Democracy Dreamin' | 1

Back in 1995, Outkast’s Andre 3000 declared, “The South got something to say.” That statement rings even truer today. So what is Atlanta telling us? As we close a season full of diverse voices, stories and hard truths about Atlanta and the region, two things become clear. Atlanta isn’t perfect. Yet it may provide the inspiration we need to get through the times we find ourselves in, and emerge, collectively, stronger and better.

There’s a very real tension between the Atlanta metro area, home to more than half the population of Georgia, and lawmakers and officials in the State Capitol. How can activists and communities achieve their policy goals and aspirations for democracy at the state level, where so many decisions are made? And what strategies – old and new – can the rest of the country learn from people working on the ground in Georgia?

So many of Atlanta’s achievements have been made possible by the alignment of race, place, and power to advance a more inclusive democracy. But that progress may be under threat. In this chapter, we explore what the changing composition of the city and the metro area means for power across the region and the state. Featured Guests: Founder and Chief Equity Officer for Partnership for Southern Equity, Nathaniel Smith, Activist and Managing Director of Women Donors Action, Hillary Holley, Executive Director of the Housing Justice League, Alison Johnson, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Director, Development & Design at The Guild, Antariksh Tandon, Director of the Community Stewardship Trust at The Guild, Avery Ebron, Community strategist and activist Grace Choi, and Author, historian and professor Dr. Maurice Hobson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moral conviction was the core of the Civil Rights Movement and still drives many Atlanta activists and leaders. In this chapter, we explore the values, fortitude, and open-hearted faith that helped Atlanta emerge from the brutality of Jim Crow to build a thriving, inclusive city and continue striving for justice, and what the whole country can learn about creating a moral democracy that is true to its ideals and its people.

Is Atlanta’s reputation as a Black Mecca real or simply good marketing? Or both? In this chapter: how the long legacy of Black leadership transformed Atlanta into a world-class city, and how hip-hop has been a voice for those left behind. Featured Guests: Historian and professor Dr. Maurice Hobson, Atlanta Influences Everything co-founder Bem Joiner, Activist and community organizer Nsé Ufot, Visual artist Marryam Moma, Founder and Chief Equity Officer for Partnership for Southern Equity, Nathaniel Smith, Author and journalist Charles Blow, Executive Director of Housing Justice League, Alison Johnson, Executive Director of Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda, Helen Butler, and Music and culture reporter Christina Lee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.