Author: On Common Ground News

The week of Nov. 9-13 will be “Black Lives Matter at DeKalb Schools Week of Action 2020” in the DeKalb County School District (DCSD). The weeklong event features daily Black Lives Matter school-based instructional activities, including a social media celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a celebration of Black-owned businesses in DeKalb County, the My Brother’s Keeper Kickoff, a “My Black is Beautiful Unity Day,” and a student-led panel discussion. The Board of Education adopted the resolution for Black Lives Matter At DeKalb Schools Week of Action 2020 on July 13, 2020. The goal of this week is to spark on ongoing…

Rep. Doug Collins As President-elect Joe Biden celebrates his historic victory with a commanding lead across the U.S., President Donald Trump has refused to concede. Trump’s campaign announced this evening (Nov. 8) that Rep. Doug Collins, District 9, will lead Georgia’s recount effort as soon as canvassing has concluded.  Trump’s campaign also said Trump plans to head to court on Monday(Nov. 9) to challenge the elections. “We are concerned about the lack of transparency in the tabulation process, especially given the reports of irregularities and improper ballot harvesting in Georgia,” said Matt Morgan, Trump 2020 general counsel. “In order for Americans to…

WAShINGTON, D.C—The Faith in Action Fund is crediting voter mobilization in Black and Brown communities in playing a key role in the Nov. 3 victories of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, along with the approval of ballot issues in four states. Faith in Action said its Rise + Vote initiative, a comprehensive voter education, registration, and mobilization campaign, helped to encourage communities often politically redlined to turn out to the polls. Faith in Action Fund leaders worked to mobilize voters on 10 ballot measures in five states and eight sheriffs’ races in five states. “We deserve to…

By Wanda Taliaferro-Young DeKalb County resident and Voter This message is for all the young voters of color, particularly young black men. You have always believed your one vote did not matter. On November 3, 2020, you put that angst aside and showed up and showed out with your vote and look what you contributed to the 2020 Presidential Election. YOU made the difference!! I was one of nine poll workers assigned to a small precinct located off a barely noticeable side street  with two public bus stops, plenty of trees and obvious street sign challenges. To no…

Nse Ufot, CEO of The New Georgia Project Action Fund, issued the following statement in a news release regarding the victory of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris: “Today, we are celebrating several victories of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We are also celebrating that the country is finally realizing what we always knew that Georgia is a Battleground State and must be taken seriously. I’m proud that the dedicated team at the New Georgia Project played a large role in this victory by registering over 50,000 voters and protecting our democracy. For many, this is…

ATLANTA — Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, announced their support for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the run-off elections for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, which will take place on Jan. 5, 2021. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed Ossoff and Warnock ahead of the Nov.3 election. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund spent more than $4.2 million in Georgia this cycle, including $3 million to support Rep. Lucy McBath, a former employee of Everytown and volunteer with Moms Demand Action, in Georgia’s 6th Congressional…

DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) has announced early voting has begun for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District special election runoff between Kwanza Hall and Robert Franklin. The winner will fill the remainder of the late Congressman John Lewis’ term for one month through Jan. 3, 2021. Voters elected Democrat Nikema Williams on Nov. 3 to fill the full two-year term that Congressman Lewis, who died on July 17 at the age of 80, had held since 1987. Lewis had announced in late 2019 that he was battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Williams defeated Republican Angela Stanton-King in a…

State Rep. Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), chair of the DeKalb County House Ethics Committee, commends the recent approval of House Bill 1243, which was approved through a local ballot referendum with a margin of 87 percent. Passed during the 2020 legislative session, HB 1243 updates the codes for the DeKalb County Board of Ethics. “It is a blessing to have the ethics referendum pass by a large margin, showing the taxpayers and voters’ approval,” said Rep. Davis. “I have worked on this issue for more than 15 years as an activist, missionary and government watchdog. With the help of the…

Atlanta — Following Senator David Perdue’s failure to reach the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Nikema Williams released the following statement: “Following a significant performance by Jon Ossoff, it’s clear that Senator Perdue will remain below the threshold needed to avoid a runoff as ballots continue to be counted, forcing Perdue to once again confront his disastrous record of working to strip away health care from Georgia families. Perdue has spent months avoiding Georgians, has refused to take accountability for his dangerous record of corruption and downplaying the threat of the coronavirus, and has used divisive,…

Josie Mae Summers, mother of On Common Ground News’ Publisher Glenn L. Morgan, passed away today after a long illness. She died on her 93rd birthday in an Okeechobee, Florida nursing home where she had lived for over 10 years after suffering a stroke. Mr. Morgan’s older brother and sister-in-law, Mitchell and Jackie Summers, lovingly kept watch over “Mama Jo” during her stay at the nursing home. Before her illness, “Mama Jo” frequently took trips from Arcadia, Florida, her hometown, to visit Atlanta, where she spent time with her son, Glenn, daughter-in-law Valerie, and their children, Myles and Mackenzie Morgan. Mama…