Why is georgia so racist

He blames the press for doing a poor job explaining the law, which in his view has allowed people to distort and exaggerate it. Local poll officials can provide water. Democrats have focused on that part in fundraising messaging: "[That's] one thing in particular that gets my blood boiling," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in a party fundraising message this week.

But defenders of the bill say this merely reinforces existing Georgia laws — which already made it illegal to give voters presents or to campaign within 25 feet of a voting line. For example, Starbucks was forced to cancel a national promotion in where it offered voters coffee after an uproar in Georgia and elsewhere. Sterling said people have been using food and refreshments to approach voters in line and to campaign there, which he called illegal. On that last point, some observers fear this is the true time bomb ticking in this bill — a threat to fair elections that risks detonating when American democracy is already vulnerable.

You might recall how Sterling's boss, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, stood up to Trump in a tense phone call , defending his state's certification of the election.

Raffensperger is now stripped of his role as chair of the state elections board. A majority of the board will now be appointed by the Republican-controlled legislature. In addition to that, the board has been given power to suspend local election officials if they violate election procedure.

This raises the prospect of power struggles between Democratic officials in Atlanta and Republican state-level officials. State officials came under sweltering pressure from angry Republican voters who demanded the results be overturned.

Animated by a steady diet of conspiracy theories, these voters wanted Trump declared the winner. There were even death threats against officials in control of state institutions.

It took individual acts from independent-minded officials to ensure the results got certified. Terence Moore. So, sports leagues with teams in Georgia should go back to the future, emulating the time when they stopped giving cities and states huge events Super Bowls, Final Fours and league All-Star Games that stimulate the local economy, even before political wokeness became a thing.

As for the bill's lowlights, these two measures standout:. Read More. New identification requirements for absentee voters, despite reports that more than , Georgia voters lack a driver's license or state ID number.

This measure will push voters to scramble to show proof of identity through other means like a utility bill, bank statement, passport, among others. Under the new law, giving food and water to those waiting in line to vote is now illegal. This may discourage Black Georgia voters, who historically wait in longer lines than non-minorities and often in hot weather.

As activists and leaders grapple with these actions, industries and groups including the sports world can join the fight. Atlanta likes getting sports stuff.

Just stop giving Atlanta sports stuff. And we also need the Supreme Court to do its job in vindicating minority rights against the tyranny of white supremacy and systemic racism.

Andre M. Higher Education The student debt burden and its impact on racial justice, borrowers, and the economy Adam Looney.

Essay To expand the economy, invest in Black businesses Andre M. Perry and Carl Romer. Related Topics th U. Metro Areas U.

When my parents went to the closing table, the sellers tried to abort the sale. When their attempt failed, they returned to their former neighborhood to apologize to their neighbors for selling to an African American family. When we arrived to move in, we were met with the face of white flight. As scarring as that memory is, it also fostered in me the notion that all of the people who were intolerant of African Americans were gone.

They had moved to the distant suburbs, leaving behind an oasis for African Americans and those that did not fear living with us.

This is a whites-only establishment for Jesus Christ! Thoughts flooded my mind. There were no cameras in the restroom. It would be my word against theirs. Who would believe me? I could feel my heart beating.

I could hear my breaths. My mind told me not to open the door. My mind told me I had to open the door. I was thinking much too fast. I was thinking too slowly. I opened the door expecting to be attacked. Appearing before me was the antithesis of the stereotypical image of a racist. This racist was a young white male, barely out of his 20s. This racist had movie star looks. This racist was well-groomed. This racist had no hint of a Southern accent.

After staring at me for what seemed like an eternity, he walked past me. I just wanted Atlanta to be the progressive city I thought it was three minutes earlier. When I returned to the table, I explained to my friends what had just transpired.