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Summer means downtime and time to relax with friends. On June 6th several of my House colleagues were able to come over for badminton and a casual supper.
From L to R, in back: Representatives Beth Moore, Erick Allen (running for Lt. Governor!), Dr. Jasmine Clark, and Shelley Hutchinson. In front: Representatives Viola Davis, me, Josh McLaurin. I regret to report that in our badminton game, Gwinnett and N. Fulton won over DeKalb and Cobb! All in good fun!
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Happy Summer to you! Isn't it wonderful to be able to gather again face to face with our dear friends and family? I do hope you are able to take time to relax.
However, summer is also a great time to learn, reflect, and take action if you are able. Today's newsletter includes the following topics: Redistricting, Critical Race Theory, Science for Georgia Education & Workforce Panels, COVID Vaccine, Juneteenth, and more. There are opportunities for your voice to be heard! Take a look!
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Legislative Town Halls Announced - First is Tonight!
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This map shows the political leanings of Georgia's congressional districts around metro Atlanta. Redistricting set to happen in 2021 could alter the map considerably. [credit to GPB].
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The House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee, chaired by State Representative Bonnie Rich (R-Suwanee), and the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, chaired by State Senator John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), will hold a series of virtual and in-person hearings on redistricting across the state. All meetings are from 5 to 7pm. The first of these is a virtual meeting today, Tuesday, June 15.
During this virtual town hall-style hearing, members of the committees will hear and receive input from residents regarding the state’s reapportionment process. The meeting will begin with a short video explaining the redistricting process. 60 citizens will be allowed two minutes each for public testimony. The slots are filled for this meeting. To watch a live stream of this meeting, please visit here.
These hearings are a critical tool to make your voices heard. Thank you to those that have signed up to speak on June 15 for your community and advocate for fair representation. Stay tuned for sign ups to speak at the Atlanta in person Town Hall on June 28, which will be at the State Capitol, or the July 30 Virtual Town Hall.
To learn what makes an effective legislative testimony, check out Fair District's Public Hearing Testimony Toolkit.
| Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee Joint Public Hearings: |
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June 15 - Virtual
June 28 - Atlanta - State Capitol
June 29 - Cumming
June 30 - Dalton
July 6 - Athens
July 7 - Augusta |
July 26 - Brunswick
July 27 - Albany
July 28 - Columbus
July 29 - Macon
July 30 - Virtual |
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Redistricting in Georgia: A Conversation on Landmark Litigation and Legislation
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This is the one we've been waiting for!
Join Fair Districts GA and Princeton Gerrymandering Project as they present their findings in Georgia Redistricting: 2000-2020.
At this town hall, we’ll be presenting the results of our 20-year history study with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, and we’ll also be promoting the use of non-partisan, independent benchmarks by the legislature for creating fair maps in the fall. Join us for this informative discussion. |
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I recently stumbled upon this excellent article from April 15 by Stephen Fowler of GPB and recommend it to you: Reapportionment: Reporting Recipe: How To Be A Redistricting Watchdog.
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Science for Georgia - Education and Workforce Speaker Series
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This past session I met Science for Georgia leaders and we agreed that the success of Georgia's future science and technology workforce depends on improving our state's education, starting with improving our state's literacy rate. I recommend to you their Education & Workforce Panel Series which will kick off virtually this Wednesday. Lt Gov Geoff Duncan, Stephanie Blank, Superintendent Looney, and Chris Clark from the GA Chamber of Commerce will all participate in the upcoming months.
Please Register for the panels and learn more here: https://bit.ly/GAEduWork21
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TALKING ABOUT RACE IN SCHOOLS IS NOT DANGEROUS OR RACIST.
TALKING ABOUT RACE IN SCHOOLS IS NOT ANTI-AMERICAN.
NOT TALKING ABOUT RACE IN SCHOOLS SUPPRESSES HISTORY AND PERPETUATES WHITE SUPREMACY.
[credit to Alliance for Social Justice]
The State Board of Education in Georgia voted 11-2 to pass a resolution last Thursday, June 10 that seeks to silence those who have experienced racism.
Under this resolution, conversations in the classroom about our country's history will be censored and stifled. Race-based inequality and white supremacy -- where the feelings of white people are dominant -- will be perpetuated.
The resolution is based on a false understanding of Critical Race Theory, which wasn't even mentioned in the resolution according to the AJC. If the BOE writes elements of the resolution into regulation, then teachers could be disciplined for violating it.
The State BOE is meeting this week on June 16 and 17 to decide what rules to codify.
Call or email the BOE and ask them to:
1. Rescind this resolution AND state that you are opposed to codifying the resolution. Further, please explain that you are aware this was a copy and paste resolution that is being duplicated in other states around the country. This is not good for Georgia education and this is not how policy should be made for Georgians.
2. Notice for the meeting to vote on the resolution was insufficient and did not offer enough time for notifying communities. There wasn't a sufficient comment period before the meeting. We demand another hearing on the matter. That hearing must include curriculum practitioners and school psychologists/counselors who can fully explain how the changes would affect our current curriculum and how changes would affect working with children of all cultures.
Video of the meeting (you can forward through to hear the speakers who knew of this meeting when the general public did not). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ve95vsYO4
Contact information for the state Board of Education that you can copy and paste into an email: state.superintendent@doe.k12.ga.us, mlong@doe.k12.ga.us, dmosely@doe.k12.ga.us, hrice@doe.k12.ga.us , kmason@doe.k12.ga.us, ssweeney@doe.k12.ga.us, mroyal@doe.k12.ga.us , jdowney@doe.k12.ga.us, martha.zoller@doe.k12.ga.us, stanley.dejarnett@doe.k12.ga.us, scjohnson@doe.k12.ga.us , matt.donaldson@doe.k12.ga.us, leonte.benton@doe.k12.ga.us, phenna.petty@doe.k12.ga.us, tpendley@atlanta.k12.ga.us
The resolution can be found here: https://www.gadoe.org/.../State-Board.../Pages/default.aspx
And here is a great Georgia WIN List toolkit for what you can do: https://gawinlist.com/make-your-voice-heard-on-critical-race-theory/
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!
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41.3% of Georgians have at least one dose of the vaccine, and 33.9% are fully vaccinated. June is a critical month of action as we strive to achieve the 70% goal by July 4th. Please take a look at these great resources "We Can Do This!" to see how you can help. The vaccine is in plentiful supply - go here to easily find a location near you for an appointment or walk in.
I listened to this podcast interviewing behavioral scientists on how to motivate or persuade people. It was helpful because they basically said that people are really lazy - we think that all these unvaccinated people are purposely choosing not to get vaccinated, but if they are lazy, we need to make it as easy as possible for them! The one message that stood out among all the rest in their testing was: "A Vaccine has been reserved for you! Come and get it!". So if a loved one hasn't yet gotten a vaccine, consider making the appointment for them and then texting or telling them that. They also said a little bit of nagging or nudging and positive peer pressure - you should come to the party like everyone else - could also be effective.
You can learn more about Georgia and Covid-19 at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.
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On June 8th I had the pleasure of joining a few of my fellow House colleagues touring The Ray, learning about how we can innovate and improve the safety, ecology and beauty of our highways and public right of way, like putting solar arrays and planting pollinators under them, using rubber asphalt on road, and so much more.
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NH SCOTT PARK COMMUNITY WORKDAY - THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS
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Thank you for the opportunity to serve as our representative. And for those that are able, thank you for taking action. Happy summer to you and your family!
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Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 83rd House District, DeKalb County
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