It was a moment Georgia State University alum Jaylan Scott had been anticipating for months, if not years. The 22-year-old Macon native was working remotely from his Johns Creek home when President Joe Biden announced his executive order canceling at least $10,000 in student loan debt for college graduates who earn less than $125,000 a […]
Chauncey Alcorn
Chauncey Alcorn is Capital B Atlanta's state and local politics reporter.
Posted inVoting
Black Voting Rights Activists Struggling With Burnout, Lack of Funding
Community organizer Hannah Gebresilassie is tired, but undeterred. On any given week, Gebresilassie and her fellow activists with Protect the Vote GA, a nonpartisan voter engagement nonprofit, spend an estimated 20 to 30 hours working to ensure Black and brown Georgians have equal access to the ballot box. That’s on top of the 40 hours […]
Posted inVoting
How LaTosha Brown Is Rewriting the Playbook for Engaging Black Voters
LaTosha Brown has spent the last quarter century focused on community organizing and other political work in the South. Brown is the 51-year-old voting rights activist and multitasking grandmother from Selma, Alabama, who co-founded Black Voters Matter in 2012 along with fellow activist Cliff Albright. BVM is a nonpartisan voting rights and community empowerment organization that engages […]
Posted inVoting
Black Voters in Conyers and Stonecrest Talk Inflation Woes and Midterm Election Hopes
EDITOR’S NOTE Before, during and after the Nov. 8 midterm election in Georgia, Capital B Atlanta will be speaking with Black voters to hear your thoughts and share your stories. From the campaign trail to local events, “What Black Voters Are Saying” wants to document the issues most important to you. Want to share your […]
Posted inHousing, Money
Facing Eviction, Forest at Columbia Residents Meet with DeKalb Commissioner
Tenants from Forest at Columbia — the Panthersville-based apartment complex at the center of an alleged illegal eviction controversy — have gained new allies in their fight to keep their homes. DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson arranged for staffers from the county’s Community Development Department to visit Forest at Columbia on Aug. 5, less than […]
Posted inHousing, Money
‘An Illegal Eviction’: Forest at Columbia Residents Feel Blindsided By Ownership
Freshly packed and stacked cardboard boxes formed a pile in front of the wall-mounted television inside Cynthia Arnold’s living room. The 68-year-old grandmother had “Sanford and Son” on the tube, but it was harder than usual for her to watch with medical gauze taped over her lacerated right eye. It’s an injury Arnold said she […]
Posted inHousing, Money
A Guide to Atlanta’s NPU System
The city of Atlanta’s 2023 fiscal year budget feedback and approval process is over, but you can still have a say in how your tax dollars are spent. How, you ask? Neighborhood Planning Units, aka NPUs. NPUs are advisory councils designed to amplify the voices of city residents, giving them a way to express their […]
Posted inElections
How Bee Nguyen Plans to Protect Black Voting Rights
Bee Nguyen, the Democratic nominee for Georgia secretary of state, is fighting an uphill battle in her matchup against GOP incumbent Brad Raffensperger, but she remains optimistic she can win. It’s been 15 years since a Democrat held the role. Raffensperger, who was elected in 2018, has received some bipartisan praise and additional support from […]
Posted inElections
Why The Race for Georgia Labor Commissioner is So Crucial for Black Voters
William Boddie Jr. says the Georgia Department of Labor has done a poor job serving Black residents in recent years. The Democratic state representative says he has plans to change that after November’s midterm election, with the help of Georgia voters. Boddie, a 45-year-old Atlanta native who lives in East Point, is running against Republican […]
Posted inUncategorized
How Warnock is Supporting a Pro-Black Agenda on Capitol Hill
In December, during a plane ride home for the holidays, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock received two memorable, written requests from the young Black couple sitting in the seats in front of him. The first was for an autograph for the couple’s toddler-age son. The second was for Warnock to find a way to cancel student […]
