Author: On Common Ground News

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) has announced his support of H.R. 266, the $484 billion Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which will now go to the President’s desk for his signature. Johnson was in the Chamber and voted in support of the bill. “Unfortunately, some of the funds allocated to the Paycheck Protection Program in the first CARES Act were made accessible to large corporations,” said Johnson. “These are businesses that were going to float, but still grabbed all the life vests, leaving small-and medium-sized businesses to drown. Critically, in this supplemental package, we must…

By Rev. Dr. Billie Boyd-Cox Conyers, GA  The governor’s asinine enticement of reopening small businesses is another weapon of mass destruction.  It’s lynching. It’s Jim Crow. It’s slavery. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, as of April 20, there were 19,398 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 3,702 people hospitalized and 774 deaths and of those 774 deaths, 422 were black men and women. There are now 500 new confirmed cases. It is not safe to be anywhere other than inside your home.  But this move, this maneuver by the governor is not about our safety. It’s deeper than that.  Last…

  Bishop Reginald T. Jackson Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church I have issued a directive to the more that 520 AME churches in the Sixth Episcopal District, which comprises the State of Georgia, that none of our churches are to gather for services on this coming Sunday morning. This decision by the governor puts economic interest above the safety and well-being of the citizens of Georgia. There is no data which justifies or gives credibility to the governor’s decision. Over the last…

By State Rep. Viola Davis I am a critical care nurse with over 20 years experience, elected official, and a prior business owner of a hair salon with my late sister, located in DeKalb County. I, along with Representatives Donna McLeod and  Mary Robichaux, reviewed the Safety Guidelines for Reopening Barber and Cosmetology Salons and the OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplace for COVID-19 referenced in press releases. I have several concerns about the safety guidelines issued to salon owners: The first step in reducing or eliminating the risks of Coronavirus in a hair salon or barbershop is to train all employees…

Georgia lawmakers will resume the 2020 session on June 11, Speaker David Ralston has announced. The session has been suspended since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ralston said in a letter to Georgia’s House of Representatives that the priority will be to pass the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

STONECREST—As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reopens businesses today, Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary is making sure that healthcare providers have the protective gear they need to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Lary will be joined at City Hall today at 11:30 a.m. by hospital executives, county officials, council members and other community leaders in presenting a donation of 5,000 protective masks to Emory Hillandale Hospital. “We have got to get a hold of this testing  before we, in good faith, can tell our residents the coast is clear,” said Lary. “Minority communities are being severely impacted by this pandemic and this city is…

Reopening businesses is modern black lynching By Rev. Dr. Billie Boyd-Cox Conyers, GA  The governor’s asinine enticement of reopening small businesses is another weapon of mass destruction.  It’s lynching. It’s Jim Crow. It’s slavery. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, as of April 20, there were 19,398 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 3,702 people hospitalized and 774 deaths and of those 774 deaths, 422 were black men and women. There are now 500 new confirmed cases. It is not safe to be anywhere other than inside your home.  But this move, this maneuver by the governor is not…

Georgia’s NAACP branches are calling on community leaders and the public to defy Gov. Brian Kemp’s order to begin incrementally reopening businesses across the state on Friday, April 24. Kemp issued an executive order on Monday, April 20, to reopen hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, tattoo parlors, spas, fitness centers and bowling alleys on April 24. Dine-in restaurants, movie theaters and private clubs will reopen on April 27.  Bars, nightclubs, live performance venues will remain closed. The NAACP said Georgia suffered its highest daily death toll for Covid-19 to date on the same day Kemp issued the April 20…

After a nationwide search, the DeKalb County Board of Education has named Dr. Rudy Crew as the sole finalist in the search for a new superintendent. During his career, Crew has served as chancellor of the New York City Board of Education, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the state of Oregon’s first-ever chief education officer. Most recently, Crew served as president of Medgar Evers College, a public college in New York City, for seven years. “We heard from the community that it was paramount the candidate have deep experience as an educator, an administrator and a partner to…

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond issued an executive order, effective April 24 at 12 a.m., to lay out a path forward from the COVID-19 emergency for businesses, residents and citizens. The order does not conflict with state orders, and provides a 30-day transition plan for the county. The order, Thurmond said, may be amended as necessary in order to adapt to the ever-changing health and economic situation in DeKalb County. “As we address the health issues of the pandemic, we cannot ignore the economic impact,” said CEO Thurmond. “Even as we flatten the curve, we cannot become overly comfortable and…