| Hi Jason,
During Black History Month, I've been reflecting on the Black educators and civic leaders who made Georgia's democracy possible. Long before it was protected or fair.
They didn't just believe in participation.
They taught it. Organized it. And fought for it.
You might not know their names, but we all still benefit from their efforts today.
People like Clarence Bacote, who educated and registered thousands of Black voters in Atlanta in the 1940s and helped transform that participation into real political power. As the first director of NAACP citizenship schools in Atlanta, he believed that understanding government was the foundation of democracy.
Or Alice Dugged Cary, who established the first free kindergartens for Black children in Atlanta and Macon, led Morris Brown College, and organized Black women across Georgia to advance education and civic life.
Or Myra Payne Elliott, Iris Mae Welch, and Barbara Pace Hunt who sued the state of Georgia after being denied admission to public higher education, helping dismantle discrimination and expand opportunity for generations to come.
And Barbara Harper, who lived through the early days of school integration in Atlanta and helped show the truth when black kids were forced to prove they were "worthy" of equal education with white kids. They tested her - and she aced it.
These individuals understood something essential: democracy only works when people are educated, organized, and empowered to participate.
As a former middle school Social Studies teacher, this history matters deeply to me. And it reminds us that the work of protecting and expanding democracy is never finished. Georgia's progress didn't happen by accident. It happened because Black educators and civic leaders refused to accept exclusion and kept pushing forward.
As I reflect on that history, I also recognize the moment we're in now. I have the opportunity to become Georgia's first Black governor. If that happens, it won't be because of me alone. It will be because I stand on the shoulders of giants like the leaders above, and so many others who expanded opportunity, protected dignity, and opened doors that were once sealed shut.
This Black History Month, we honor those who built the foundation and recommit ourselves to carrying their work forward. I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on how your own life has been shaped by Black leaders — named and unnamed — who made progress possible. And maybe, together, we can make a little more history of our own.
I'm grateful you're part of that work with me.
Onward,
Jason |
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