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I believe that politics is the last, viable means of nonviolent social change for Black people in this country.
Maynard Jackson (Atlanta's first Black Mayor) South Fulton, Georgia is 92 percent African American, making it America's Blackest City among those with populations over 100,000. African Americans face well-documented, structural inequalities in education, employment, healthcare and housing.
Mayor khalid will use the power and collective wealth of city government to counter systemic racism and:
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Increasing Land Ownership.
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- Creating a South Perimeter Downtown Development Authority (DDA) that uses the Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Act to revitalize Old National as a commercial and entertainment district similar to West Midtown or the north end of the Perimeter, creating an economic engine that decreases the city's current dependence on residential property taxes.
- Preserving the historic and agrarian Cedar Grove area and its 9 working farms, which can help proved food sovereignty for South Fulton.
- Creating public-private partnership with area farmers —marketed under a Grown in South Fulton label — to provide organic, locally grown food to local restaurants and a City Hall cafe designed to showcase our bounty to visiting dignitaries.
- Creating financial literacy programs that fight gentrification by teaching residents how to properly leverage the increasing home values; and estate planning that teach South Fulton Seniors how to transfer wealth to future generations.
- Creating a City Year Program in which the City will retain repossessed properties obtained through the Blighted Property Fund created by Councilman khalid, where low-wage city employees — like those in Parks & Cultural Affairs and Public Works — can live rent-free in the communities they serve while building their credit and saving to purchase their own homes.
- Creating a Green New Deal for South Fulton that preserves our greenspace and prioritizes renewable energy in city projects.
WHY KHALID
In his first weeks as a Councilman, khalid co-founded the South Fulton Food Policy Council with local farmers and food policy experts to develop programs to combat the city's food deserts. He has taken on corporations like Kroger who have prioritized financial investment in barricades and other "security" features over increased food offerings or aesthetic improvements to their Southside stores. khalid secured the first electric vehicle charging stations in the city, and authored legislation requiring developers to include electric vehicle charging stations in new commercial developments. Councilman khalid also championed the overhaul of the city's outdated Zoning Code to protect residents from a proliferation of discount and liquor stores.
In his first weeks as a Councilman, khalid co-founded the South Fulton Food Policy Council with local farmers and food policy experts to develop programs to combat the city's food deserts. He has taken on corporations like Kroger who have prioritized financial investment in barricades and other "security" features over increased food offerings or aesthetic improvements to their Southside stores. khalid secured the first electric vehicle charging stations in the city, and authored legislation requiring developers to include electric vehicle charging stations in new commercial developments. Councilman khalid also championed the overhaul of the city's outdated Zoning Code to protect residents from a proliferation of discount and liquor stores.
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Increasing Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs through Diaspora-Focused Economic DevelopmentThroughout American history and to this present day, majority Black neighborhoods and cities have struggled to attract investment from Corporate America. Mayor khalid will refocus South Fulton's economic development strategy from trying to hide our demographics to seeing them as a unique advantage in the world market.
Marketing ourselves as who we are -- the Blackest city in the world's richest country, adjacent to the world's busiest airport — uniquely positions South Fulton to become the economic capital of the African diaspora, decreasing our dependence on domestic companies who have declined investing in "minority" communities for decades. |
Economic globalization now offers us access to a marketplace of 210 million Black people from Britain to Brazil. Our demographics make us an unmatched test market for companies with Black/urban consumer bases. And our location, next to the World's Busiest Airport, can ship products developed here across the globe.
Mayor khalid's plan to make South Fulton a hub of Black commerce includes:
Mayor khalid's plan to make South Fulton a hub of Black commerce includes:
- Marketing ourselves on in social & traditional media as "Atlanta's twin city" and "the Blackest City in America" and focusing our economic development pitches on companies with large Black/urban consumer bases. (Doing business with those ready to do business with us.)
- Refocusing our Small Business Incubators on supporting minority startups, and connecting them with investors & capital.
- Ensuring minority-owned businesses and "responsible bidders" that provide living wages and affordable healthcare get priority in city contracts from our $100 million budget.
- Hiring psychologists to support City Council and administrative staff through this paradigm-shifting strategy.
WHY KHALID
From his first days as a Councilman, khalid as been the leading voice on this issue, initiating demographic research on South Fulton. He created and popularized the monikers "Atlanta's twin City" and "the Blackest City in America" to concisely articulate who we are and where we are located, as well as the size of our city and its ambitions. His proposals are informed by the latest economic research, which show homegrown companies are better corporate citizens with higher rates of job creation. khalid's work experiences in public health give him special insight on the pyscho-social challenges inherent in such a radical course correction for an organization like our city government.
From his first days as a Councilman, khalid as been the leading voice on this issue, initiating demographic research on South Fulton. He created and popularized the monikers "Atlanta's twin City" and "the Blackest City in America" to concisely articulate who we are and where we are located, as well as the size of our city and its ambitions. His proposals are informed by the latest economic research, which show homegrown companies are better corporate citizens with higher rates of job creation. khalid's work experiences in public health give him special insight on the pyscho-social challenges inherent in such a radical course correction for an organization like our city government.
Increasing Career Opportunities for Youth through Vocational & Political EducationIt is well documented that America's public school system routinely disenfranchises African American students. Studies repeatedly show that the greatest predictor of a child's academic success is the educational achievement and economic success of that child's parents and neighbors.
Economist Gary Becker's nobel prize-winning research reveals that income inequality is the greatest predictor of crime. Mayor khalid understands that we cannot police our way to prosperity. He will reprioritize South Fulton's $100 million budget to invest in young people before they get into trouble by focusing after school activities on 21st century job skills and entrepreneurship. |
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Mayor khalid wants to create careers — not just jobs — for South Fulton's next generation by:
- Partnering with South Fulton's Vocational Career Academy, trade unions to create career pipelines into film production, computer coding, 3-D printing and supply-chain management (logistics) jobs.
- Funding after-school and summer programs that focus on personal finance, "soft skills" and entrepreneurship for high school & adult students.
- Supplementing public school funding of wraparound, social-emotional support services for at-risk families.
- Creating a Civics Education department within City Hall to produce media and year-around programing that educate citizens on municipal government.
- Supplementing S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)-focused curriculum with a R.I.C.H. (Reading, Inclusive, Civics & History) curriculum that encourages young people to become more engaged in the civic life of their community.
- Creating a Public Safety & Truancy Departments that respond to calls where social workers, not police, are needed.
WHY KHALID
Marrying African Americans' strong sense of cultural identity to the city's identity will create a sense of pride that fosters civic engagement, celebrates academic achievement and even discourages crime as an act of civic disloyalty. As a Councilman, khalid lead South Fulton to increase the budget of Parks and after school programs like FutureSeekers and the Idea Farm Academy. He also wrote the legislation to make Juneteenth and Election Day city holidays. He has been nationally recognized for this and other civics education videos and programming, like South Fulton's annual Electoral College. During his term as a Councilman, khalid worked to successfully attract businesses to South Fulton like Habitat for Humanity, which works to revitalize blighted communities and is building its Southern Regional Headquarters at 5590 Old National Highway.
Marrying African Americans' strong sense of cultural identity to the city's identity will create a sense of pride that fosters civic engagement, celebrates academic achievement and even discourages crime as an act of civic disloyalty. As a Councilman, khalid lead South Fulton to increase the budget of Parks and after school programs like FutureSeekers and the Idea Farm Academy. He also wrote the legislation to make Juneteenth and Election Day city holidays. He has been nationally recognized for this and other civics education videos and programming, like South Fulton's annual Electoral College. During his term as a Councilman, khalid worked to successfully attract businesses to South Fulton like Habitat for Humanity, which works to revitalize blighted communities and is building its Southern Regional Headquarters at 5590 Old National Highway.
Help Councilman khalid make America's Blackest City #BlackOnPurpose.