WABE’s Week In Review: Georgia Shows Up At DNC And COVID-19 Continues To Plague The State
Former President Jimmy Carter, shown in a file photo, endorsed Joe Biden at the virtual Democratic National Convention. Carter was one of a number of speakers with Georgia roots to take part in the convention.
John Amis / Associated Press file
The virtual Democratic National Convention this week saw a number of speakers with Georgia roots. Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, who accepted the nomination Thursday in a hope-driven 24-minute speech.
“Biden must be our next president,” said the 95-year-old Carter, America’s longest-living former president. “Joe has the experience, character and decency to restore America’s greatness.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms spoke Thursday before Biden. She spoke of civil rights legends, like longtime Congressman John Lewis — who died last month and received a tribute at the DNC. Bottoms said all those involved in the movement were vital. And for America to change, all its citizens have to vote.
Other well-known Georgians to speak at the event included former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, state Rep. Sam Park and Sally Yates, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern district of Georgia in Atlanta. She was fired by President Donald Trump after she refused to enforce his January 2017 travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Virtual delegates …
The streamed convention hosted delegates virtually, not on the convention floor as we are so used to seeing. Samuel Parker Short is a delegate representing Georgia’s 6th District at the Democratic National Convention. The teenager spoke with WABE about his experience.
More bad COVID-19 news in Georgia …
Georgia has the highest rate of new coronavirus cases in the country, according to a new White House report, which was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Gov. Brian Kemp is pushing back on that report. Kemp insists the state has made progress in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but public health experts say those gains could easily disappear.
Gentrification during a pandemic in Atlanta …
The COVID-19 economy has changed our world so very much. There’s a fear the pandemic could cause many to lose housing in the coming months. As people deal with unemployment, they’re struggling to pay rent and face the threat of eviction. In Atlanta, there are other forces causing displacement already, forces like new development and rising rents, which haven’t slowed during the pandemic.
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