will amplify the work already set in motion by Pittsburgh Yards, giving the
facility assets to speed up the development process and relay resources more quickly to the workers and residents who’d benefit from them most.
“Pittsburgh Yards is committed to upholding its mission and showing reverence for the history of the land it calls home by
continuing to grow equitable career, entrepreneurship and wealth-building opportunities for the neighborhood’s residents,” said Chantell Glenn, senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The Atlanta BeltLine’s commitment to a community-driven development process was a priority for the sale and codified in the purchase and sale agreement.”
Glenn also said that tenants at Pittsburgh Yards still benefit from the facility’s proximity to the Southside Trail, as do members of the community who use the trail to venture between the Pittsburgh and Capitol View Manor neighborhoods.
“Approximately 40% of tenants and co-working members of The Nia Building are South Atlanta residents,” Glenn said. “Community engagement will remain a priority at Pittsburgh Yards — in current efforts and future development.”
The BeltLine will later form a committee for participating stakeholders and consult business owners and residents of surrounding neighborhoods on how to best repurpose the site. After hearing from the community, the BeltLine will issue a Request for Proposals, inviting developers to submit their own ideas to transform the property.
Clothing brand True Religion announced the opening of its newest storefront in metro Atlanta this week, the company’s second Georgia store and 46th location worldwide.
Known for its wide range of denim products donning elaborate stitch designs, the debut of True Religion’s Cumberland Mall location marks the brand’s first store opening since 2019.
“A key component to True Religion’s omnichannel growth strategy is to identify and open selectively in locations where our shopper wants us to be,” said company CEO Michael Buckley. “We remain a digital-first direct-to-consumer brand and are excited to begin adding more physical stores to our mix in the right markets.”
The opening in Atlanta represents a change in brick-and-mortar presence for the company, featuring updated merchandising displays that usher True Religion into a new
era of physical branding. The new location occupies approximately 2,000 square feet of space on Cumberland Mall’s ground floor, nestled between plus-size clothing store Torrid and accessory shop Lids.
According to a press release, revenue garnered during the store’s soft opening weekend eclipsed estimated projections by nearly 70%.
“Cumberland features an elevated core denim destination perfect for our consumers navigating our various fits and stitches,” Buckley said. “The new and modern design is a first for our fleet which will carry through in the two new stores opening before the end of the year.”
The Cumberland Mall location opens from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from noon until 6pm on Sundays. True Religion’s other store in the state is located within the North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville.
BY DONNELL SUGGS
The argument could have already been made that Atlanta was the soccer capital of the United States. Atlanta United, the city's soccer team and arguably its most popular professional sports franchise, has led Major League Soccer (MLS) in attendance year after year, and by wide margins. Not to mention the World Cup is coming to Atlanta in 2026. The latest piece of evidence for the case of Atlanta's North American soccer dominance was officially announced this afternoon inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The U.S. Soccer Foundation will build a new headquarters and national training facility in metro Atlanta, according to its various social media accounts. Atlanta United, Atlanta Falcons owner and Arthur M. Black Foundation founder Arthur Blank is making a major $50 million contribution to that project.
During a press conference Saturday afternoon hours before United hosted Inter Miami (who was without superstar Lionel Messi) Blank said of the project and his foun-
dation's financial contribution, "We're completely committed."
Blank, who stood on stage before a blue backdrop that said “ONE NATION. ONE TEAM” in both English and Spanish, credited Major League Soccer Commissioner Don
Garber for how much he has learned about soccer. "My level of trust and commitment to this level of soccer has come through the eyes and ears of Don Garber."
Garber, who has been commissioner since 1999, spoke of the initial conversations he
had with Blank about bringing an MLS team to Atlanta more than five years ago. He spoke of Blank telling him that Atlanta was a city "that represents a new America."
"This is one of the most important projects in the history of soccer in America," said Garber, who added that he hopes the Men's National Team will be able to use it before World Cup 2026.
The exact location of the headquarters and training facility will be announced at a later date, according to a release from U.S. Soccer. There is also the possibility of hundreds of jobs coming to where the facility is built.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who was brought on the stage by moderator Sarah Walsh as "Andrew Dickens''was in attendance. The native Atlantan and big sports fan said of the headquarters and training facility coming to metro Atlanta, "This is big y'all. This is a great day for soccer in the ATL."
Dickens added, "Atlanta is a sports city, we are a soccer city and now we are the capital of soccer in this nation."
The best soccer player on planet Earth, Lionel Messi, did not play inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday night and it didn’t matter. The match was a sellout (71,635) and Atlanta United defeated Inter Miami 5-2. The buzz from the crowd started early and remained throughout despite Messi not attending because of “fatigue”, according to a team pregame report.
With Atlanta ahead late in the match, the “Where is Messi?” chants began. Inter Miami had been extremely successful with Messi in the lineup this season. Rumor has it that the Argentinian chose not to play on an artificial surface, something that might come to haunt Miami when the postseason rolls around. Fans in attendance had plenty to cheer about in his absence though.
The victory helps keep Atlanta in a solid position for a spot in the postseason picture. Atlanta United came into this match in sixth place, three points behind Columbus in the Eastern Conference standings (45-42) and might have played their best overall match of the season.
Following the match Atlanta United head
coach Gonzalo Pineda said he was proud of the way his entire team played.
“I cannot be more proud of the team, they showed heart, passion, and good football,” he said. “Tonight we are going to enjoy. To morrow we will be preparing for D.C.”
United dominated the early shots on goal despite the match being scoreless through the first 24 minutes. That would change fol lowing a skillful effort from Miami’s number nine Leonardo Campana that gave the visi tors a 1-0 advantage. The Ecuadorian for ward chested a rebound and shot high into the United goal past its longtime keeper Brad Guzan. Campana scored past Guzan again on a penalty early in the second half.
Then the bottom fell out for Miami with three consecutive unanswered first half goals coming from three different United players, none of whom were the team’s leading goal scorer Giorgos Giakoumakis (13 goals, two assists).
Midfielder Tristan Muyumba would get the party started, scoring his first goal of the season on a header that tied the match at one all. A Miami own goal gave Atlanta its first lead of the match in the 41st minute and
By Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice
then defender Brooks Lennon put the Five Stripes ahead 3-1 on a goal from in front of the Miami net.
That was three goals without Giakoumakis or Thiago Almada (nine goals, 14 assists)
having had a shot on goal. Giakoumakis wouldn’t remain goalless for long though, scoring his 14th of the season off assists from Alamada (15 is a single-season franchise record for assists) and Saba Lobjanidze in the 76th minute.
Local product Tyler Wolff scored his fifth goal of the season in the 89th minute off an assist from Lobjanidze, who came off the bench and made an immediate impact.
Asked about the fact that Messi did not play, Pineda said he believed his team would have won tonight, considering the way they played.
“It’s about us. It’s about Atlanta United,” he said. Pineda credited defenders Caleb Wiley, Miles Robinson, midfielder Brooks Lennon and many others for the victory tonight.
What about Josef?:
Former Atlanta United star and MLS MVP Josef Martinez entered the match in the 82nd minute to a large round of applause.
tAtlanta will travel to the nation’s capital to face DC United Wednesday before returning home to play one of their two final home matches of the regular season against Montreal, Saturday, Sept. 23.
Read more at www.theatlantavoice.com
Employment in Atlanta saw slight improvement year-over-year this summer, but the rising cost of goods may distract from any positive change.
According to an economic summary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Atlanta’s price increases are outweighing increases in the number of jobs and monthly wages, remaining relatively on par with national findings.
The national unemployment rate remained stagnant from July 2022 to July of this year, weighing in at 3.8%. However, rates across the four key counties comprising the metro Atlanta area — Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett — each rose 0.1-0.2% across the 12-month period, with the Atlanta area average increasing from 3% to 3.2% year-over-year.
In contrast, employment saw a 1.7% change in nonfarm payrolls in Atlanta, with related industries seeing approximately 3 million jobs total in 2023, adding roughly 52,000 jobs since July of 2022.
Wages for existing jobs haven’t witnessed significant growth either. Average weekly earnings for Atlantans rose from $1,129.88 as measured in 2022 to $1,164.53 as measured
this past summer, amounting to a 3.1% increase for the metro area overall.
Prices for goods, on the other hand, have
increased nearly 5% in Atlanta from June 2022 to June 2023, compared to a 3% increase measured nationwide. Food costs specifical-
ly witnessed an even greater spike over the 12-month span, with prices increasing 7.7% and 5.7%, respectively.
The 2023 Mazda CX-30 Turbo
Premium Plus has done a stellar job combining style, performance, and technology, while maintaining its reputation for not breaking the bank with great value. Simply put, this is a true standout in the popular subcompact segment. Presented in seven trims, this top-of-the-line version confirms the steady flow of accolades throughout the auto industry.
Starting with the heart, the Premium Plus packs a SKYACTIV-G 2.5 Turbo engine pumping out 250 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. This means you'll have no trouble merging onto highways or overtaking slower traffic, with an exhilarating feel with every pedal push. The well-tuned suspension makes the ride pleasant while simultaneously feeling its aggressive take on the streets. The six-speed transmission is seamless and
the i-ACTIV AWD with off-road Traction Assist provides optimal maneuverability.
Mazda’s design of the CX-30 does a phenomenal job with its styling in such a compact frame, with a black gloss grille, rear privacy glass, and roof rails. Its bold, athletic curvature provides welcomed sportiness while still honoring the automaker’s “Kodo” design philosophy based on minimalism. The sleek lines get a boost with the carmaker’s revered Soul Red Crystal Metallic color option sitting on 18-inch alloy wheels as well.
The cabin is where luxury and technology coincide. The leather-trimmed seats, which are heated in the front, don’t hold back on quality and comfort. The infotainment system is driver-friendly, with a large 10.25-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are provided, so any smartphone integrates with ease. Aesthetically, the power sliding-glass moonroof, Bose 12-speaker premium audio system, and a head-up display are choice amenities as well.
There are also safety features to fur-
ther entice a prospective buyer, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Premium version gets reverse automatic emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, and a surround-view parking camera for optimal visibility no matter the location.
As for the price, the 2023 Mazda CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus is a bargain for everything it brings to the table, with an MSRP starting just over $35,000; you're getting a premium compact SUV without the premium plus price tag. For the more frugal, consider the other six trims with the 2.5S selling for under $23K, but for me, I am going all out with the Premium Plus delivering a the thrilling ride to make any journey a memorable one.
Fuel Economy: 22 city/30 highway/25 combined.
Price: $35,400
For more information, visit Mazdausa. com.
