Georgia Lawmakers Banning Books in 2022! - The Atlanta Voice
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www.theatlantavoice.com • Vol. 56 Issue 47 • FREE
THE ATLANTA APRIL 1, 2022
METRO Atlanta | Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest local news: @theatlantavoice
Georgia Lawmakers
Banning Books in 2022! | Page 2
State lawmakers are
wrapping up this session
with more controversial
bills. (Photo: Itoro N.
Umontuen/The Atlanta
Voice)
2 April 1 - 7, 2022 www.theatlantavoice.com
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State Rep. Dar’Shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia, poses for a photo in the the Georgia House Chambers on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Kendrick spoke out against Senate Bill 226, legislation that paves
the way for certain books to be banned from Georgia’s public schools (Photo: Georgia House Photos)
Georgia House passes bill that changes
way books get banned in schools
BY ITORO UMONTUEN complaints submitted by parents or guard- vate for answers to this very simple ques- mean this house to stand in front of Georgia
S
The Atlanta Voice ians alleging that material that is harmful tion: Why are we creating new legislation? in front of all you guys and read the words
enate Bill 226, known as the “li- to minors has been provided or is currently We already have rules to deal with media that every single high school kid in virtually
brary censorship bill”, passed in available to a student enrolled in the local procedures for what are termed offensive in the metro area can read on titles inside
the House by a 97-61 margin Fri- school system. books,” said Representative Dar’Shun Ken- their libraries funded by us funded by our
day, March 25. The bill would pave Currently, trained school librarians large- drick (D-Lithonia). tax dollars.”
the way for the state to ban certain ly control what resources children can ac- This is part of a greater conservative push Conservatives believe parents and the
books from Georgia’s public schools if cer- cess on their bookshelves and computer to exert its power in public education, such public should have access to what is read in
tain boards deem these books as inappro- screens. as banning transgender children from par- public schools.
priate. Republicans say this is the first step in ticipating in girls sports and seeking the “I cannot tell you how many school sys-
These books are largely authored by peo- allowing parents to regain control of their prohibition of Critical Race Theory. tems emailed me with a copy of their me-
ple of color and addresses topics that are child’s education. Critical Race Theory is based on the idea dia policy that’s in full effect right now that
relevant to race, gender, identity, religion, “If parents do not want young children that racism is not merely the product of in- engages parents, teachers and other com-
or the Holocaust. reading some very degrading type material, dividual bias or prejudice, but embedded munity stakeholders to do exactly what
For example, Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit then this is a parent engagement process in legal systems and policies. However, this bill is seeking to do,” Kendrick contin-
451”, Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”, and “The and allows due process for those parents conservatives have stretched its meaning ued. “From Paulding County to Gwinnett
Hate U Give”, by Angie Thomas are books to be able to challenge these materials,” as they rail against diversity initiatives and to South Georgia, all these school systems
that could likely be pulled from school li- said House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee progressive ideas. have procedures already in place. The peo-
braries under the new law. Chairman James Burchett, R-Waycross. “I can’t read before Georgians the lan- ple that actually teach will be on the hook
According to the bill, beginning January Democrats say this is an attempt to erode guage our high school kids are being ex- under this bill. Media personnel and prin-
1, 2023, each local board of education shall the trust in public education to satisfy the posed to in most every high school in metro cipals are scratching their heads as to why
adopt a complaint resolution policy for its individual views of a loud political agenda. Atlanta can’t be read from this well,” said we’re considering this and I’m scratching
local school system to be used to address “I asked several times in public and pri- Ed Seltzer (R-Acworth). “I would not de- my head with them.”
www.theatlantavoice.com April 1 - 7, 2022 3
LOCAL
Bank of America Honors Five Leaders Creating
Change for People and Communities of Color
STAFF REPORT
ic program, Neighborhood Builders®, which in competitive first jobs, Rice is ensuring they his organization work toward balanced
New Neighborhood Builders: Racial Equali- focuses on economic mobility and nonprofit achieve lasting economic mobility. He plans growth and shared prosperity in Georgia and
ty Award Celebrates Individuals and Supports leadership. Awardees have the opportuni- to direct funding to Management Leadership the American South. In collaboration with
Strategic Growth of Nonprofits Driving Prog- ty to direct $200,000 in flexible funding to for Tomorrow (MLT). its ecosystem of diverse partners, PSE helps
ress a nonprofit of their choice and the selected Luz Corcuera, Executive Director of local communities of color advocate more
organizations will also be invited to partici- UnidosNow – Sarasota/Manatee, FL: As a effectively for themselves on relevant state,
Bank of America today announced the pate in the company’s year-long Neighbor- leader of UnidosNow, Corcuera is committed local, and federal economic issues, including
inaugural honorees of its Neighborhood hood Builders Leadership Program, which to empowering Hispanic-Latinos to achieve energy policy through its ‘Just Energy’ pro-
Builders: Racial Equality Award, a new rec- provides strategic growth and development the American dream through education, in- gram. Smith plans to direct funding to Part-
ognition that honors individual leaders who trainings, setting the organizations up for tegration, and civic engagement. She has a nership for Southern Equity.
are advancing racial equality and economic long-term success. proven track record in community-building This newly-established award is one ex-
opportunity in Black, Hispanic-Latino, Asian The 2022 group of awardees includes: and engagement, developing and oversee- ample of how Bank of America continues
American, and Native American communi- Edgar Villanueva, Founder and Princi- ing diverse community-based initiatives to to build on its philanthropic programs with
ties. The five honorees are being recognized pal of Decolonizing Wealth Project – New empower underserved communities through opportunities to drive economic and social
for their extraordinary contributions to break York: As the founder of the Decolonizing prevention and education. Corcuera will progress, including through its $1.25 billion,
down systemic racial barriers and create Wealth Project and Liberated Capital, Vil- drive funding to UnidosNow. five-year commitment to advance racial
opportunities for people of color across the lanueva is a globally-recognized author and Manjusha (Manju) P. Kulkarni, Execu- equality and economic opportunity, of which
country. expert on the intersection of race, power, and tive Director at the AAPI Equity Alliance, it has directly funded or invested more than
“Through this program we are recognizing wealth. He offers hopeful and compelling al- Educator/Community Advocate – Los An- $450 million.
the impact of inspiring leaders in our country ternatives to the dynamics of colonization in geles, CA: Kulkarni co-founded the Stop AAPI Since 2004, through its Neighborhood
who are creating real change,” said D. Steve the philanthropic and social finance sectors. Hate campaign, which has become one of the Builders® and Neighborhood Champions
Boland, chief administrative officer at Bank Through this recognition, Villanueva plans leading voices in the effort to identify and programs, Bank of America invested more
of America. “Supporting nonprofits and their to direct Bank of America’s funding to Liber- oppose hate crimes against Asian Americans than $285 million in 92 communities across
leaders has been core to our approach of in- ated Capital. and Pacific Islanders. Recently, Kulkarni and the U.S., partnered with more than 1,400
vesting in the local communities we serve. John Rice, Founder and CEO of Man- the other co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate were nonprofits, and helped more than 2,800 non-
We are proud to honor these brilliant leaders agement Leadership for Tomorrow named to the Time Magazine “Most Influen- profit leaders strengthen their leadership
and empower nonprofits with resources to (MLT) – Bethesda, MD: Rice and his organi- tial People of 2021” list. South Asian Network skills.
continue their work in support of communi- zation pioneered a college-to-career model, will be the recipient of Kulkarni’s grant. Nearly 17 years after its launch, Neighbor-
ties of color.” helping students of color overcome barriers Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief hood Builders is one of the nation’s largest
The Racial Equality Award is an extension to success. By preparing low-and-moderate Equity Officer of Partnership for South- philanthropic investments in nonprofit lead-
of Bank of America’s signature philanthrop- income undergraduates to land and succeed ern Equity (PSE) – Atlanta, GA: Smith and ership development.
THE ATLANTA VOICE PRESENTS
A digital magazine dedicated to closing the gaps in health awareness, prevention, treatment
and care that contribute to health disparities impacting African American people.
Online: HealthPlusMagazine.org Instagram: @HealthPlusMagazine
COMING APRIL 4, 2022
4 April 1 - 7, 2022 www.theatlantavoice.com
FOUNDED
May 11, 1966
FOUNDER/EDITOR
Ed Clayton
Immortalis Memoria
VOICES "Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us."
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
— SUSAN L. TAYLOR
J. Lowell Ware
Immortalis Memoria
The Atlanta Voice honors
Being the First Isn’t Easy. And Yet, Black
the life of J. Lowell Ware.
PUBLISHER
Women Continue to Make History
Janis Ware
jlware@theatlantavoice.com
PRESIDENT/
GENERAL MANAGER
James A. Washington
jaws@theatlantavoice.com After we celebrate Judge Jackson’s confirmation as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
TO PUBLISHER
Court, it’s time to defend and financially support Black women running for Senate and governor.
Chia Suggs
A
csuggs@theatlantavoice.com
CHIEF BRAND OFFICER s I watched and state legislatures. licly streamed hearing res- become the first Black wom-
Dawn Montgomery Judge Ketanji For too long, we have onates with Black women en governors and are put-
dmontgomery@theatlantavoice.com
Brown Jack- been at the very center of running for office who face ting themselves out there.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS son’s confir- social change, yet disquali- similar obstacles of racism Similarly, Cheri Beasley in
Martel Sharpe mation hear- fied from positions of pow- and sexism every day on the North Carolina and Rep.
msharpe@theatlantavoice.com
ings, I reflected on our Black er in our government. It’s campaign trail. Val Demings in Florida are
REPORT FOR AMERICA CORPS women pioneers. I think taken 233 years for us to These women do not fit running for U.S. Senate to
MEMBER, EDUCATION REPORTER
about the physical, men- experience the first Black the mold of the candidates ensure Black women have
Madeline Thigpen
mthigpen@theatlantavoice.com tal, and spiritual toll being woman nominated to the we’ve historically elected representation, including in
GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER
LAPHONZA BUTLER the first takes on those who U.S. Supreme Court, mean- in this country, so too of- historic hearings like Judge
Bria Suggs seek opportunities to break while, we currently have no ten, Black women encoun- Jackson’s.
bsuggs@theatlantavoice.com barriers, and how, even Black women senators, and ter the incorrect assump- These four proven lead-
MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL
against all odds, Black wom- America has still never seen tion that our failed run for ers are running not because
Itoro Umontuen en continue to push for our a Black woman elected as office is because we aren’t it’s time for the spots to be
iumontuen@theatlantavoice.com rightful place in American governor. good enough. The reality filled, but because they
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA history. It’s time to change that. is, Black women candidates know that the government
Alexis Grace Judge Jackson is nota- Representation matters, are running in a system that can and should do better to
agrace@theatlantavoice.com bly one of the most quali- and if Black women tru- was created for white men listen and act on behalf of
DIRECTOR OF VISUALS fied candidates ever nomi- ly are the backbone of the by white men that was nev- Black women.
Trarell Torrence nated to the United States Democratic party and the er meant for us to ascend to Being the first isn’t easy.
t.torrence@theatlantavoice.com Supreme Court, but her moral compass for our na- positions of power. And although it comes with
treatment throughout the tion, then we must be in Another obstacle that a tremendous amount of
ADVERTISING, SALES hearings by Republican sen- every room where decisions holds qualified and capable pride, much of the battle is
& CIRCULATION ators was egregious. Instead are made. It’s essential to Black women from pursu- getting there. After we cele-
ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATOR of giving her the respect she ensure that our community ing governorships and sen- brate Judge Jackson’s con-
Chia Suggs deserves, they used blatant gets a voice in the import- atorial positions is money. firmation as the first Black
advertising@theatlantavoice.com racism and conspiracy the- ant issues shaping our fu- It is the reason EMILY’s List woman on the U.S. Supreme
CIRCULATION MANAGER ories in an attempt to un- tures and the future of this was founded and is our very Court, we have the opportu-
Terry Milliner dermine her qualifications. country. name. EMILY stands for nity to support even more
SALES Whether it was the racist We know the deficiency of “Early Money Is Like Yeast,” Black women on their jour-
R.D.W. Jackson dog whistles, “mansplain- Black women in government because it makes the dough ney to make history.
rdwadman@gmail.com
ing,” or bad-faith questions, is not because there aren’t rise. Money makes the dif- In the months leading up
SUBMISSIONS
the treatment was an insult qualified candidates. I don’t ference between whether to Election Day, let’s make
newsroom@theatlantavoice.com
to her integrity and digni- need to remind anyone of races are seen as compet- sure we’re defending and
ty as a judge. She deserved the political powerhouse itive or not. And for Black financially supporting the
CONTACT INFORMATION better. that is Stacey Abrams, who women and other candi- candidates who can become
633 Pryor Street, S.W. The confirmation hear- saw the gaps in voter partic- dates of color, the early our country’s Black wom-
Atlanta, GA 30312 ings also highlighted a ipation in Georgia and then money needed to push their en senators and first Black
Office: 404-524-6426 room that was overwhelm- strategically planned for races forward isn’t there. women governors. EMILY’s
Fax: 404-527-5464 ingly white and male. Black and set out to build bridges And yet, despite all of the List will be doing just that.
women make up 7.8% of the over the course of a decade. disproportionate barriers Laphonza Butler is the
U.S. population — and are It’s because the road to we face, Black women con- president of EMILY’s List.
historically the most reli- being first is perilous — we tinue to make history. The mission of EMILY’s
able Democratic voters–but saw that in Judge Jackson’s Candidates like Stac- List is to elect Democratic
account for less than 5% of hearings. Judge Jackson’s ey Abrams in Georgia and pro-choice women up and
elected roles in statewide offensive treatment by Re- Deidre DeJear in Iowa have down the ballot across the
executive offices, Congress, publican senators on a pub- built exciting campaigns to country.
www.theatlantavoice.com April 1 - 7, 2022 5
TRAVEL
Spring break crackdown puts focus on future of South Beach
BY DAVID FISCHER
M
that if two nonfatal shootings in two days was
IAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - enough to warrant a state of emergency, then the
Miami Beach officials have entire county should be under a state of emergen-
spent recent years trying cy indefinitely.
to control the raucous ``The only emergency in Miami Beach is that
crowds, public drinking there were Black people there,'' Johnson said.
and growing violence associated with the More than 1,000 people were arrested last
city's world-famous South Beach neighbor- March, when the city imposed an 8 p.m. curfew.
hood during spring break. At the time, authorities sent military style ve-
Business owners claim they're being unfairly hicles to disperse predominantly Black crowds
targeted by regulations, and civil rights advocates with rubber bullets, prompting criticism from
say the city is trying to scare away Black tourists Black activists. In an attempt to discourage large
who make up many of the visitors. Spring Break crowd crowds, the city had canceled all programs amid
Two shootings that wounded five people last development and boutique offices. back last spring. Though not part of the lawsuit, the pandemic, leaving a void for tens of thou-
weekend, prompting the city to impose an emer- ``We don't need an entertainment-only dis- Joshua Wallack, chief operating officer of nearby sands of people gathered with nothing to do.
gency midnight curfew this weekend, have refo- trict,'' Gelber said. Mango's Tropical Cafe, said the proposed rules Johnson said this year's Miami Beach Live con-
cused attention on the glamorous waterfront's Developed in the 1920s and 1930s, Ocean Drive give bars and clubs outside the target area an un- cert series, the city's attempt to return program-
future - as an entertainment district or something serves as the center of the Miami Art Deco Dis- fair advantage and threaten businesses inside the ming to spring break, completely ignored the
else entirely. The city's mayor, a Democrat, insists trict, including hundreds of buildings featuring area with possible closure. young urban demographic by booking artists like
the crackdown is about bad behavior, not race. the style's signature bold geometry and intense ``They are pushing for a 2 a.m. ban but with 1990s alt-rocker Alanis Morissette and Broadway
The 10-block stretch of Ocean Drive known for colors. The area fell into disrepair but enjoyed exemptions,'' Wallack said. ``Do you really think performer Bernadette Peters.
art deco hotels, restaurants and bars lies between a cultural and economic renaissance thanks to they want to shut down the Fontainebleau?'' Miami Beach's mayor rejects the idea that the
areas that cater to more affluent tourists, as well television shows like ``Miami Vice'' in the 1980s The Fontainebleau Miami Beach is an iconic city is somehow trying to discourage Black visi-
as locals. Many longtime residents have learned and fashion designer Gianni Versace moving into luxury hotel more than a mile north of the South tors.
to treat spring break like a hurricane: Stay inside an oceanfront mansion in the 1990s. Bars and Beach area. The hotel's nightclub, LIV, regularly ``The issue this weekend was obviously related
and hunker down until it's over. nightclubs flourished as South Beach became a stays open until 5 a.m. to behavior and not race,'' Gelber said. ``We had
Resident Pedro Herrera, 40, said spring break destination for supermodels, musicians and oth- Some civil rights advocates believe city officials spring break for three weeks without asking for a
is great for business at the hotel where he works, er entertainers. are concerned about the demographics of the vis- curfew, without invoking the emergency powers.
but he stays away from tourist areas when he's off ``Now, we have this business model of big itors. South Beach started to become a popular We did it the morning after two shootings.''
the clock. drinks and large volumes all night long with tens destination for Black tourists about two decades Many visitors feel it's unfair to be surprised
``Before spring break, you can go walk on of thousands of people,'' Gelber said. ``Which re- ago as promoters organized Urban Beach Week with restrictions after making their spring break
Ocean Drive,'' Herrera said. ``Right now, I prefer ally just doesn't work for our city.'' during the Memorial Day weekend. Many lo- plans weeks or months in advance, but most are
to stay home, because I know if I go there, some- Gelber said he is still pursing a 2 a.m. South cals have complained about violence and other still determined to have a good time.
thing is going to happen.'' Beach alcohol ban, which was blocked by a cir- crime associated with the event, which led to an Anwar Hassan, 21, visiting from Washington,
Mayor Dan Gelber said spring break and sev- cuit court judge earlier this month. Last call is increased police presence. But the event's contin- D.C., said he'll just find something else to do after
eral holiday weekends throughout the year have 5 a.m. throughout most of Miami Beach, and ued popularity correlates to a bump in Black tour- the curfew.
been a problem for the city since before he took South Beach businesses have been pushing back ism throughout the year, including spring break. ``I'm not going to let this limit my trip,`` Has-
office in 2017. He sees the long-term solution as against the proposed rule that targets only their Stephen Hunter Johnson, an attorney and san said. ``I'll just go do something else some-
a fundamental change in the area around Ocean part of town. member of Miami-Dade's Black Affairs Advisory where else. It doesn't have to be at the beach. This
Drive from an t district to a cultural district, re- The legendary Clevelander hotel and bar on Board, said the emergency curfew was an over- place is huge. We'll find something.''
placing all-night bars and clubs with residential Ocean Drive sued the city over the alcohol roll- reaction to last weekend's shootings. He argued
NATIONAL
US plan aims to end racial, ethnic bias in home appraisals
Associated Press harder for many Americans from disadvan-
Vice President Kamala Harris announced taged backgrounds to move up the economic
a plan Wednesday intended to end racial ladder.
and ethnic discrimination in the apprais- One Black homeowner in Indianapolis
al of home values, part of a broader federal found the appraised value of her home went
effort to address a wealth gap that systemic from $125,000 to $259,000 after she declined
inequality has perpetuated. to state her race in her application and re-
The plan contains 21 steps to improve moved all family photos and African Amer-
oversight and accountability, including a ican art in the home.
legislative proposal to modernize the gov- As part of the action plan, the government
ernance structure of the appraisal industry. will expand the complaint hotline for the
Appraisers help to determine the value of a Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
home so that buyers can receive a mortgage. opment and the Consumer Financial Protec-
``Black and Latino people often have to tion Bureau. There also will be appraisal bias
pay more for their mortgage, receive less training in homebuyer education classes
when they sell the home and are less able to homeowners and homebuyers in our nation show that appraisers are more likely to and efforts to ensure that the computer sys-
access home equity lines of credit,'' Harris are treated fairly.`` undervalue homes in Black and Hispanic tems used to value homes do not perpetuate
said at the White House. ``Our administra- Multiple reports, including a September neighborhoods. This form of discrimination racial biases.
tion will continue to fight to ensure that all analysis by mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, widens the racial wealth gap and makes it
6 April 1 - 7, 2022 www.theatlantavoice.com
MEDIA
Women Who Win: How the Women Publishers of
Word in Black Keep the Black Press Going
In 2022, Black press and Black women-owned publications are key to covering Black stories, challenges and triumphs.
BY ALEXIS TAYLOR
The Afro
Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah -Jiles
had a deal to break.
While some young women set
their sights on money or marriage,
Messiah-Jiles had made up her
mind: She would buy a newspaper.
Not just any newspaper- a Black-
owned publication.
A peculiar arrangement was drawn
up and the matter was settled-mostly.
Messiah-Jiles begged what she
could, borrowed what she couldn’t,
and then talked the owner into letting Top (l-r) Denise Rolark-Barnes, Elinor Tatum, Janis Ware; Bottom (l-r) Sonceria "Sonny" Messiah -Jiles and Frances "Toni" Draper.
her assume all of his Earthen debts in
exchange for his publication. ried on the work begun in 1827 by John the New York New Amsterdam News. is publisher of The Atlanta Voice, tors over the years.
She was 27 years old. Brown Russworm, who published the “It was started for the need to sup- and Denise Rolark-Barnes leads the Aside from Black women in the pub-
“My mom and my dad thought I first Black owned and operated publi- port Black publishers and Black jour- Washington Informer. The AFRO has lisher’s seat, women are also leading
was crazy,” said Messiah-Jiles, but that cation: Freedom’s Journal. nalism during the pandemic and been led by Publisher Frances “Toni” the editorial teams of many top Black
didn’t stop her from going to talk with Messiah-Jiles said that in 2022, during a time when Black publications Draper since 2018. Draper has served press agencies.
a banker. “He said, ‘You have three Black press and Black women-owned needed support both economically the AFRO in many capacities over the Roz Edward serves as managing ed-
strikes against you — you’re single, publications are key to covering Black and otherwise,” said Tatum. years. She was publisher of the New itor of the Michigan Chronicle, and the
you’re a female, and you’re Black.’” stories, challenges and triumphs. Tatum said the work done by Word Jersey AFRO American Newspaper legendary Dorothy Boulware has seen
Though obstacles seemed insur- “I think it’s important to have Black in Black removes the dark lens often from 1974 to 1976, and served from 1986 the AFRO through decades of change
mountable, Messiah-Jiles navigated women in the newsroom because if applied when Black news stories are to 1999 as president of the company. and revolution.
the challenges and came out on top. you are going to serve the communi- looked at from the standpoint of tradi- The women publishers of Word in “Word in Black has been one of the
Forty years later, she is navigating the ty, your newsroom should reflect the tional white media. Black now serve as mentors for other best opportunities that I’ve been able
twists and turns of media while also people that you serve. Black women “It doesn’t matter if we’re telling our Black journalists. to participate in during my 38 years in
continuing the legacy of the Black are the decision makers in most[Black] stories and they’re still going through Tatum spoke about one of her men- the industry,” said Edward. “It’s such
Press as Chief Executive Officer and families,” she said. “The reality is that the filters of others,” she said. “Our tors, recalling how the relationship a rich opportunity that you get to col-
Publisher of the Houston Defender we are the people who are manag- voices need to be authentic, and we made an impact. laborate with 10 of the best Black news
Network. ing, supervising, and controlling the need to tell our own stories.” “Susan Taylor from Essence was a outlets and publishers.”
“If you have a dream, go for it,” she household. As a result, we know what A total of 10 Black publications big influence of mine. She was always “We can work together and work to
said. “You have to work twice as hard, people are interested in reading about make up the Word in Black collabora- there to give advice and be an ear.[She] address issues as a group.”
but what you put in determines what because we are the people we serve.” tive. Five of those organizations are led was a sounding board when I needed The post Women Who Win: How the
you get out.” In 2020, the top 10 Black newspapers by women. somebody,” said Tatum, adding that women publishers of Word in Black
Today, Messiah-Jiles is just one of in the country came together at the di- Aside from the publications led by her father and the other women of keep the Black press going appeared
many Black publishers that have car- rection of Elinor Tatum, publisher of Messiah-Jiles and Tatum, Janis Ware Word in Black were also excellent men- first on AFRO American Newspapers .
LOCAL
East Point Celebrates Tri-Cities State Basketball Champions
BY MADELINE THIGPEN dent trainers and managers that victory.
E
Report for America helped them achieve this victory. “We are so proud of you. Not
ast Point, Ga.- For the She specifically commended the just because you are state cham-
second time in 3 years team’s coach Omar Forts for hav- pions, but because of the men you
the Tri-Cities Bulldogs ing a 100 percent graduation rate are going to become,” said Motley
have won the 5A Geor- during his time as head coach. Broom.
gia High School Asso- East Point’s Mayor Deana Tri-Cities High School GHSA
ciation's state basketball champi- Holiday Ingraham and council 5A Champions
onship title. members presented the players, Players Eric Smarr Jr. NoRic-
On Friday, March 25 the City of coaches and trainers with a proc- co Danner Tramarius Jones Kory
East Point hosted a parade and lamation from the city declaring Mincy Kyndon Wilburg Simeon
ceremony for the student-ath- March 25 through March 31 as Cottle Kamiron Jones Elgin Neal II
East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham presents the championship
letes, coaches and families to cel- team with a proclamation on behalf of the city (Photo: Madeline Thigpen) Bulldog Championship Week. William Norwood II Ryan Mathieu
ebrate their victory. Mayor of College Park Bianca Andrew Jones Davion Cooper
The parade marched down team led the parade followed by for the ceremony Tri-Cities High Motley Broom, and Mayor of the Dontravias Johnson Tavaris
East Point Street before making a the marching band, families, the School Principal Dr. Ethel Lett City of South Fulton khalid ka- Dice Jr. Assistant Coaches Tony
U-turn onto Main Street and end- cheer squad and the varsity boy’s went on to speak about the work mauwer, who is also a Tri-Cities Dorsey Garrett Henry Jonathan
ing up back at City Hall. basketball team. the team put in throughout this High School alumnus, were also Burke Martell Cole Head Coach
Tri-Cities High School’s dance Once they arrived at city hall season and all the coaches, stu- there to celebrate the Bulldogs Omari Forts
www.theatlantavoice.com April 1 - 7, 2022 7
BUSINESS
Jason Harvey’s creative house Worldly makes Atlanta debut
BY BRIA SUGGS
The Atlanta Voice
W
orldly is a new creative
house coming to Atlanta
to empower upcoming de-
signers of color. Its found-
er, Jason Harvey, wanted
to have a space that could create opportunities
for people of color to learn and make money in
the fashion industry.
“I want to allow everybody to feel like they
have a space where they can come in and free-
ly create without anything that you would nor-
mally have to worry about,” Harvey said. “All I
ask of these designers that I bring on board for
my brand is to just bring your sewing skills and
your time- everything else, we literally cover
for you. We're providing an entire platform for
them to be able to come forward and create the
collection of their dreams stress-free, essen-
tially.”
The name “Worldly” comes from Harvey’s
religious background of being involved in
church.
“My church, back then if you got a little too
far out, they'd be like, ‘Baby, slow down. You’re
getting a little too worldly for me,’” Harvey Photo credit: Kayla Hughes of Quinae Photography
said. “They looked at the negatives with it, but
I kind of looked at the positives of it, meaning designer for the next collection has already
we're all essentially of the world … You can't been chosen by Harvey, but has yet to be an-
not live, you just tend to get knocked down nounced.
for so many different things and it's a part of The Atlanta designers chosen by Harvey
growth.” will have the ability to work with his team and
The creative house debuted on March 23 have their work featured in upcoming collec-
with a fashion show at Magic City to showcase tions, while also taking advantage of Worldly’s
the first collection, “Eden on Hush”. resources and professional connections. Har-
“Eden on Hush” is the product of a collab- vey would like to host a fun competition for the
oration between Harvey and fashion designer selection process.
John Byrd-Olivieri. Harvey met Byrd-Oliv- Why Atlanta?
ieri while searching for someone to help him Although he’s originally from Tennessee,
sew the tedious garments he was making for a Harvey moved to Atlanta over fifteen years
church he was attending in Atlanta. ago and considers it his second home. He
Harvey and his director traveled to Hancock thought that Atlanta would be a perfect home
Fabrics with a specific person in mind, but for Worldly because of its unique cultural in-
they weren’t in the store that day. Byrd-Oliv- fluence and abundance of talented creatives.
ieri, however, was and offered his services to Harvey already has a couple locations in
Harvey. Harvey was immediately impressed mind for Worldly, and is particularly interest-
with Byrd-Olivieri’s “hunger” to create. ed in bringing something new to the down-
“We just clicked, we really clicked,” Harvey town area.
said. “He understood me and I totally under- “All those different areas like Underground
stood him. I think we both kind of saw what [are] great places, [but there’s] just nothing
each other were going through and we just going on over there anymore,” Harvey said.
kind of always had each other's backs.” “There's still plenty of time for us to go out
Despite having very different aesthetics, there and plant something beautiful and build
Harvey and Byrd-Olivieri were able to work it back up … We just got to come together.”
well together then, and now to make “Eden Sustainable fashion
on Hush”. Harvey enjoys avant-garde colors, According to Harvey, Worldly is strictly a
prints and silhouettes, while Byrd-Olivieri pre- made-to-order brand. He carefully selects
fers clean and formal pieces. fabrics for his garments that he knows he will
“If you merge those two worlds together, be able to reorder, but there will be some lim-
you end up getting something that's one of a ited-edition pieces for the customers that are
kind, you end up getting something that's very able to place their orders first.
classy and chic, but also something that's just “I'm all about sustainability and looking to
very wild and something you wouldn't nor- not contribute to the waste issue that is taking
mally see on a day to day basis,” Harvey said. place today within fashion and any kind of way
For Worldly’s future collections, Harvey will that I can help to take care of the planet, I defi-
collaborate with other designers such as Byrd- nitely want to do my part on that,” Harvey said.
Olivieri and also local Atlanta talent. The
8 April 1 - 7, 2022 www.theatlantavoice.com
MEDIA
For Scores of Years, Newspapers Printed Hate, Leading to
Racist Terror Lynchings and Massacres of Black Americans
BY DENEEN L. BROWN A MULTIFACETED INVESTIGATION
F
or decades, hundreds of white- The series of stories in “Printing Hate” re-
owned newspapers across the sulted from a multifaceted investigation by
country incited the racist terror 58 student journalists from the University
lynchings and massacres of thou- of Maryland, the University of Arkansas and
sands of Black Americans. In their five historically Black colleges and universi-
headlines, these newspapers often promoted ties: Hampton University, Howard University,
the brutality of white lynch mobs and chron- Morehouse College, Morgan State University
icled the gruesome details of the lynchings. and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical
Many white reporters stood on the sidelines State University.
of Jim Crow lynchings as Black men, wom- The students spent months examining
en, teenagers and children were hanged hundreds of newspapers to detail the com-
from trees and burned alive. White mobs of- plicity of many white newspaper owners,
ten posed on courthouse lawns, grinning for publishers and journalists who used head-
photos that ran on front pages of mainstream lines, articles and editorials to incite racist
newspapers. icature created by The Commercial Appeal tossed his body parts onto porches of Black mob violence and terror, in the form of lynch-
These racist terror lynchings — defined as in Memphis, Tennessee. (The Commercial people, while shouting for them to make ings, massacres and pogroms. In the course of
extrajudicial killings carried out by lawless Appeal was owned by Scripps-Howard from “N—– sandwiches.” this investigation, student journalists exam-
mobs intending to terrorize Black commu- 1936 to 2015, when the company spun off its The project reveals how the scope of the ined hundreds of headlines and news reports
nities — evoked horror as victims were often newspapers. The Scripps Howard Foundation news of the day for some Americans was often that were collected in an original database de-
castrated, dismembered, tortured and riddled supports the Howard Center for Investigative ghastly, shaping the American landscape and signed by the Howard Center for Investigative
with bullets before being hanged from trees, Journalism at the University of Maryland.) psyche. The front pages included pictures of Journalism.
light poles and bridges. This work is a collaboration of the How- people being killed in the most horrible ways. “We found lots of examples of sensational-
Lynchings took different forms. Some ard Center for Investigative Journalism and The lynchings were covered as an everyday ized coverage and trumped-up charges,” said
Black people were bombed, as four little girls Capital News Service at the University of occurrence, often reported side by side with Sean Mussenden, data editor at the Howard
were in a church in Birmingham, Alabama. Maryland, Morgan State University, Hampton who graduated from college that day and Center for Investigative Journalism, who
Black men were whipped by mobs to silence University, Howard University, Morehouse stock prices. A reader could open the news- worked with student journalists who built a
them. Emmett Till was kidnapped, tortured, College, North Carolina Agricultural & Tech- paper in the morning and casually scan the database to allow many papers to examine
beaten and thrown into the Tallahatchie Riv- nical State University and the University of headlines reporting baseball scores, finalists their past lynching coverage. “As someone
er with a cotton-gin fan tied around his neck Arkansas. in beauty contests, reports on tariff negotia- who has worked in the industry for a long
with barbed wire. Some of the newspapers advertised upcom- tions and a news story advocating lynchings. time, I understood newspapers to be imper-
“Printing Hate,” a yearlong investigation ing lynchings, often printing the time, date The fact that lynchings took place is gen- fect institutions that nonetheless served as
by students working with the Howard Center and place where mobs would gather. Some erally known, and the fact that some news- guardians of truth who righted wrongs and
for Investigative Journalism at the University white reporters watched, took notes and papers incited lynchings is generally known. exposed corrupt officials. I was shocked by
of Maryland, examines the scope, depth and wrote riveting accounts of the barbarity of But the Howard Center’s reporting shows how the role so many papers played in promoting
breadth of newspaper coverage of hundreds mobs, documenting the horror of the wounds widespread this incendiary coverage was. It a culture of racial terror.”
of those public-spectacle lynchings and mas- inflicted, with blow-by-blow descriptions was not a question of this coverage just hap- The students were not the first to uncover
sacres. of the attacks, as though they were writing pening in places like Wilmington, North Caro- the white newspaper coverage, which was of-
The investigation was inspired by DeNeen about a sporting event. But those reporters, as lina; Montgomery, Alabama; or Atlanta, but it ten countered by the Black press. However,
L. Brown’s reporting on the Red Summer of skilled as they were as writers, often failed to happened in small towns across America. they were able to investigate as reporters of a
1919 and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which practice good journalism, by undertaking the Not all white-owned newspapers were new generation bringing a 21st-century per-
was sparked by the sensational coverage of basic job of reporters — pursue and tell the guilty, and there were degrees of guilt. In spective to the project.
The Tulsa Tribune, specifically a May 31, 1921, truth. Many of those reporters failed to iden- some instances, editors looked the other way. This investigation of newspaper coverage
front-page story: “Nab Negro for Attacking tify white people in the mob. They also failed In other instances, they not only covered the of lynchings comes at a time of “racial reckon-
Girl In an Elevator.” The Tulsa Race Massacre to hold government officials accountable by fire; they lit the fuse. ing” in newsrooms. The stories dive into the
was one of the deadliest acts of racist violence asking hard questions of the sheriffs, judg- “Printing Hate” examines white-owned country’s racist history, at a time when states
against Black people in U.S. history. es and other local law enforcement officials newspaper coverage of lynchings and massa- are passing laws to prevent that truth from
This project investigates the cumulative who stepped aside while white mobs attacked cres from the end of the Civil War in 1865 to being told, under the guise of banning the
effect of how newspaper headlines and edito- Black people. the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. teaching of critical race theory — designed to
rials incited racist terror and falsely accused This series found that the collective impact During those 100 years, thousands of Black be taught in law schools. The series begins at
Black people of crimes. The series uncovers of those accounts was devastating. Triggered people were murdered in massacres and a time when several major newspapers have
the widespread practice of publishing head- by front-page headlines, Black people were lynchings. In that same period, nearly 5,000 issued statements, acknowledging and apol-
lines that accelerated lynchings and massa- often dragged from their homes, ridiculed, racial terror lynchings of Black people oc- ogizing for racist coverage. “Printing Hate”
cres. That included newspapers announcing tormented and whipped with straps so sharp curred, according to a Howard Center analy- attempts to add to this discourse by providing
“Negro uprisings,” publishing uncorroborated their flesh was shredded. sis of the Beck-Tolnay inventory of Southern a more comprehensive review of that racist
stories of Black men accused of “assaulting” Sparked by reports, a white mob of more Lynch Victims and the Seguin-Rigby National historical newspaper coverage that incited
white women, and printing false allegations than 2,000 people in Salisbury, Maryland, Data Set of Lynchings in the United States. the deaths of thousands of Black people.
of arson and vagrancy — all in an attempt to pulled 23-year-old Matthew Williams from Lynchings were often public-spectacle exe-
justify racist terror inflicted on Black people. the “Negro ward” of the hospital, on Dec. cutions “carried out by lawless mobs, though
ROLLOUT
Many of the newspapers examined in this 4, 1931, threw him out the window, stabbed police officers did participate, under the “Printing Hate” will roll out over the next
project ran racist headlines, calling Black him with an ice pick, and dragged him to the pretext of justice,” according to the NAACP, three months, publishing to the University of
people “brutes,” “fiends” and “bad Negroes.” courthouse lawn. Before dousing him with which in 1919 published “Thirty Years of Maryland’s Capital News Service and How-
Newspapers across the South greeted readers gasoline, they cut off his fingers and toes, then Lynching in the United States, 1889-1919,” to
with “Hambone’s Meditations,” a racist car- drove to the Black side of town, where they promote awareness of the scope of lynching. See NEWSPAPERS on next page
www.theatlantavoice.com April 1 - 7, 2022 9
NEWSPAPERS olence anywhere,” Dunjee said.
C.R. Gibbs, a historian and author of “Black,
Continued from page 8
Copper, & Bright: The District of Columbia’s
Black Civil War Regiment,” said newspapers
ard Center website. It is set to be published often amplified community attitudes about
by Word In Black, a “groundbreaking collab- race and racism.
oration of the nation’s leading Black news “They provided the oil to throw on the fire
publishers,” and is scheduled to appear on of racial intolerance,” Gibbs said. “They es-
the National Association of Black Journalists’ sentially abandoned the cardinal rule of the
website. press to report fairly and accurately. When we
Over the course of these months, the project look at the vitriol splashed across newspapers
seeks to tell the story of the Black Americans across the country, when it came to race, they
who were betrayed by American newspapers, should still be liable for some sort of justice.
whose job should have been to report the facts These headlines had the real effect of taking
and circumstances fairly and accurately. people’s lives, of making people’s situations
Flag announcing another lynching. “A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY,” is flown from the that much worse time and time again. They
NEWSROOMS window of the NAACP headquarters on 69 Fifth Ave., New York City in 1936. (Everett Collec- were not fighters for truth and justice. They
“Printing Hate” contains interviews with tion/Shutterstock) were propagators of violence, oppression and
current newspaper editors who have issued nurtured by the city’s newspapers. The proj- many journalists in the Black press who — of- bloodshed.”
apologies and with those who have not. The ect includes a story about The Columbus Dis- ten despite threats to their lives — pursued the Victoria A. Ifatusin, a graduate student at
project examines how the U.S. government patch, which condoned the lynching of John truth about lynchings. This includes fearless the University of Maryland Philip Merrill Col-
failed to enact anti-lynching legislation to Gibson, published under the headline, “NE- anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells-Barnett; lege of Journalism, said working on the proj-
prevent the murder of Black people. GRO FIEND MEETS HIS FATE.” Walter White, who investigated lynchings for ect was a profound experience.
Readers will find interviews with descen- Readers will discover a report from a stu- the NAACP; Robert S. Abbott, founder of The “We talk about social injustices today and
dants of lynching victims, including an ac- dent journalist who dove into history and Chicago Defender, whose masthead prom- how Black people were treated back then
count of the lynching of William Henderson emerged with a story about the managing ed- ised “We Print THE TRUTH No Matter Whom quite often,” Ifatusin said. “But I don’t think
itor of The Atlanta Con- IT HURTS;” Simeon S. Booker Jr., the first that people, including me before this proj-
stitution and publisher Black reporter for The Washington Post, and ect, really understood how Black people were
of The Atlanta Journal, an award-winning journalist who covered the horrifically mistreated, to the point that their
“NEGRO UNDER SENTENCE TO civil rights movement for Jet and Ebony
HANG LYNCHED AT TALLAHASSEE” mag-
“Lynching C GRO”
“3,000 WILL BURN NE
– The Pensacola Journal, Pensacola, Fla., June 8, 1909
aused By Br
– The Times an
d Democrat,
utal Murder” Orleans, La.,
– The New Orleans States, New
Orangeburg,
S.C., July 14, June 26, 1919
vis
sa u lt O n W o m an Avenged–Da “FRIED OVER SLOW FIRE: “FIXED FOR A BARBECUE;
“The A s d –Mob Riddled
il A n d Ly n c h e Negro Commits the Unspeakable
Dragged From Ja u lle ts; Hung To Tree
Preparations to Roast Jim
vi sh e r W it h B Crime and Is Put to Death With Buchanan, Negro Murderer.
Negro Ra rl y H our This Morning
;
H ill A t E a Horrible Torture; MOB GLOATS
On Brickyard T h e Crowd–Said He
Had the Mob Secured Him
e d B e fo re OVER FIENDISH BARBARITY”
Brute Confess at Nacogdoches This was to
er Her As Well” – Herald Democrat, Sherman,
Intended To Murdpolis, Md., Dec. 21, 1906
l, Anna
Texas, May 23, 1902 Have Been the Programme”
– Evening Capita – The Southern Mercury, Dallas,
Texas, Oct. 16, 1902
who ran for governor on platforms champi- azines; Moses Newson, a reporter for the lives were taken just for their skin color. And
Foote, who was killed by a mob in Yazoo City, oning the fallacy of white supremacy. Tri-State Defender in Memphis and the Bal- newspapers, a medium of truth, aided in that
Mississippi, in 1883. He was the first Black fed- The Atlanta Journal wrote an editorial in timore Afro-American, who covered the 1955 mistreatment. As a young reporter, it deeply
eral officer to die in the line of duty, “defend- 1906 in support of “the legal disenfranchise- trial of the white men who lynched Emmett hurts to know that reporters of this time who
ing the rule of law in protection of a citizen’s ment of 223,000 male negroes of voting age in Till in Mississippi. were meant to seek truth, deliberately printed
basic civil right,” the Bureau of Alcohol, To- Georgia.” The Journal claimed to support the Roscoe Dunjee, the founder and publisher false information that harmed Black people.
bacco, Firearms and Explosives determined. disenfranchisement of Black men because of The Black Dispatch newspaper in Oklaho- This only contributes to the passion I have for
The series showcases compelling narratives “we are the superior race and do not intend to ma City and a fearless crusader for justice, journalism in efforts to tell stories truthfully
of those impacted by newspaper accounts, in- be ruled by our semi barbaric inferiors.” wrote in a 1919 editorial that white editors without creating harm to anyone.”
cluding the 1908 case of Annie Walker, who The “Printing Hate” package of stories across the country — including at The New The stories, headlines, photos, editorials
begged “night riders” for mercy before she sweeps west to the blood-soaked cotton fields York Times and The Washington Post — and cartoons detailed in the “Printing Hate”
was killed, according to a report in the Public of Elaine, Arkansas, where newspapers inac- should cease printing inflammatory head- series may hit readers in the gut because of
Ledger newspaper in Kentucky. curately reported in 1919 that Black people in lines and false reports about Black people, the cumulative effect of the resulting racist
The project features a timeline, written by a Elaine were engaged in an “uprising” against which Dunjee wrote incited racist violence. terror lynchings and massacres. The pack-
visiting professional, which connects the dots white people. Those headlines were essential- As evidence, he cited a July 1919 Washington age of stories is unflinching. But it is required
between racial terror massacres and lynch- ly dog-whistle calls to white people in Arkan- Post headline that provided the precise time, reading because the role some white-owned
ings, and failed attempts by Congress to pass sas, Mississippi, Tennessee and surrounding date and location where white mobs would newspapers played in inciting racist terror
anti-lynching legislation. states to descend on Elaine and literally hunt “mobilize” near the White House to continue lynchings and massacres against Black peo-
“Printing Hate” includes a story explaining and kill Black people. attacks on Black people during the D.C. Mas- ple in America is undeniable.
how white-owned newspapers conspired to In “Printing Hate,” students write how the sacre of 1919, which left as many as 39 people Vanessa Sanchez and Brittany Gaddy con-
destroy a political party in Danville, Virgin- press covered jazz great Billie Holiday when dead. tributed to this report.
ia, coverage of the lynching of Sank Majors she sang about “Strange Fruit”; how lynching “As long as editors encourage lawlessness DeNeen L. Brown is an associate professor
and the inhumanity of Waco, Texas, where photos and postcards were used by the media as cynically as the editor of The Washington of journalism at the University of Maryland.
massive public lynchings of Black men were to foment terror; and about the courage of Post, there can be no hope of averting mob vi-
10 April 1 - 7, 2022 www.theatlantavoice.com
NEWS BRIEFS
$1.1B GEORGIA REFUNDS COULD ensure that insurers provide the same level Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from and eight months in prison, followed by five
BEGIN IN WEEKS AS KEMP SIGNS of benefits for mental health disorders as Macon, said Monday that local prosecutors years of supervised release. He had pleaded
LAW they do for physical illness. It would also pro- have trouble going after gang operations guilty in September to a charge of distribut-
vide forgivable loans for people who become that go beyond their jurisdictions. The attor- ing heroin.
ATLANTA (AP) - Special state income tax mental health workers. It was approved ney general's office would also pursue gang
refunds paid out of Georgia's historic budget nearly unanimously by the state House ear- activity in prisons, he said. ATLANTA AIRPORT TO REPLACE
surplus could be on their way to taxpayers lier this month. X-RAY MACHINES WITH NEW
in six to eight weeks, after Gov. Brian Kemp The Senate Health and Human Services BILL TO LET GEORGIA PARENTS SCANNERS
on Wednesday signed the $1.1 billion refund Committee on Monday approved changes REJECT KIDS' MASKS HEADS TO
plan into law. to a section that tries to make sure insurers KEMP ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta's airport plans to
House Bill 1302 will give a $250 refund to provide the same level of benefits for depres- ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia lawmakers gave spend $55 million to replace X-ray machines
single filers, $375 to single adults who head sion, anxiety and other mental disorders as The ban would last for five years until June at the main security checkpoint with more
a household with dependents and $500 to they do for other medical conditions. The 30, 2027, although lawmakers have acknowl- advanced scanners to screen carry-on bags.
married couples filing jointly. The refund committee's version also changed a section edged that a governor could override it if a Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport of-
would only be paid to people who filed tax aimed at forcing people into treatment. If the public health emergency is declared. ficials say the new technology will generate
returns for both the 2020 and 2021 tax years. full Senate approves those changes, they will Democrats said the measure responded higher quality images for security screen-
People who have already filed their 2021 go to the state House for consideration. to the demands of a noisy minority, sacrific- ers and could reduce congestion in security
taxes, which are due April 18 without an ing collective safety. Many of Georgia's 180 lines, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution re-
extension, would get money back in a sepa- GEORGIA SENATE PASSES BILL TO school districts never had a mask mandate, ported.
rate payment later. People who haven't filed BOOST GANG PROSECUTIONS and of those that did, almost all have dropped While X-ray machines generate 2-D imag-
yet may see the money applied to whatever them since January as cases of COVID-19 es of bags, the new computed tomography
refund they are due or payment they owe, ATLANTA (AP) - A bill that would give have fallen. One that still has a mandate is scanners can create 3-D images that can be
depending on how quickly the state Depart- Georgia's attorney general the authority to the 52,000-student Clayton County district rotated and viewed at different angles. The
ment of Revenue and tax preparers can make prosecute gang crimes statewide is headed to in Atlanta's southern suburbs. new scanners can detect explosives, includ-
changes. the governor's desk. The state Senate passed ing liquid explosives.
House Bill 1134 on Monday by a vote of 50 MAN GETS 15 YEARS FOR SELLING The installation is expected to begin in
GEORGIA SENATORS ADVANCE to 5. The state House approved the measure HEROIN THAT KILLED STUDENT October, according to the Transportation
MENTAL HEALTH BILL WITH in February. Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to ATLANTA (AP) - An Atlanta man has Security Administration. It will be done in
CHANGES sign it. Under the bill, a new unit within the been sentenced to serve more than 15 years phases, and it could take 18 months to two
ATLANTA (AP) - A state Senate committee attorney general's office would have concur- in prison for selling heroin that caused a years to complete the job, airport officials
on Monday advanced a version of a sweeping rent authority with local prosecutors to bring college student's overdose death, federal said.
bill that aims to improve Georgia's dismal gang cases. The governor's budget funds the prosecutors said. DeAngelo Copeland, 37,
mental health care system. HB 1013 seeks to unit. was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 15 years
EMPLOYMENT
Lawsuit says Google discriminates against Black workers
BY BARBARA ORTUTAY viewed Black job candidates ``through
AP Technology Writer harmful racial stereotypes`` and claimed
A former Google employee sued the tech that hiring managers deemed Black candi-
giant for racial discrimination, saying it en- dates ``not `Googly' enough, a plain dog
gages in a ``pattern and practice'' of unfair whistle for race discrimination.''
treatment for its Black workers. The suit In addition, according to the suit, inter-
claims the company steered them into low- viewers ``hazed'' and undermined Black
er-level and lower-paid jobs and subjected candidates and hired Black candidates into
them to a hostile work environment if they lower-paying and lower-level roles with less
speak out. advancement potential based on their race
April Curley was hired in 2014 to recruit and racial stereotypes.
Black candidates for the company. Her law- Curley and others, according to the suit,
suit, filed on Friday in U.S. District Court for were often ``pigeon-holed into dead-end
the Northern District of California in San jobs.''
Jose, claims she was unlawfully fired in 2020 The lawsuit states that Google, which
after she began speaking out and ``called hired Curley specifically to recruit Black
for reform of the barriers and double stan- candidates for the company, wanted her to
dards Google imposed on Black employees As a result, the lawsuit continues, Black in 2020 after a dispute over a research paper ``quietly put on a good face for the compa-
and applicants,'' according to the lawsuit. employees are paid less, advance less and examining the societal dangers of an emerg- ny and toe the company line.`` Instead, ac-
``Pursuant to its strong, racially biased often leave the company. ing branch of artificial intelligence. cording to the suit, she was a champion for
corporate culture, Google is engaged in a A representative for Google did not imme- At the time, Gebru posted on Twitter that Black employees and Black students who
pattern and practice of race discrimination diately respond to a message for comment she was fired but Google told employees she ``vocally opposed and called for reform of
against its African American and Black em- on Monday. resigned. More than 1,200 Google employ- the barriers and double standards Google
ployees,'' the complaint states. ``Google's The lawsuit, which seeks class action sta- ees signed on to an open letter calling the imposed on Black employees and appli-
centralized leadership, which is nearly de- tus, echoes years of complaints from Black incident ``unprecedented research censor- cants.''
void of Black representation, holds biased employees at the company. That includes ship'' and faulting the company for racism In response, the complaint says, Google
and stereotypical views about the abilities prominent artificial intelligence scholar and defensiveness. ``unlawfully marginalized, undermined,
and potential of Black professionals.'' Timnit Gebru, who said she was pushed out Curley's lawsuit claims the company and ultimately terminated'' Curley.You can also read
