The Brennan Center for Justice recently released their analysis of local governments and school boards across Georgia’s 159 counties. It found “severe underrepresentation” for communities of color among elected leaders. According to their research, one in three county commissions in Georgia have no commissioners of color, and one in four school boards are all white in the Peach State.
“People of color make up about 50% of Georgia’s population, but we found that they are only 27% of the state’s county commissioners and 29% of its school board members,” said Sonali Seth, a Fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice.
It’s a problem that is now being addressed in the legal system. Towards the end of last year, Georgia lawmakers were ordered by a judge to redraw the state’s legislative and congressional maps. Plus, a U.S. District Court Judge is currently reviewing a new district map for Cobb County Schools. Both situations were led by accusations of underrepresentation for communities of color.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
