My County Commission Learning Journey
Since stepping into this role on January 1, I have attended several trainings, meetings and workshops with both Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and National Association of Counties (NACo). As of today, I am over half way complete with ACCG’s Lifelong Learning Academy core certification curriculum and hope to be complete by end of year. At the national level, several DeKalb commissioners attended the NACo legislative conference in Washington DC. We heard from President Biden, a former elected county official, who spoke highly of county government and the need to strengthen relationships with state and federal officials. We also met with the EPA and several regional representatives, FAA’s Office of Airports to discuss PDK, Secretary Marcia Fudge of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Senators Warnock and Ossoff.
Learn more about ACCG and NACo (respectively) at: accg.org and naco.org.
D2 Happenings
As we kick off 2023, it’s easy to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in DeKalb with video messages from Commissioner Spears. Subscribe to her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@commissionermichellelongspears
February is Black History Month
As we wrap up Black History Month, I’d like to highlight Historic Lynwood Park, dating back to the 1930s. Lynwood is the oldest African-American community in DeKalb County and was recognized as the first historic designation in Brookhaven. The City hosts the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration at the Lynwood Community Center, and Cassandra Bryant was honored for her many years of service to the Lynwood community. The center was formerly the Lynwood School until 1968 when it was integrated into the DeKalb County School District. The first class of students is known as the Lynwood Trailblazers, who were the students that “blazed the trails” of the formally all-Black, segregated Lynwood Schools and transferred into the formerly all-White schools as a result of desegregation.
One of the three remaining churches in the Lynwood Community, Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church, is celebrating 100 years strong on March 19th through a series of lead up events, services and a gala on March 11. “It’s amazing to think about, but it was 100 years ago that a small group of people gathered with the desire to plant a church to have an impact on their community,” said Pastor Reginald R.J. Williams. For more info: 678-235-8692
New Murals at Mason Mill Park
In February, I introduced an agenda item to support a community art project at Mason Mill Park. In the coming months, I’ll be leading a community engagement process with Ranger Jonah McDonald and Artist Yehimi Cambrón to create a mural series that reflects the character of the community. Yehimi immigrated to Buford Highway in Brookhaven when she was seven. She studied art at Agnes Scott College, joined Teach for America, and taught at Cross Keys High School from 2017 to 2019. Yehimi says, “I am currently a full-time artist and am so excited for this opportunity to create a community-responsive mural within the community that molded me.” Ranger Jonah is equally excited: “Mason Mill Park is already an important gathering place for the people of DeKalb and adding this fantastic mural will give us even more reason to connect.” I share their passion for art and parks! To learn more about the artist: https://www.yehimicambron.com/
To learn more about Mason Mill Park: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks/mason-mill-park
