By State Representative Mesha Mainor (D-Atlanta)
(638 words)
My Democrat mentor says, “Dogs don’t bark at parked cars.” Democrats know we have a wild pack of them, and our party does its best to mute the unprofessional and tactless few that manage to get elected by fooling their communities that they are under the Gold Dome doing the people’s business.
Regarding parent choice, it’s only notoriously loud Democrats that love the attention that public office gives. Any Democrat who wants to use my advocacy for poor Black children that live in the same community I was raised in (Simpson Rd. and Bankhead) should confirm the following: if they currently have a child in a public K-12 school; if they currently, or in the past, send their child to private school over public school; swear that the address they used or are using is the actual address where they live; or admit that they have lied about their home address for their child to attend a higher performing school.
I agree wholeheartedly with all humans having a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Democrat lawmakers will cry about abortion rights, wail for transgender rights, demand AAPI protections and create legislation to address antisemitism. All of these are important issues. However, when a Black, independent, female Democrat legislator who grew up in poverty wants to give the bottom 25 percent of children attending failing schools a second chance at education, this infuriates some of my fellow Democrats to the point they are soliciting my opposition. That’s exactly the problem.
Who is making public policy for poor Black communities? Who is leading Georgia to stop generational poverty with a solution versus attacking people with a solution? Who has passed legislation that is practical and replicable to accelerate growth for Blacks living in poverty? Can a Georgia Democrat agenda be fulfilled if we refuse to work with the other party? Are human conditions so black and white that we should not pull our diversity of thought for a collective discussion on Black progress?
The marginalized never have a voice fighting for them. I have the most charter schools within my district in the entire state because poor Black parents want something different, and they deserve it. I refuse to tell these parents in my district that we should close charter schools because it takes children away from the public school system. I refuse to tell these parents that the Democratic agenda does not care how broke parents are and that these children deserve to stay in that school with three percent reading proficiency. Are we going to keep telling these families to wait and see if we can get it right in the next 50 years?
Advocating for Blacks as a Black person is taboo if you do not believe status quo works. Democrats have parent choice policy all wrong. I’m a parent. I know what’s going on. My daughter has a 4.3 GPA, and college admissions are highly competitive. The valedictorian at her school retook the ninth grade to remain competitive with his/her GPA. I do not agree with policies that transform minority communities into a haven of complacency with failure as the undeniable and unchangeable norm.
I have a tough road ahead of me and am prepared to fight if that’s what it takes to stand up for the needs of my constituents. But, I must remind the naysayers that I have faced an uphill battle before when I voted in favor of scholarship funding for children with disabilities, and yet, I am still standing. While some groups have tried to stop me in the past, the people of House District 56 have chosen me to represent their voices at the State Capitol. My heart is to help those who have elected me, and I will always put those voices above a party’s political agenda.
*Editor’s Note: A graphic from Rep. Mainor’s office and data from Atlanta Public Schools is attached for your convenience.
Representative Mesha Mainor represents the citizens of District 56, which includes portions of Fulton County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves on the Education, Governmental Affairs, Regulated Industries and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.
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