Meria Carstarphen believes she has divine right to position

Guest column by Former State Senator Vincent Fort (Note: The views expressed in this column are those of Senator Fort and not those of Jabari Simama Speaks. Fort indicates he is a consultant for the Georgia Federation of Teachers) Thank you for beginning a thoughtful conversation regarding Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and the future of the […]

WHERE HAVE ALL THE OLD GUARD GONE?

The need for intergenerational dialogue between Young Turks and Old Guard A specter of change is engulfing Atlanta, a sunbelt city that for decades has been promoted by marketers as a “city too busy to hate.” Because of the number of African Americans, black millionaires, HBCUs and educated Blacks from around the country and world […]

CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST

The Ousting of School Superintendent Meria Carstarphen The decision of the Atlanta School Board not to extend the contract of Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen is both unbelievable and predictable at once. By all accounts, Dr. Carstarphen worked hard and did much of what the Board asked of her, including transitioning the Atlanta School System into […]

POSE: The Category is LOVE

FX Narratives help us understand family and humanity My daughters are always trying to get my wife and me to watch one TV program or the other they believe is groundbreaking insofar as television is concerned. They introduced us to This is Us, the award winning NBC series; Queen Sugar, the OWN Network gem; the […]

WE’VE MOVED PAST KNEELING?

Attempts to de-legitimize Kaepernick through puppet Jay-Z pact will backfire Hip-hop billionaire Jay-Z’s timing couldn’t have been worse as he announced a multi-year partnership between his company and the National Football League on the eve of NYPD Commissioner James P. Oneill’s firing of Daniel Pantaleo, the cop who choked to death Eric Garner whose chilling […]

Ball of Confusion

America’s at crossroad after domestic terrorist attack, The Donald’s racist rants and silence of Republican sycophants “Evolution, revolution, gun control, the sound of soul, . . . Fear in the air, tension ev’rywhere and the only safe place to live is on an Indian reservation, . . . Round and round and around we go, where […]

Gentrification: Atlanta 4th fastest growing city

https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/atlanta-ranked-fourth-fastest-gentrifying-city/E74wz9VxF5TxWcsUinKRmK/ This article just posted from the AJC confirms almost all I have written about gentrification recently. Gentrification has both race and class implications, but, moreover, it points to very poor public policy being advanced by our so-called leaders.

Gentrification and the Black Community: Revisited

Last week I posted a column about gentrification and the African American community that stimulated quite a reaction. Some wanted to know why I only dealt with the African American community. They asked, is not “gentrification more of a white problem?” Also, I was asked why I didn’t state my personal belief about it; “had […]

OOPS, THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Gentrification and the African American Community Author’s note: After taking a hiatus for about nearly 7 months to run for city council, it is good to be back lifting my voice and sharing my truth. As a candidate who had not been on a ballot since 1993, it was intriguing to see how much the […]

Why I’m Running for Atlanta City Council . . . Again

I offer myself as a candidate for the Atlanta City Council, District 3 because if we meet the challenges that remain and embrace the opportunities before us and in the future we will have one of the best, diverse, vibrant, and inclusive districts in the city. I am fiercely devoted to maintaining and enhancing the […]