Authority Launches Phase 2 of “Your Ride, You Decide”; Encourages Customers to Vote on Favorite Exterior Look MARTA is seeking public input on the exterior graphic design of new railcars, after a successful campaign earlier this year to solicit feedback on interior design features. MARTA’s next generation of railcars will build upon new technology and advance safety and security for all customers. The goal is to expand comfort and convenience elements to create a reimagined transit experience. Daily riders, occasional riders and potential future customers are encouraged to vote on one of four exterior graphic design options inspired by MARTA colors and the dynamism and movement of trains. Participants can vote and share their feedback by navigating to a crowdsourcing platform through the MARTA homepage, at www.itsmarta.com/yourride or on MARTA’s social media pages. Exterior graphic design options are below with two sub-options for design size and placement. Minimalist Stretched MARTA logo to evoke speed Flowing Ribbon MARTA logo as flowing ribbon to denote movement Neighborhoods Rings of outwardly spreading colors to indicate neighborhoods Tracks Track lines reminiscent of street grids A crowdsourcing effort in the spring seeking feedback on the interior design of the railcars was successful, with more than 1,300 riders sharing their preferences. After analyzing 17,000 votes and 700 comments, MARTA found the most popular interior features are digital maps, next station and destination displays, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible seating and signage. “As a result of this feedback, passenger seats will be more accommodating, railcars will offer more options for those who are standing, there will be specially marked areas for bikes and strollers, and dedicated spaces for wheelchairs will optimize entry and exit points. Other design elements include an open gangway so riders can move freely between railcars and convenient charging stations,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “We were thrilled with the response we received on the interior features and are eager to see what riders think of the exterior design options.” Customers who have already registered for MARTA’s online crowdsourcing platform do not need to repeat the process to participate in this next phase. Those who haven’t signed up, please take this opportunity to register at www.itsmarta.com/yourride to provide your feedback. MARTA will also have teams in rail stations conducting in-person surveys. The new trains will complement other investments aimed at enhancing the customer experience such as a new station audio-visual information system, systemwide elevator and escalator upgrades, restroom modernization, and rehabilitation and restoration program to refresh MARTA rail stations. The first new railcar will arrive in metro Atlanta in 2023.   This is sponsored content.

MARTA will begin requiring weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated employees beginning Monday, Oct. 4. Vaccinated employees must submit or upload a copy of their vaccination card to Human Resources to avoid weekly testing. Almost half of MARTA employees are fully vaccinated, according to information available through county health departments, health benefits providers, and vaccination appointments scheduled through MARTA. An online and in-person survey conducted by MARTA Research & Analysis revealed most vaccinated employees work at headquarters and railyards, with bus garages having the lowest vaccination rate. “COVID has hit our frontline employees hard. We’ve had close to 860 people sickened by the virus and have lost three members of the MARTA family to this insidious virus,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “COVID vaccines are safe, effective and necessary to bring this pandemic under control. We’ve been masking and cleaning and social distancing for 18 months now and it’s time to get our entire workforce vaccinated to protect not only themselves, but their families, co-workers, and customers.” MARTA will provide on-site COVID testing and vaccines for one month at headquarters and bus garages to make access to these services more convenient. MARTA previously partnered with CVS and the Urban League to provide onsite vaccination services at headquarters and Laredo bus garage and has offered vaccine clinics for employees and customers at various locations. MARTA also held an employee town hall in conjunction with Morehouse School of Medicine to educate employees about the vaccine and has a vaccine incentive program for employees that includes giveaways and additional vacation time. “These incentives did result in more vaccinations but we’re still not where we need to be,” said Chief Administrative Officer Luz Borrero. “We believe this is an occupational health and safety issue. Since September, we require all new hires to be vaccinated and are doing all within our power to ensure that the remaining part of our unvaccinated workforce who do not qualify for a medical or religious exemption get the vaccine.” Other large transit agencies including the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York City, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C. have begun similar testing requirements for unvaccinated workers. Locally, Fulton County recently began requiring weekly testing of unvaccinated employees.   This is sponsored content.

At TechBridge, this idea drives our work. All our products, services, and programs reflect our vision of creating predictable pathways out of poverty. There are many nonprofits out there doing incredible work but not operating in the most efficient and effective way. That’s where we come in. TechBridge provides the technology systems and platforms that streamline, connect, and compound nonprofits’ work, reach, and impact. Technology is the deciding factor when evaluating a company’s success and potential; this is no different with nonprofits. The work of nonprofits helps countless people on their path from survival to stability to success, and we get to facilitate and grow that impact. But why do we focus on generational poverty? We have seen the impact that our work has had, not just on the individuals we work with, but on their entire family – both present and future. One of the clearest pictures we have of this generational impact can be seen through our efforts in our Workforce Development pillar. Our Technology Career Program (TCP) is one of TechBridge’s most popular and successful offerings. TCP participants, after graduating from our no-cost technology skills certification and career skills courses, are set on a trajectory toward greater job security, higher pay, increased soft skills, and more confidence in the professional technology sector. Not only does this empower our participants, but it also encourages and inspires those  in their communities. With each student, we are working to close the digital equity gap. Our TCP team, along with our employer partners (Including Accenture, Kloves, Inc., Graphic Packaging, Wellstar, and Anthem), works tirelessly to host meaningful and relevant certification courses that equip participants with high-demand tech certifications and critical soft skills to ensure that they are prepared for their new careers in tech. We are deeply proud of each of our graduates and celebrate their accomplishments at the end of each cohort with a graduation ceremony. We have programs for adult learners and youth alike, which we hope will encourage more families to get involved in the growing tech industry. Whether you’d like to apply for one of our cohorts, become a hiring partner, offer your career expertise as a guest speaker, resume reviewer, or mock interviewer, or simply learn more about TechBridge’s efforts and offerings in Workforce Development, please visit our website for more information: https://www.techbridge.org/what-we-do/workforce-development/.  Generational poverty can be alleviated in our lifetime, and if we have anything to say about it, it will be.     TechBridge is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that equips other nonprofits on the frontline of alleviating the causes of generational poverty with technology. TechBridge supports these nonprofits in expanding the impact of their mission for the millions of men, women, and children who are seeking aid in the areas of hunger relief, homeless support, social justice, and workforce development. This is sponsored content.

Last week, the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) announced ATL Action for Racial Equity, a multi-year, multi-step action plan designed to help address the ongoing effects of systemic racism impacting the Black community. In just a few days since launch, 30 additional metro Atlanta-based companies ranging in size and industry joined the initiative – to-date totaling more than 180 participating organizations. These companies and leaders will leverage the size, scale and expertise of the region’s business community to advance racial equity. Invitations to the initiative remain open, and MAC is inviting all businesses across metro Atlanta to sign on.  ATL Action for Racial Equity focuses on measurable actions across corporate policies, inclusive economic development, education and workforce development – critical areas in addressing the region’s immobility and inequity challenges. See quotes below from the region’s business leaders on why they chose to participate and why this initiative is important, now more than ever. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more. Ed Bastian, CEO Delta Air Lines and 2021 Board Chair, Metro Atlanta Chamber: “In metro Atlanta, our differences are our strength. We work together to make our community and the world better. We are not perfect, but we are committed to preserving and holding up this region’s legacy, especially now. As we tackle economic recovery, public health and the disproportionate impacts on our Black community, our business community must do its part. This is a moral and economic imperative as we work to grow our region’s competitiveness today and into the future.”   Jimmy Etheredge, CEO North America, Accenture: “Accenture is proud to collaborate with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and business leaders across Atlanta to take action on building a more equitable future for our community. Together, we are acting, we are leading, and we are driving change.”  Steve Koonin, CEO, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena: “We proudly support ATL Action for Racial Equity and promise that our franchise will continue taking the steps and supporting the causes that lead to equity for all in our city.”  Rohit Malhotra, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Civic Innovation: “The Center for Civic Innovation mission and day to day operations are designed to fight for an equity-centered Atlanta. The business community in Atlanta has a long and complicated history with equity in our city— we’re glad to see the Metro Atlanta Chamber call on companies and institutions to take measurable actions that align with their publicly stated values and sentiments. It is in this city’s best interest for this effort to succeed.”  Jenna Kelly, President, Truist Northern Georgia Region, Truist Bank: “At Truist, we firmly believe in building more just, inclusive, and equitable communities by standing for social justice, denouncing racism in all forms, and partnering with people and organizations who are as committed to equity we are. As we continue to have intentional dialogue around the role we can play in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we’re excited to join the ATL Action for Racial Equity to do our part in making a positive difference throughout Atlanta.”  Mary Schmidt Campbell, President, Spelman College: “If metro Atlanta is to close the region’s stark wealth gap, we all have to commit to bold innovative solutions. Spelman College, committed to the educational excellence of the 2000 Black women who attend the College, is also committed to the educational excellence of students in our neighborhood schools. For the past three years, our students have enjoyed major success in improving the reading scores of students in our neighborhood Washington Cluster Schools. We intend to launch a program that will accomplish improvements in math proficiency. This commitment to the improvement of K-12 education is aligned with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s business and community imperative to advance racial inclusion. We are proud to partner with MAC in their strategic approach to advocating for equity.”  Kyle Porter, CEO, SalesLoft: “The social justice and equity issues facing our companies, city, and nation are complex and intense. At SalesLoft we are committed to the necessary introspection, self-reflection, and action to be a more inclusive company because we believe it’s the right thing to do for our team, customers, and marketplace. SalesLoft is joining the ATL Action for Racial Equity because our internal efforts will be magnified and our progress accelerated through collaborative community work. Our community will become our ally and accountability partner providing the space to heed best practices, share wisdom, and generate ideas that will positively impact us all.    Russ Torres, President, Kimberly-Clark Professional: “At Kimberly-Clark, we believe racial equity and justice are moral issues that must be addressed through comprehensive actions to enact meaningful and sustainable change. We are moving with urgency. Therefore, we are proud to partner with ATL Action for Racial Equity in this mission. Their disciplined, multi-year plan leverages the collective strength of metro Atlanta employers to support focused corporate policies that foster inclusive workforce and community development. With more than 1,500 Kimberly-Clark employees in the metro Atlanta area, this initiative is uniquely personal to us. We believe the success of our company depends on creating workplaces, communities, and experiences where inclusion and diversity are evident and thriving. Together with ATL Action for Racial Equity, we look forward to creating a vibrant and more inclusive region that offers opportunity, growth, and long-term value for all.”  Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, InterContinental Hotel Group: “We applaud the Metro Atlanta Chamber on this initiative and stand with our peers in the Atlanta business community to advance diversity and inclusion. This commitment and collaboration reflect IHG’s values and inclusive culture, and builds on our own efforts to bring lasting, sustainable progress for the region and our colleagues.”  Paul Bowers (Chairman and CEO) and Chris Womack (President), Georgia Power: “At Georgia Power, we deeply value the diversity of our team and the communities we serve. That’s why we are committed to creating an environment where employees and customers feel a sense of belonging and can be their true authentic selves.  We’re proud to be a part of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s ATL Action for Racial Equity efforts to do the same here in Atlanta. We believe businesses working together to ensure equality is how we can make a collective impact, and we’re …

After a pandemic hiatus, two of Buckhead’s most anticipated annual events are returning this fall. Livable Buckhead’s PARK(ing) Day pops up at Lenox Square on Friday, September 17 and the Buckhead Business Association’s Taste of Buckhead comes to The Stave Room on Thursday, October 21. PARK(ing) Day The Lenox Square parking lot will become a wooded wonderland, complete with a patchwork of pop-up parks flanked by 100 trees brought in specifically for this event, one of the Southeast’s largest PARK(ing) Day celebrations. This is the sixth year that Livable Buckhead has hosted a local PARK(ing) Day event, joining a global project to temporarily convert parking spaces into creative places for art, play and activism.  The theme for Buckhead’s PARK(ing) Day 2021 celebration is “Where We Play,” and more than two dozen local businesses and organizations will  construct mini-parks with features ranging from a Zen garden to flower walls and bee hives to a collaborative mural installation. Parks will also feature interactive elements for the public, including Spin e-scooter safety training sessions, e-bike demonstrations and a putting green. Visitors will be asked to vote for their favorite mini-parks. A new feature of this year’s PARK(ing) Day are the 100 trees that will be scattered among the mini-parks and arranged to create a tree-lined, curving path. Thematically this underscores the value of Atlanta’s tree canopy and the importance of protecting it. From a practical standpoint the trees creates space for physical distancing, one of several COVID-related safety protocols that will be in place during the event.  “Of all the events we had to cancel in 2020, PARK(ing) Day is the one that we missed the most,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “PARK(ing) Day’s central purpose – to have fun and creatively celebrate what parks bring to our lives – is something we need now more than ever.” PARK(ing) Day will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lenox Square parking lot along Peachtree Rd. In addition to the mini-parks, the event also includes food trucks for the Buckhead lunch time crowd. PARK(ing) Day is sponsored by Audi Atlanta, Simon Properies/Lenox Square, The Beck Group, Legacy Parking, Spin Scooters, Urban Enterprises, Tower Wine & Spirits. For more information on PARK(ing) Day, visit http://www.livablebuckhead.org/parkingday.  Taste of Buckhead This year marks 70 years since the Buckhead Business Association (BBA) was created to promote a positive business environment and contribute to the vitality of the Buckhead community. In October, BBA hosts one of Atlanta’s best tasting experiences featuring the best food and drink from Buckhead’s finest restaurants and vendors. The setting for this year’s Taste of Buckhead is the Stave Room at American Spirit Works in the trendy Sweetwater Design District. The event will feature culinary adventure and camaraderie with prominent chefs, mixologists, Buckhead Business Association members, and business and community leaders.  Guests will enjoy unlimited tastes from Buckhead’s premier restaurants along with samples of wine, beer and spirits. They can also browse products from exclusive vendors.  “We are thrilled about the way plans are coming together for the Taste of Buckhead,” said Michael Moore, president of BBA. “This is one of our biggest events and it is fantastic to bring it back in 2021. Buckhead’s hospitality industry is world-class, and we are looking forward to showcasing that for everyone at Taste of Buckhead.”  VIP tickets to the event include an ASW Distillery tour, access to the VIP area in The Stave Room’s new green space where specialty cocktails and exclusive food samples will be served, and chef demos and other entertainment and activities will take place. VIPs also gain access to the general admission area 30 minutes before it opens to standard ticket holders.  Tickets for Taste of Buckhead are on sale via the BBA website and are $50 for general admission, $100 for VIP. The event takes place on Thursday, October 21 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. with VIP access beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Stave Room is located at 199 Armour Drive NE.  For more information visit www.buckheadbusiness.org/taste-of-buckhead.   This is sponsored content.

By Laurie Schoeman, Sr. Program Director and Sara Haas, Director, Enterprise Community Partners According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seven of Atlanta’s 10 hottest years have taken place in the past decade.  In fact, 2019 was the warmest year since tracking began in the 1870s. The escalating heat, elevated levels of rainfall and violent storms are causing more damage to housing and community infrastructure each year. In 2020 alone, disasters across the nation caused nearly $95 billion in damage, mostly in vulnerable and marginalized communities.  While heat may be one of the most extreme consequences of climate change in Atlanta, the entire U.S. is seeing increased devastation from wildfires, tornados, droughts, and hurricanes. That means millions of affordable homes—which are often not build to withstand extreme conditions—are at risk. Frontline communities are often hit first and hardest by natural disasters and are slowest to recover.  Alongside the Biden administration’s commitment to promoting equity and building climate resilient communities, Enterprise is stepping forward to help housing owners and communities meet the challenge of a changing climate.  Climate Resilience Academies To help developers, owners and operators of multifamily affordable housing mitigate the risks that climate change poses to portfolios, properties and residents, we are launching the Climate Resilience Academies. The new education initiative begins this month, with the first Academy focused on supporting organizations in Georgia and Florida.  Participants in the Academy will have the opportunity to engage with one another, content experts and local stakeholders to address the unique hazards of their region. Together, participants will identify critical vulnerabilities, take advantage of solutions and technical assistance to improve portfolio resilience to future threats, and incorporate community resilience strategies.  Topics will include: Build your Emergency and Business Continuity Plan Assessing portfolio risk Building and retrofitting new and existing housing Understanding federal assistance programs and how to access them Incorporating community engagement and cultural resilience strategies Register here for the first free training session, taking place September 30th at 1 PM ET. This session will launch our academy and include an overview of Southeast regional climate hazards, share regional case studies, and equip participants with strategies for assessing climate risk. —————————————     To learn more here about Enterprise’s resilience resources and tools, which help affordable housing organizations of all sizes develop the resilience needed to adapt to future emergencies, check out our Building Resilient Futures mitigation resources and tools.    This is sponsored content.

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Birds are a catalyst for conservation. Easy to see and hear wherever you are—in parks and greenspaces, in our yards, on city sidewalks, and beyond—birds provide an entry point into nature appreciating and understanding the challenges we all face to protect these spaces, in the city and beyond.  Georgia Audubon is a member-supported, non-profit conservation organization building places where birds and people thrive. We engage and collaborate across the state to combine on-the-ground conservation actions and to create a public policy that focuses on conserving birds and their habitats. Building off of our three pillars of Conservation, Education, and Community Engagement, we use science-based, bird-focused programs to build a conservation ethic in individuals, landowners, businesses, partner organizations, policy makers, and communities throughout the state.   Just like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, birds are sounding the alarm that our shared ecosystems are facing serious threats. In a groundbreaking study published in the leading scientific journal Science in late 2019, we learned that in less than one lifetime, North America has lost three billion birds—more than one in four—from every habitat type. Additionally, a recent report from National Audubon describes the profound impact the climate crisis will have on North American bird species. If we take no action, the report indicates that nearly two-thirds of North American birds are at risk of extinction.  Here in Georgia, we face a significant loss of our favorite bird species due to climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, building collisions, increased pesticide use, and other factors. Statewide, 23 percent—or 58 of Georgia’s 254 bird species—are vulnerable. Without mitigation of these threats, many common Georgia species like the our state bird, the Brown Thrasher, and many other species could become uncommon or even disappear from Georgia.  Birds are an important indicator species; if an ecosystem is broken for birds, it is or soon will be broken for people, too. Healthy habitats, including parks and greenspaces, that support birds and other wildlife create healthy communities that we all can not only enjoy, but that we need for our own healthy survival. As the newest participant in Saporta Report’s Thought Leader Series and a recent sponsor of the 2021 Mayoral Forum on Greenspace, Georgia Audubon believes that just as bird diversity strengthens ecosystems, the diversity of human experiences, traditions, and viewpoints strengthen our conservation, education, and community engagement efforts. Through these monthly columns, we will explore some of the issues facing Atlanta’s people, places, and parks— through the lens of birds—and discuss ways the City in the Forest can create high-quality urban habitat to ensure the future health of people and birds. We are excited to be a part of this groundbreaking series.    This is sponsored content.

Average U.S. credit scores climb to 695 according to Experian’s State of Credit report and new HOPE Financial Wellness Index As we end the second summer since the arrival of COVID-19, Experian® today announced key findings from its 12th annual State of Credit report. This year’s report also serves as a launch for Operation HOPE’s all-new HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which will help shine a consistent light on the current state of consumer credit. Despite a challenging year and a half, the new data shows consumers are managing credit well with average credit scores climbing seven points since 2020 to 695 – the highest point in more than 13 years. “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources” Tweet this According to Experian’s report, many consumers were managing credit well before the pandemic’s arrival and the accommodations afforded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act may have helped consumers protect their financial health. At the same time, stay-at-home orders and record savings levels1 may have contributed to lower unsecured and total debt levels, lower credit utilization rates and fewer missed payments. This year, Experian is partnering with Operation HOPE – the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to improving financial literacy – to launch the HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which highlights the average credit score in every state and city. According to the index, consumers in Minnesota have the highest credit scores with an average of 726, followed by Vermont (719), New Hampshire (718), Washington (717) and Massachusetts (716). States with the lowest credit scores were found in the south, including Mississippi (666), Louisiana (669), Alabama (672), Oklahoma (672) and Texas (673). The HOPE Financial Wellness Index will be updated regularly and will be used to develop programming and identify communities most in need of financial education and resources. “We believe credit education plays an important role in driving financial inclusion and helping consumers reach their fullest potential,” said Alex Lintner, President Experian Consumer Information Services. “While these findings are positive, we recognize they do not tell the full story and many consumers face financial obstacles due to a limited credit history. We are committed to working with consumers, as well as our partners like Operation HOPE, to improve financial equity and access.” Given the unique circumstances of 2020, this year’s report compared credit trends over the last three years. While consumers took on more mortgage and auto debt, score improvements were supported by fewer missed payments, lower credit utilization rates and reduced card balances and total debt levels year-over-year and prior to the pandemic’s arrival. Highlights of Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 State of Credit Report 2019 2020 2021 Average VantageScore® 2 682 688 695 Median VantageScore 687 697 707 Average number of credit cards 3.0 3.0 3.0 Average credit card balance $6,494 $5,897 $5,525 Average revolving utilization rate 30% 26% 25% Average number of retail credit cards 2.50 2.42 2.33 Average retail credit card balance $1,930 $2,044 $1,887 Average nonmortgage debt $25,057 $25,483 $25,112 Average mortgage debt $210,263 $215,655 $229,242 Average auto loan or lease debt $19,034 $19,462 $20,505 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 3.8% 2.4% 2.3% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.9% 1.3% 1.0% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 6.6% 3.8% 2.5% “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources,” said John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE founder and CEO. “By helping people raise their credit scores, we are empowering them to take advantage of one of our nation’s most democratic tools. From housing and employment to healthcare and education, credit worthiness can be leveraged to improve our overall quality of life. We’re committed to using the HOPE Financial Wellness Index as a force for good in the communities we serve.” Understanding generational differences State of Credit also spotlights how each generation is managing their debts, showing scores have improved for every generation year-over-year. This trend is attributed to declining utilization rates and fewer missed payments. Credit utilization rates have declined for nearly every generation since 2019 except Gen Z who saw a slight uptick year-over-year. Similarly, credit card balances decreased for consumers of all age groups except Gen Z who increased their balances by $115 year-over-year. Across the board, consumers are missing fewer payments, with notable improvements seen among the youngest consumers. Gen Z decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rate by 29 percent year over year to 1.73 in 2021. This is a 72 percent decrease from the same period in 2019. Millennials also decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rates to 1.73 percent in 2021, down from 4.4% in 2021 and 10.6 percent in 2019. Additional 2021 generational findings from Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 findings by generation Gen Z Gen Y Gen X Boomers Silent Average VantageScore® 660 667 685 724 730 Median VantageScore 674 678 699 755 741 Average number of credit cards 1.7 2.7 3.3 3.4 2.7 Average credit card balance $2,312 $4,569 $7,236 $6,230 $3,821 Average revolving utilization rate 31% 30% 30% 21% 13% Average number of retail credit cards 1.6 2.1 2.5 2.5 2.1 Average retail credit card balance $1,125 $1,819 $2,214 $1,887 $1,329 Average nonmortgage debt $12,524 $28,317 $32,898 $24,136 $11,725 Average mortgage debt $192,276 $255,527 $259,100 $198,203 $163,254 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 2.1% 3.1% 3.0% 1.8% 1.1% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.0% 1.3% 1.3% 0.8% 0.5% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 1.7% 3.2% 3.4% 2.0% 1.3% A strong credit history and responsible credit management can help consumers save thousands of dollars over a lifetime. For example, a person with a low credit score may pay close to $3,000 more in interest to purchase a $10,000 used car3 and a person with a subprime credit score may pay $241 more per month or $86,503 more over the life of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan than a person with a score of 760 or above4. …

By Paige Alexander CEO, The Carter Center and Dr. Kashef Ijaz Vice President-Health Programs, The Carter Center The 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly opens Tuesday, Sept. 14. It is a time of great anticipation as representatives of 193 member states come together in the great hall to discuss issues and set an agenda for the coming year. World political leaders, including President Joe Biden, will give speeches that will be closely watched for clues and outright declarations regarding a wide variety of international challenges, global health among them. Behind the scenes, in conference rooms, hallways, and hotel lobbies, representatives of the many U.N. agencies — including the World Health Organization — will meet less formally with nonstate actors such as internet entrepreneurs, military contractors, pharmaceutical companies, and nongovernmental organizations, all seeking to participate in (or cash in on) the decisions the General Assembly will make.   One might hope that global health concerns would be immune to the influence of money and politics, but recent history shows us this is not the case. The United States made a political decision in April 2020 to halt its considerable contributions to the WHO and end its membership in the organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.  The U.S. is the global health body’s largest single funder and contributed more than $400 million in 2019, according to the BBC. The funding halt put a number of universally beneficial WHO programs in peril and made the already difficult work of The Carter Center and its partner countries even more challenging. Former President Jimmy Carter was part of a chorus of world leaders who deplored the move; he issued a statement saying he was “distressed by the decision to withhold critically needed U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, especially during an international pandemic.”  The Carter Center has a long and fruitful history of working in close partnership with the WHO. When Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the former foreign minister of Carter Center partner country Ethiopia, was elected WHO director-general in 2017, he made a point of visiting The Carter Center before taking the reins. Past directors-general have traveled with Carter Center teams to observe firsthand our partner countries’ work on neglected tropical diseases.  Moreover, the Center has assisted in the elimination of one or more NTDs in 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, helping them secure official WHO recognition. And, of course, the WHO recognizes the Center as the leader of the global campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. Furthermore, The Carter Center has provided substantive and strategic input into the creation of WHO global road maps, guidelines, and policies, and has influenced global in-kind pharmaceutical donations for WHO NTD programs.  Thankfully, this year the United States restored its participation and resumed its contributions to the WHO, a vital institution with a pure mission of helping people all over the world live longer, healthier lives. The Carter Center believes in and participates in that mission and believes the WHO deserves full and enthusiastic support.   This is sponsored content.

By Aixa Pascual The U.S. Census Bureau recently released population counts for counties and metro areas from last year’s decennial Census, providing a treasure trove of data on growth and diversity in our region. The bottom line: Metro Atlanta continues to grow at a healthy clip. And we’re getting much more diverse. Dive into the numbers.   This is sponsored content.

On July 1, 2021 the Supreme Court handed down its decision in a highly anticipated voting rights case, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case arrived at the Court as a result of past litigation filed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and certain affiliates challenging the validity of two provisions in the State of Arizona’s voting framework under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). While VRA Section 2 cases have previously come before the Court for consideration in matters involving redistricting challenges and vote-dilution claims, Brnovich represents the Court’s attempt at answering the important question of how to answer a Section 2 challenge to state laws governing the time, place and manner of an election. As summarized below, the impact of the Court’s ruling will have a profound effect on how courts interpret VRA Section 2 challenges going forward, and the ability of plaintiffs to challenge facially-neutral state election laws based purely upon allegations of disparate impact on certain groups of voters. The first election regulation under review in the Brnovich case requires that Arizona state residents who live in counties using an electoral precinct system vote in their assigned registration precinct if they choose to vote in person on Election Day. The second state regulation under review in the case makes it a felony for anyone other than an election official, postal worker, or designated caregiver, family, or household member to collect another voter’s early ballot prior to or after completion. In the underlying litigation associated with the case, the DNC and its affiliates challenged both regulations as in violation of VRA Section 2 under the theory that they caused a purported “adverse and disparate effect” on Arizona’s American Indian, Hispanic, and African-American voters. The District Court in the case rejected these claims, as did a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit. Those findings were reversed, however, in an en banc decision by the Ninth Circuit, which was subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court. Following review and oral argument earlier this spring, a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court reversed the en banc decision of the Ninth Circuit and upheld the legality of both Arizona regulations. In its decision, the Court held that neither regulation violated the VRA’s requirement that the voting process be “equally open” to all voters based upon a review of the challenged regulations under the totality of circumstances required by Section 2. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, noted that Brnovich was a case of first impression as it relates to the Court analysis of state laws governing the time, place, and manner of voting under VRA Section 2. While the Court refused to announce a formal rubric for analyzing Section 2 challenges to time, place, and manner voting rules going forward, the majority did compile a list of guideposts by which to conduct the mandated totality of circumstances analysis. Factors identified by the Court for this analysis included: the size of the burden imposed by a challenged voting rule; the degree to which a voting rule departs from what was standard practice when Section 2 was last amended by Congress in 1982; the size of any disparities in a rule’s impact on members of different racial or ethnic groups; the opportunities provided by a state’s entire system of voting; and the strength of a state’s interests served by a challenged voting rule. Since Arizona’s system generally makes it easy to vote (through a combination of early voting, permanent no-excuse mail voting, and vote centers), and because Arizona has a “strong and entirely legitimate state interest in preventing election fraud,” the Court found that the challenged regulations did not burden voters in a manner that kept the state’s voting process from being equally open to all. According to the majority, both requiring Election Day voters to cast their ballots at their assigned precincts, and requiring voters to cast their own paper ballots or use statutorily authorized proxies for such activities, were examples of “the usual burdens of voting.” The Court also rejected the DNC’s argument that Arizona’s second regulation was racially-motivated, finding no evidence that the legislature’s restriction on early ballot collection was “imbued with racial motives”. Writing for the dissent, Justice Elena Kagan argued that the majority interpreted Section 2 of the VRA too narrowly, and created a set of extra-textual factors by which to apply the totality of circumstances analysis mandated by the statute. Rejecting this approach, the dissent noted that following a Supreme Court decision in 1980 requiring a showing of discriminatory purpose to support a Section 2 claim, Congress amended the law in 1982 to “make clear that ‘results’ alone” could establish a violation of the VRA. The majority, however, took issue with this analysis, highlighting Justice Kagan’s focus on adopting a disparate-impact standard for legality under Section 2 and placing a least-restrictive means requirement on the facially-neutral regulation of voting by state legislatures. Given the substantial number of states that have enacted new voting legislation in the wake of the 2020 election and the assortment of legal challenges pending across the country regarding these nascent laws, the legal standards announced in the Brnovich decision will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the implementation and interpretation of state election law in many jurisdictions leading up to the 2022 midterm elections. Much remains to be seen in the wake of this consequential decision, but at the very least the Court’s opinion signals that neutral time, place, and manner rules governing voting will likely withstand Section 2 scrutiny provided that a state’s election processes remain equally open to all voters. The Court’s ruling also likely strengthens the viability of efforts around the country to implement and strengthen state laws restricting third-party ballot collection, sometimes referred to as “ballot harvesting” activities. Looking ahead to the important 2022 election cycle, Dentons Political Law team will continue to monitor key election litigation, legislation and policy developments nationwide and provide updates as appropriate.   This is sponsored content.

Ayana Gabriel joined the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta recently as Vice President, Community Impact. To celebrate her first 30 days with the Community Foundation, Erin Dreiling, marketing and communications manager at the Foundation, sat down to interview Ayana on her perspective on community work and grantmaking. Here is that Q&A to help others get to know Ayana, her career journey to date and her thoughts on how philanthropy can help build communities. Your vocational journey is inspiring. How do you think your past roles will contribute to your new one as the vice president, community impact? Who I am and how I have experienced this world dramatically shapes my approach to this role. I am a Black woman and a first-generation American. I grew up in Houston, Texas and education was so important to my family. My parents wanted to maximize every opportunity for my brother and me. Today we have six degrees between the two of us! That journey was not easy – growing up as a daughter of a construction worker helped me to understand the gaps and the opportunities in our society. I never went to school in my neighborhood, I was bussed to the “better” schools in other neighborhoods. When I went to Spelman for college, I took a Greyhound bus with my stuff in a suitcase. That is partially what drove my early career. I trained as an engineer, but I was usually the only woman and definitely the only Black woman in the room in those days. I left that path to become a teacher. I used to tell my students, most of whom were Black children, that if just two of them went into that career, I would have doubled myself. But the experience that I think has the most bearing in this role is not necessarily on my resume, it’s in the volunteer community leadership I have done. I understand the theory and practice behind community work, and it is what excites me most. Can you tell us more about that community leadership? A defining moment for me personally has been my community leadership on the Westside, my home. I live three miles from the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Bellwood quarry. I know what it is like to drive social impact on the grassroots levels. I know what it is like to show up at a meeting with strangers who have autonomy over your life. Many years ago, I was a member of a group that received a grant from the Community Foundation’s long-time program the Neighborhood Fund. We had so many assets in the neighborhood but we needed to aggregate our power. We needed to pull together. The Neighborhood Fund grant helped to shape a neighborhood master plan. That initial grant had a domino effect – from those efforts, programs and community gardens and even small businesses have sprung. As an impacted resident, I started going to Atlanta BeltLine meetings in 2006 to learn more about what the project entailed. Since then, I’ve volunteered to cut kudzu on neighborhood lots and am now on the board of the Beltline. In addition, I am a founding board member of redefinED, an organization that seeks to transform educational outcomes for Atlanta’s students. What draws you to service and community work? I truly believe that we get our best solutions when communities have agency. Community members can – and should – be problem solvers in their own lives. What does it mean to be able to replicate and scale that, to give our communities agency so they are deeply engaged in changing their own lives? That is my theory of change. There is so much talent in the community and we need to leverage it. You often hear about the public and private sectors and I think that “people” need to be a part of that. It should be the public, private and people sectors working together to really get things done. I have spent time trying to understand issues from the perspective of each lens. How do you think philanthropy can make an impact in Atlanta and our community? This is a critical moment in time for the Community Foundation, for metro Atlanta and for our country. We are more connected now than we have ever been. Even before the pandemic, which highlighted existing inequity, it was clear that our social problems center on systems that have existed for centuries. Structural racism is the root of so many problems and issues. It is hard – it’s not how we want to see ourselves or our country but we need to talk transparently and plainly about it. That is the first step. Philanthropy has so much power and wealth in our society. Through philanthropy, you get to see the best of our society and the worst of it. It is unique and there is no other space where that happens. How do you leverage the power of philanthropy in partnership with community to make the most impact? How do you pair the good intentions and wealth of our donors with the input of the people most affected to increase the agency they have in their lives? How do you harness all of that energy for systemic change? Philanthropy has both the dollars and social capital to make that happen. What is your favorite book right now? I have always loved science fiction! In it, we truly create a new world. Dystopian sci-fi is a warning but so much of it is hopeful and about what the world has the potential to be. Right now, I am reading the Dreamblood duology by N.K. Jemisen. As a shameless plug, my brother, who I am so proud of, just came out with his first novel. Check out A Master of Djinn by P. Djèli Clark.   This is sponsored content.

A team of six Emory computer science students are helping to usher in a new era in artificial intelligence. They’ve developed a chatbot capable of making logical inferences that aims to hold deeper, more nuanced conversations with humans than have previously been possible. They’ve christened their chatbot “Emora,” because it sounds like a feminine version of “Emory” and is similar to a Hebrew word for an eloquent sage. The team is now refining their new approach to conversational AI — a logic-based framework for dialogue management that can be scaled to conduct real-life conversations. Their longer-term goal is to use Emora to assist first-year college students, helping them to navigate a new way of life, deal with day-to-day issues and guide them to proper human contacts and other resources when needed. Eventually, they hope to further refine their chatbot — developed during the era of COVID-19 with the philosophy “Emora cares for you” — to assist people dealing with social isolation and other issues, including anxiety and depression. The Emory team is headed by graduate students Sarah Finch and James Finch, along with faculty advisor Jinho Choi, associate professor in the Department of Computer Sciences. The team also includes graduate student Han He and undergraduates Sophy Huang, Daniil Huryn and Mack Hutsell. All the students are members of Choi’s Natural Language Processing Research Laboratory. “We’re taking advantage of established technology while introducing a new approach in how we combine and execute dialogue management so a computer can make logical inferences while conversing with a human,” Sarah Finch says. “We believe that Emora represents a groundbreaking moment for conversational artificial intelligence,” Choi adds. “The experience that users have with our chatbot will be largely different than chatbots based on traditional, state-machine approaches to AI.” Last year, Choi and Sarah and James Finch headed a team of 14 Emory students that took first place in Amazon’s Alexa Prize Socialbot Grand Challenge, winning $500,000 for their Emora chatbot. The annual Alexa Prize challenges university students to make breakthroughs in the design of chatbots, also known as socialbots — software apps that simplify interactions between humans and computers by allowing them to talk with one another. This year, they developed a completely new version of Emora with the new team of six students. They made the bold decision to start from scratch, instead of building on the state-machine platform they developed in 2020 for Emora. “We realized there was an upper limit to how far we could push the quality of the system we developed last year,” Sarah Finch says. “We wanted to do something much more advanced, with the potential to transform the field of artificial intelligence.” They based the current Emora on three types of frameworks to advance core natural language processing technology, computational symbolic structures and probabilistic reasoning for dialogue management. They worked around the clock, making it into the Alexa Prize finals in June. They did not complete most of the new system, however, until just a few days before they had to submit Emora to the judges for the final round of the competition. That gave the team no time to make finishing touches to the new system, work out the bugs, and flesh out the range of topics that it could deeply engage in with a human. While they did not win this year’s Alexa Prize, the strategy led them to develop a system that holds more potential to open new doors of possibilities for AI. In the run-up to the finals, users of Amazon’s virtual assistant, known as Alexa, volunteered to test out the competing chatbots, which were not identified by their names or universities. A chatbot’s success was gauged by user ratings. “The competition is extremely valuable because it gave us access to a high volume of people talking to our bot from all over the world,” James Finch says. “When we wanted to try something new, we didn’t have to wait long to see whether it worked. We immediately got this deluge of feedback so that we could make any needed adjustments. One of the biggest things we learned is that what people really want to talk about is their personal experiences. ” Sarah and James Finch, who married in 2019, are the ultimate computer power couple. They met at age 13 in a math class in their hometown of Grand Blanc, Michigan. They were dating by high school, bonding over a shared love of computer programming. As undergraduates at Michigan State University, they worked together on a joint passion for programming computers to speak more naturally with humans. “If we can create more flexible and robust dialogue capability in machines,” Sarah Finch explains, “a more natural, conversational interface could replace pointing, clicking and hours of learning a new software interface. Everyone would be on a more equal footing because using technology would become easier.” She hopes to pursue a career in enhancing computer dialogue capabilities with private industry after receiving her PhD.  James Finch is most passionate about the intellectual aspects of solving problems and is leaning towards a career in academia after receiving his PhD. The Alexa Prize deadlines required the couple to work many 60-hour-plus weeks on developing Emora’s framework, but they didn’t consider it a grind. “I’ve enjoyed every day,” James Finch says. “Doing this kind of dialogue research is our dream and we’re living it. We are making something new that will hopefully be useful to the world.” They chose to come to Emory for graduate school because of Choi, an expert in natural language processing, and Eugene Agichtein, professor in the Department of Computer Science and an expert in information retrieval. Emora was designed not just to answer questions, but as a “social companion.” A caring chatbot was an essential requirement for Choi. At the end of every team meeting, he asks one member to say something about how the others have inspired them. “When someone sees a bright side in us, and shares it with others, everyone sees that …

YWCA of Greater Atlanta Continuing to lead Conversations about Race One might wonder why YWCA of Greater Atlanta wishes to become the leading site for Conversations about Race, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The guiding principles of YWCA beckon us to engage in activities that seek to eliminate racism and empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.  Just as critical legal theorists assert that we will always live in a society fractured, and in many cases emboldened by racism, we seek to confidently engage in cross-racial dialogues that unapologetically recognize that racism exists.  YWCA of Greater Atlanta believes that we the people have the power to identify and address strategies to minimize the impact of what it means to live in a society that has been structured by hierarchies of human value that yield privileges for one group versus the other. We seek to help those with privilege to acknowledge the benefits accrued of being born a certain race, gender, or nationality. Our programming helps to elevate how less privileged individuals regardless of race can and should be afforded comparable opportunities to succeed. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices were created to address these realities.  Discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion are needed to create work environments that embrace, respect, and promote difference and do not contribute to artificial social constructions of race and gender.     We seek to impact the lives of all women, regardless of race, sexuality, socioeconomic class, profession, or education. As we examine the impact of racism upon the lives of women, we engage an intersectional lens to further complicate this very compelling charge.  YWCA of Greater Atlanta recognizes that there are varied racialized and gendered experiences of women that must be curated and narrated as we discuss how to best engage diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. We recognize that there is no one voice for women and there is no one voice of color. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are concepts recognized across the spectrum of industries; however, YWCA of Greater Atlanta recognizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion must also focus upon the essential workers in society.   YWCA of Greater Atlanta seeks to demonstrate our commitment to the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women by engaging various initiatives that address the varied and complicated lives of women. Whether we are providing early childhood education for working mothers, hiring, and training childcare workers, hosting computer technology classes for girls and women, educating women on how to advocate for legislation affecting the lives of women, girls and other marginalized members of society or hosting an annual forum to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion, YWCA of Greater Atlanta seeks to actualize and activate our guiding principles.  We seek to eliminate racism and empower women. Join us on Thursday, September 23rd virtually at our Eighth Annual Conversations forum on race and gender.  YWCA of Greater Atlanta wants to empower you.  This year’s theme is “Conversations that Empower—Make DEI Part of your DNA”.  Go to: www.ywcaatlanta.org/conversations/ to purchase tickets or become a sponsor.  By: Cynthia Neal Spence, Ph.D./ Associate Professor of Sociology / Director, UNCF/Mellon Programs /Director, Social Justice Scholars Program | Vice Chair/ Board of Directors YWCA of Greater Atlanta       This is sponsored content.