I came to the ATL recently...
I went to the harlem lounge near the peachtree area, but shyt was empty
I went to some joint called mjq concourse and it was aiight..
What other clubs are poppin?
The waffle house breakfast was
@ Harlem Lounge, nooo breh. They're hit or miss most of the time (mostly a miss)
I came to the ATL recently...
I went to the harlem lounge near the peachtree area, but shyt was empty
I went to some joint called mjq concourse and it was aiight..
What other clubs are poppin?
The waffle house breakfast was
I went to go look at some apartments today in Lithonia & some of these motherfukkers had the nerve to tell me their 1 bedroom units start off at over $1000
Who the fukk is paying over 1K for 1 bedroom in Lithonia
Then I pulled up the Apartments.Com app where it’s showing their 1 bedroom units are all under $800 & they said “oh those are the old prices”
Found a 2 bedroom spot for under $850 tho might fukk with that
Yep been there done that.. but brehs were in here laughin at me tryna find something -$1000
i personally wouldn't move into any apartment north of I-20, guaranteed to get your shyt broke into
shyt ain’t easy ..and them apts in Lithonia probably hood on top of that
shyt ain’t easy ..and them apts in Lithonia probably hood on top of that
Georgia mayor under fire for alleged remarks about black job candidate
ajc.com
Georgia mayor under fire for alleged remarks about black job candidate
11-14 minutes
The mayor of Hoschton, a nearly all-white community 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, allegedly withheld a job candidate from consideration for city administrator because he was black, an AJC investigation has found.
According to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and interviews with city officials, Mayor Theresa Kenerly told a member of the City Council she pulled the resume of Keith Henry from a packet of four finalists “because he is black, and the city isn’t ready for this.”
The AJC’s investigation into the controversy revealed not only a deeply flawed hiring process, but also hard racial attitudes inside Hoschton’s government. All of this occurs as the city of fewer than 2,000 people just outside Gwinnett County is poised for dramatic growth with the construction of thousands of new homes.
Initially, Kenerly would not answer questions about her reported comments, saying she could not publicly talk about matters that occurred in executive session even though the law does not forbid that. “I can’t say I said it or not said it,” she said.
Later, Kenerly issued a statement disputing accounts from other city officials.
“I do not recall making the statement attributed to me regarding any applicant for the City Administrator position, and I deny that I made any statement that suggest (sic) prejudice,” she said.
The candidate, Keith Henry, said he was interviewed by Kenerly over the phone and did not detect bias on the part of the mayor. But as a black man applying for executive government positions in small Southern towns, he said he is not shocked if there was.
“It comes with the territory,” he said. “If you live in America as a minority you can’t be naïve that it is the reality that you face.”
Racial discrimination in hiring has been against federal law since passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Private and public entities, including Hoschton, universally post or have enacted strong employment anti-discrimination statements.
Hoschton’s city code reads: “There shall be no discrimination exercised because of race, national origin, color, religion, creed, age, sex … All personnel actions shall be based solely on individual merit and fitness.”
The mayor reportedly made her comments to a member of the council in an overheard whisper during a closed-door session of the council March 4. Councilwoman Hope Weeks said she repeated them to her in the parking lot after the meeting, according to a document released by the city in response to an open records request from the AJC.
“She proceeded to tell me that the candidate was real good, but he was black and we don’t have a big black population and she just didn’t think Hoschton was ready for that,” Weeks wrote in an account dated March 4.
Weeks confided with Councilwoman Susan Powers, and both women agreed to take the matter to city attorney Thomas Mitchell.
“Both of us were just appalled, so we thought we had to do something to stop it,” Powers said.
Weeks declined to be interviewed on the record, but issued a statement saying she was disappointed in the mayor’s comments about the candidate.
“Mr. Henry was a very professional and qualified candidate who was a finalist for the position of city administrator before withdrawing to accept another position,” she said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Hoschton, but this has been one of the most challenging seasons of my life.”
According to a series of emails obtained by the AJC, a deal was made between Mitchell and the city’s five elected officials to continue the hiring process that allowed Kenerly to attend, but not participate, in the interviews.
“She is not going to speak or ask questions,” attorney Mitchell wrote.
The attorney also warned city officials to stop putting their concerns in writing.
“I do not think it in the best interests of the city (or the individual elected officials) to continue emailing in this manner,” he wrote in a March 14 email.
In emails, Powers protested the mayor’s continued involvement in the search for a city administrator.
“Since she corrupted this entire process by trying to shield the application of Mr. Henry from Council members and then making the comment to the effect that while he is qualified he should not be considered because he is black and the city is not ready for this, she should not be a part of this hiring process,” Powers wrote. “I am appalled that in 2019 an applicant would not be hired based solely on the color of their skin.”
Henry, who lives in suburban Houston, Texas, withdrew his candidacy shortly after the March 4 meeting and subsequent phone interview with council members. He said he decided to withdraw, in part, because the city wanted him to pay his travel, room and board to come for an in-person interview on the promise of reimbursement at a later date. Two of the three other candidates under consideration were local and did not face such an obstacle. The third drove from the Georgia coast at his own expense.
‘Things are different here’
Councilman Jim Cleveland defended the mayor, while confirming many aspects of the story, including that she made a tearful apology in another executive session on March 12. According to accounts from council members, Kenerly said she was “looking out” for Henry because the city does not have a lot of minority residents.
“I was there for that,” Cleveland said. “She cried. She had tears in her eyes. It was in my opinion a very sincere apology.”
Powers said she was unimpressed with the apology. “It was, ‘I’m sorry if I caused you guys trouble,’” she said. “She was apologizing to the council. To me, she shouldn’t be apologizing to us, but to the person she harmed and to the city.”
The AJC asked Kenerly why she apologized and removed herself from the search for a new administrator if she did not make the comments, as she said in her statement to the AJC. She did not respond to those questions.
Councilman Cleveland said he did not think Kenerly was necessarily wrong.
“I understood where she was coming from,” he said. “I understand Theresa saying that, simply because we’re not Atlanta. Things are different here than they are 50 miles down the road.”
Cleveland described Hoschton as “a predominantly white community” not in accord with urban sensibilities about race.
“I don’t know how they would take it if we selected a black administrator. She might have been right,” he said.
Cleveland, a local contractor who has served on the council for a decade, said he had ranked Henry last among the four finalists, not because he is black but because he had not come in for an in-person interview.
“I worked for AT&T for 31 years. I was a manager I probably hired over 100 people myself. I never hired anyone over a phone interview,” he said.
While Cleveland said it was not an issue in his decision on whom to hire, he did share his beliefs about race.
“I’m a Christian and my Christian beliefs are you don’t do interracial marriage. That’s the way I was brought up and that’s the way I believe,” he said. “I have black friends, I hired black people. But when it comes to all this stuff you see on TV, when you see blacks and whites together, it makes my blood boil because that’s just not the way a Christian is supposed to live.”
Poised for growth
Hoschton sits just across the Gwinnett County line in Jackson County, adjacent to the larger city of Braselton. Nearly 90 percent of its residents identify as white. The U.S. Census estimates a non-white population of 201 people.
Downtown Hoschton occupies about two city blocks, but it is ringed with new, partially built subdivisions. In February, Florida-based Kolter Homes announced it had closed on 1,422 acres of land south of Hoschton on which it plans to build a high-end senior citizen community with 2,600 homes.
The development is a signal that the explosive growth of Atlanta’s core suburbs is pushing deeper into areas once considered beyond its influence.
Tonya Akin, owner of Dog Gone Cute Grooming, said she was not aware the city has hunting for a new administrator.
“I’m not into the politics,” she said. But she said he knows the mayor and has had a generally favorable impression of her. That Kenerly would make such a statement about Hoschton’s willingness to accept a black administrator is disappointing, she said.
“I hope they hold her accountable for that,” she said. “I’m not that kind of person. I accept people for who they are.”
Hoschton’s growth is evident in Akin’s dog grooming business. A decade ago, she had a single employee; now she has 10. One morning last week, five groomers were all busy sheering and primping dogs in the spacious storefront. Akin said that growth is going to change things for Hoschton.
“I think Hoschton is finally saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get with the times,’” she said.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.
Georgia mayor under fire for alleged remarks about black job candidate
ajc.com
Georgia mayor under fire for alleged remarks about black job candidate
11-14 minutes
The mayor of Hoschton, a nearly all-white community 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, allegedly withheld a job candidate from consideration for city administrator because he was black, an AJC investigation has found.
According to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and interviews with city officials, Mayor Theresa Kenerly told a member of the City Council she pulled the resume of Keith Henry from a packet of four finalists “because he is black, and the city isn’t ready for this.”
The AJC’s investigation into the controversy revealed not only a deeply flawed hiring process, but also hard racial attitudes inside Hoschton’s government. All of this occurs as the city of fewer than 2,000 people just outside Gwinnett County is poised for dramatic growth with the construction of thousands of new homes.
Initially, Kenerly would not answer questions about her reported comments, saying she could not publicly talk about matters that occurred in executive session even though the law does not forbid that. “I can’t say I said it or not said it,” she said.
Later, Kenerly issued a statement disputing accounts from other city officials.
“I do not recall making the statement attributed to me regarding any applicant for the City Administrator position, and I deny that I made any statement that suggest (sic) prejudice,” she said.
The candidate, Keith Henry, said he was interviewed by Kenerly over the phone and did not detect bias on the part of the mayor. But as a black man applying for executive government positions in small Southern towns, he said he is not shocked if there was.
“It comes with the territory,” he said. “If you live in America as a minority you can’t be naïve that it is the reality that you face.”
Racial discrimination in hiring has been against federal law since passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Private and public entities, including Hoschton, universally post or have enacted strong employment anti-discrimination statements.
Hoschton’s city code reads: “There shall be no discrimination exercised because of race, national origin, color, religion, creed, age, sex … All personnel actions shall be based solely on individual merit and fitness.”
The mayor reportedly made her comments to a member of the council in an overheard whisper during a closed-door session of the council March 4. Councilwoman Hope Weeks said she repeated them to her in the parking lot after the meeting, according to a document released by the city in response to an open records request from the AJC.
“She proceeded to tell me that the candidate was real good, but he was black and we don’t have a big black population and she just didn’t think Hoschton was ready for that,” Weeks wrote in an account dated March 4.
Weeks confided with Councilwoman Susan Powers, and both women agreed to take the matter to city attorney Thomas Mitchell.
“Both of us were just appalled, so we thought we had to do something to stop it,” Powers said.
Weeks declined to be interviewed on the record, but issued a statement saying she was disappointed in the mayor’s comments about the candidate.
“Mr. Henry was a very professional and qualified candidate who was a finalist for the position of city administrator before withdrawing to accept another position,” she said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Hoschton, but this has been one of the most challenging seasons of my life.”
According to a series of emails obtained by the AJC, a deal was made between Mitchell and the city’s five elected officials to continue the hiring process that allowed Kenerly to attend, but not participate, in the interviews.
“She is not going to speak or ask questions,” attorney Mitchell wrote.
The attorney also warned city officials to stop putting their concerns in writing.
“I do not think it in the best interests of the city (or the individual elected officials) to continue emailing in this manner,” he wrote in a March 14 email.
In emails, Powers protested the mayor’s continued involvement in the search for a city administrator.
“Since she corrupted this entire process by trying to shield the application of Mr. Henry from Council members and then making the comment to the effect that while he is qualified he should not be considered because he is black and the city is not ready for this, she should not be a part of this hiring process,” Powers wrote. “I am appalled that in 2019 an applicant would not be hired based solely on the color of their skin.”
Henry, who lives in suburban Houston, Texas, withdrew his candidacy shortly after the March 4 meeting and subsequent phone interview with council members. He said he decided to withdraw, in part, because the city wanted him to pay his travel, room and board to come for an in-person interview on the promise of reimbursement at a later date. Two of the three other candidates under consideration were local and did not face such an obstacle. The third drove from the Georgia coast at his own expense.
‘Things are different here’
Councilman Jim Cleveland defended the mayor, while confirming many aspects of the story, including that she made a tearful apology in another executive session on March 12. According to accounts from council members, Kenerly said she was “looking out” for Henry because the city does not have a lot of minority residents.
“I was there for that,” Cleveland said. “She cried. She had tears in her eyes. It was in my opinion a very sincere apology.”
Powers said she was unimpressed with the apology. “It was, ‘I’m sorry if I caused you guys trouble,’” she said. “She was apologizing to the council. To me, she shouldn’t be apologizing to us, but to the person she harmed and to the city.”
The AJC asked Kenerly why she apologized and removed herself from the search for a new administrator if she did not make the comments, as she said in her statement to the AJC. She did not respond to those questions.
Councilman Cleveland said he did not think Kenerly was necessarily wrong.
“I understood where she was coming from,” he said. “I understand Theresa saying that, simply because we’re not Atlanta. Things are different here than they are 50 miles down the road.”
Cleveland described Hoschton as “a predominantly white community” not in accord with urban sensibilities about race.
“I don’t know how they would take it if we selected a black administrator. She might have been right,” he said.
Cleveland, a local contractor who has served on the council for a decade, said he had ranked Henry last among the four finalists, not because he is black but because he had not come in for an in-person interview.
“I worked for AT&T for 31 years. I was a manager I probably hired over 100 people myself. I never hired anyone over a phone interview,” he said.
While Cleveland said it was not an issue in his decision on whom to hire, he did share his beliefs about race.
“I’m a Christian and my Christian beliefs are you don’t do interracial marriage. That’s the way I was brought up and that’s the way I believe,” he said. “I have black friends, I hired black people. But when it comes to all this stuff you see on TV, when you see blacks and whites together, it makes my blood boil because that’s just not the way a Christian is supposed to live.”
Poised for growth
Hoschton sits just across the Gwinnett County line in Jackson County, adjacent to the larger city of Braselton. Nearly 90 percent of its residents identify as white. The U.S. Census estimates a non-white population of 201 people.
Downtown Hoschton occupies about two city blocks, but it is ringed with new, partially built subdivisions. In February, Florida-based Kolter Homes announced it had closed on 1,422 acres of land south of Hoschton on which it plans to build a high-end senior citizen community with 2,600 homes.
The development is a signal that the explosive growth of Atlanta’s core suburbs is pushing deeper into areas once considered beyond its influence.
Tonya Akin, owner of Dog Gone Cute Grooming, said she was not aware the city has hunting for a new administrator.
“I’m not into the politics,” she said. But she said he knows the mayor and has had a generally favorable impression of her. That Kenerly would make such a statement about Hoschton’s willingness to accept a black administrator is disappointing, she said.
“I hope they hold her accountable for that,” she said. “I’m not that kind of person. I accept people for who they are.”
Hoschton’s growth is evident in Akin’s dog grooming business. A decade ago, she had a single employee; now she has 10. One morning last week, five groomers were all busy sheering and primping dogs in the spacious storefront. Akin said that growth is going to change things for Hoschton.
“I think Hoschton is finally saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get with the times,’” she said.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.
Home News Minority-Focused Russell Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Opens to First Members
News
MINORITY-FOCUSED RUSSELL CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION OPENS TO FIRST MEMBERS
by Holly BeilinApril 3, 20190 comment
In the year since Jay Bailey has taken over at the Herman J. Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a business-building incubator that aims to broaden opportunity for minority residents, the native Atlantan entrepreneur has been busy.
RCIE occupies a 50,000 square foot campus in Castleberry Hill, a rapidly-growing downtown neighborhood adjacent to the much-talked-about Gulch and the Atlanta University Consortium of HBCUs.
The vision of RCIE has been driven by the accomplishments of Herman J. Russell, Sr., who built the largest black-owned construction company in the country — along with much of Atlanta’s skyline.
As CEO and President, Bailey’s task was not only to lead a capital campaign and the buildout of the largely unoccupied building, but also to develop structured programming and a sustainable model for RCIE that would ensure it actually caters to entrepreneurs’ needs.
After studying co-working spaces, startup accelerators, incubators and more, Bailey has developed a host of resources that he believes will create a cohesive and inclusive experience fit for what stands to be one of the largest black-focused entrepreneurship hubs in the U.S.
“I’m calling it the HBCU for economic mobility,” says Bailey. He’s referencing statistics that show minority business owners have a net worth of about 12 times higher than non-business owners.
“Think of us as WeWork, but with 100 times more programmatic offerings, and 1000 times more cultural relevancy.”
RCIE will be member-based, and businesses will be divided into structured, level-based categories: Inspire, Develop, Execute, Acquire, Sustain.
Each level will have programming geared towards their needs, ranging from learning about the basics of customer discovery to scaling a team to digital marketing tactics to fundraising. Bailey has engaged professors from universities like Emory, Morehouse, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Georgia State.
Bailey believes the structure will ensure entrepreneurs stay engaged as they grow their companies, as well as provide encouragement and measurable success indicators.
“There’s a lot of curricula out there,” he says. “Very few are transformative.”
Bailey points out that most incubators focus on technology companies. While RCIE will certainly be open for tech startups, they will also be a place for brick-and-mortar, retail, and other businesses. For entrepreneurs working on physical products or content, the Launch Pad Innovation Studio will provide equipment, tools, and education.
“We’re bringing manufacturing back to entrepreneurship,” he says. “We want to put things on shelves.” The build out of this maker space is almost complete.
To address the funding side of things, an often-lacking resource that underrepresented entrepreneurs commonly cite as a roadblock, RCIE will dedicate 4,000 square feet purely to access to capital.
Bailey plans to bring in banks, institutional investors, angels and government entities, facilitating meetings with RCIE members who have been prepared to ask the right questions.
RCIE will work with students as well, recruited from the nearby universities as well as those at an even younger age. A Fellowship and Ambassador program for university students will kick off this spring, and Student Honors in Entrepreneurship (ATL S.H.I.N.E.), targeting high school and middle school students, will be launched next year.
RCIE has been financed by the Russell family and a grant from the EDA/Department of Commerce thus far, but Bailey says the membership model will ensure the center is sustainable beyond philanthropic efforts.
RCIE will offer hot desks, dedicated desks, small and larger offices. Though members will pay a fee — at tiered pricing depending on company size — Bailey emphasizes affordability.
At full capacity, the center can fit about 1250 members.
The first 100 members will begin working at RCIE this spring, with applications continuing to be accepted on a rolling basis over 2019 as the building nears completion. They are still working on many of the common spaces, conference rooms, etc.
Programming for those first members and for members of the larger community will also begin this spring. Already, RCIE has launched Paschal’s Power Lunch, a monthly gathering at a nearby Castleberry Hill restaurant that brings together community leaders and entrepreneurs to hear from speakers.
Additional partners Bailey is working with include universities, the Metro Atlanta Black Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, digitalundivided, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, the Small Business Administration and more.
Renderings by Cubic VR
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Jay Bailey's Vision for the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The "Gateway" for Atlanta's Black Entrepreneurs
April 16, 2018
In “People”
