A HISTORIC WIN IN GEORGIA!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I was elated when the American people elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as their next President and Vice President. Donald Trump has been a danger to American democracy and it was a task of great urgency to have him defeated.

REMINDER: tomorrow, October 30th, is the last day to early vote! Find your early voting and Election Day poll sites here.

To check your voter registration, view a sample ballot, and confirm your polling locations, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s official My Voter Page.

Make a Plan to Vote!

FIRST! TODAY is an election day for those of us that reside in the 5th Congressional District. This Special Election is to fill the unexpired term of our deceased hero Congressman John Lewis. Find your polling place here.

For the NOVEMBER election: Absentee ballots are beginning to arrive in the mail! I want to make sure you have all of the information you need to fill yours out correctly and have it counted.

Make a Plan to Vote!

Absentee ballots are beginning to be sent out for the November election! Have you requested yours yet?

Georgia, the United States, and the world are mourning the passing of civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis at age 80 from complications from pancreatic cancer. Lewis' legacy and words will live in perpetuity, but we have lost a giant, a moral compass, and a powerful voice for dignity, equality and the advancement of civil society.

The Georgia General Assembly’s legislative session resumed on Monday, June 15th, and we adjourned Sine Die Friday, June 26.

The Georgia General Assembly’s legislative session resumed on Monday, June 15th. We have a lot of work to do, especially regarding the budget and the hate crimes bill, and only a few days left to do it. The 2020 Legislative Session is scheduled to Sine Die Friday June 26th at midnight. It’s going to be a busy but incredibly important few days, and there’s no time to waste!

In honor of Juneteenth, I signed on to SB 519, a Resolution to make June 19, Juneteenth, a state holiday in the state of Georgia.

It has been another difficult week for our state and our nation.

Institutionalized inequality and racism are unfortunately nothing new, but their dramatic incarnation in recent weeks with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others have catapulted them on the national stage once again. The names of the victims burned into our psyches right now represent many other Black men and women who were forced out of this world much too soon. Many of us, especially Black advocates and constituents, have been fighting for systemic change at the state level for years, and we are glad to have more voices speaking up and joining the fight. However, let’s be clear that we have a long way to go. Recent events have been a wake-up call for many white people in our country, but we need both Democratic and Republican leaders at all levels to do more than denounce anti-blackness. In particular, we need our Republican colleagues to recognize that our society has never given Black Americans “boot straps” to “pull up” and improve their lives. We haven’t done it for centuries, and we still aren’t doing it now.

This week, I’ve been thinking qabout faith, fear, and grief. Growing up in a family where faith was important helped lead me to a path of public service. Faith is important to many during these uncertain and anxiety-producing times. But faith alone won't protect us and our neighbors against this virus -- which is why I am imploring all Georgians to think of others and wear a mask in public. This act shows care and concern for your neighbors, and we could use more of that right now.

During the current pandemic, many of us are looking for hope and true leadership. We are fortunate that the United States and the state of Georgia are resilient. Perhaps less resilience would be needed if we had been more prepared and heeded the advice of medical experts more quickly. By now, I’m sure many of you have seen the projections that the U.S. could have avoided thousands of deaths if we have locked down a week or two earlier.

I hope that all of you are still staying home as much as possible and staying safe. I bought my family masks from a local craftswoman and just bought some masks that are good for exercising in. As a reminder, bars, night clubs, live-performance venues, and government-run pools are still closed. They are to remain closed through May 13th unless the Governor extends the deadline via a new executive order. Additionally, the shelter-in-place order still applies for those Georgians who are over 65 and “medically fragile” through June 12th. Another reminder: Augusta University has two testing sites in DeKalb at the Decatur Armory, 3736 Durham Park Road, Decatur, 30032 and at House of Hope Atlanta, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur, GA 30034.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about the current state of affairs in Georgia when it comes to COVID-19. Despite Governor Kemp’s assurances that the data supports his decision to allow close contact businesses to reopen and Georgia’s Shelter-in-Place to lapse, the ever changing data released by DPH does not support that.

As you may have seen on my Facebook or Twitter, I disagree with Governor Kemp’s decision to reopen businesses (more detail on his order below) and think it’s too soon. Apparently Trump, Fauci, and Lindsey Graham do too. We saw 86 deaths from COVID-19 from Sunday night to Monday night, which is the most Georgia DPH has recorded within a 24-hour period.

I hope that you are taking time - time to move, breathe, see the good, and find some joy - for yourself each day. I know the news can be overwhelming right now and that it isn’t easy juggling back-to-back Zoom calls, Google hangouts, Microsoft teams, and such for your family and yourself. You may find you have less space and time than you used to, or you may think you have so much time that the days tick by unbearably slow. We are all working together to do our part. I appreciate all of you who have been sheltering in place for weeks now.

The fight against COVID-19 is driving most of us a little batty. Being stuck at home and trying to manage my active children with their schedules much more wide-open than several weeks ago is not something I would choose. But it's not time to let up.

We continue to learn new information about COVID-19, although unlike our Governor I was aware of asymptomatic transmission earlier than two days ago. I would like to share some information and resources at the federal and state level. I encourage constituents to follow the shelter in place order by staying home unless you are part of the state’s “critical infrastructure'' or are engaging in outdoor exercise or an essential activity like grocery shopping.

While we continue learning new information about COVID-19, I wanted to share some steps our state and local governments are taking in order to prevent the spreading of the virus. I encourage constituents to do their part by staying home unless an outing is essential.

While we are constantly learning new information about COVID-19, I wanted to share some resources and information my office has received that may be useful during this time. I know many Georgians have legitimate fears and concerns as we cope with the virus and all of the changes it has wrought in our lives. Georgia is taking measurable steps to ensure that Georgians feel safe. We can all do our part in helping stop the spread by following the CDC’s guidelines, and our community will work through this together. Access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including masks and gloves, and testing capabilities are increasing daily in Georgia.

The Coronavirus has hit Georgia, and yesterday the Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor suspended the 2020 Legislative Session until further notice. We did finish Crossover Day. We will need to reconvene before June 30 to pass the 2020 - 2021 budget, but right now I don't know if we will resume the Session or just look at the budget. Like everyone else, our state government wants to keep people safe until the Coronavirus danger passes. I'll also apparently be homeschooling my children during this time, so be patient with me regarding responses to emails, etc. now that I am homeschooling and my interns from Emory have had to move out of their dorms and return to their hometowns!