By Khaliff Davis, Director K-12 Lending, Reinvestment Fund Since its inception, the community development financial institution industry has been committed to providing capital to help expand opportunity for historically excluded communities. In recent years, the continued and often growing disparities in outcomes ranging from health to education to economic prosperity have led CDFIs like Reinvestment Fund to dial up its work to explicitly address racial equity in lending, investing, and operational practices.  While this work remains urgent, it is also a challenge to determine precisely how to incorporate or operationalize racial equity into our varied work. How do CDFIs incorporate an explicit racial equity agenda into their lending and programs? What should we learn from those most impacted by oppressive systems? What work do we need to do as institutions and individuals to genuinely build a racial equity perspective? And how might we collaborate beyond our industry to improve outcomes? In 2018, Reinvestment Fund and a group of seven other CDFIs formed the CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative on Education (the Collaborative) to try to answer these questions with a focus on lending to K-12 schools.  Our focus on education is important because, in many ways, schools are often a microcosm of their communities. They manifest the challenges and strengths of their broader community.  More than just institutions of education, schools play a part in the emotional and physical wellbeing of America’s future. Therefore, it is critical that we understand and nurture the policies and practices that foster equitable educational success.  As a first step, the Collaborative engaged three educational equity consultants–Village of Wisdom, we are (Working to Extend Anti-Racist Education), and Discriminology–to develop a framework for evaluating schools’ commitments to creating equitable learning environments for all students.  Referred to as the Racial Equity Matrix (REM), the consultants defined ten academic focus areas most acutely impacted by racial inequity and provided the CDFI lenders with a host of questions to assess policies and practices related to each of these areas. The ten focus areas include: parent engagement, academic pathways, mindful discipline, culturally relevant curricula, social justice curricula, student recruitment, equitable honors & AP, social-emotional support, and teacher recruitment. As a long-time lender to schools, Reinvestment Fund has delivered flexible financing that supports the real estate development needs of schools providing quality education outcomes. Reinvestment Fund has always gone beyond the financial story that audits and projections tell, seeking to conduct a multifaceted review of a school’s program. We observe classes in session and engage in discussion with school staff to assess the experience of the leadership team, student engagement and demand, and whether the program is outperforming its peers on traditional markers of success such as standardized assessments and graduation rates. Over the last two decades, we’ve provided over $500 million in financing to more than 100 K-12 schools, and most of these schools have served students of color who often reside in communities challenged by poverty. Too often, however, students of color, particularly Black and Latinx students, continue to face inequity inside schools we may even support.  One example is the effect of negative labeling in schools. School leader Ebony Payne Brown of Peace Academy in Atlanta, a school with an Afrocentric curriculum that focuses on pushing academic development and strengthening cultural awareness, describes how negative labels often result in inequitable treatment such as harsher punishment and fewer opportunities.  “In environments that are not steeped in equity, we see a disproportionate amount of Black and brown students with negative labels placed on them throughout their educational career; often as early as Kindergarten,” says Payne Brown. “These negative labels follow them throughout the school system and are extremely critical in the success or lack thereof of their future. For example, Black boys are far more likely to be placed in special education settings, kicked out of class for minor infractions, given extreme behavioral consequences, and are often looked over for gifted and talented programs.”  Payne Brown points out that there are opportunities to incorporate more equitable education practices. She explains “When schools and educators are aware of the messages and practices they have internalized and perpetuate and make the choice to do something different, then we see education systems create a more equitable approach to education. We see more of our Black and brown students thriving. We see communities and generations changing.”  The REM approach digs deeper into whether the racial achievement gap within a school is closing, participation of students of color in gifted and advanced programming is increasing, and that suspension and expulsion rates are decreasing. The approach makes clear that reviewing quantitative data is just the beginning.  While data around enrollment, academic performance, and discipline can be gathered relatively easily, the qualitative questions around culturally relevant practices, restorative approaches to justice, student and parent voice, and whether staff have a racial equity perspective are more nuanced and harder to measure.   “Implementing a more equitable approach to education goes beyond giving more money and resources,” said Brian King, Founder of Liberation Academy, a new public charter school in Southeast Atlanta that serves students in grades 5-8. “It is utilizing those resources to provide an educational experience that is designed specifically for the students and community in which it serves. Catering to the specific needs of students of color, without compromising the quality of education, creates the platform for educational equity.”  The REM has proved to be the first step of an iterative process to provide Reinvestment Fund with a framework to think, talk, and inquire about racial equity in schools. The REM has even been incorporated into our evaluation of mission fit, contributing to a fairly robust set of underwriting criteria used to determine investment decisions. We also recognize the unique value we have as a lender that speaks with many schools, consultants, and equity resources, and are excited to have the opportunity to expand our role as a capacity builder to help schools access training on the concepts of the REM through the recently launched Charter School […]

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.

Building resilient families in our community takes collaboration, creativity and innovation.  The Families First and The Urban League of Greater Atlanta collaboration which began in February 2020 to provide young, incarcerated fathers the opportunity to connect to their children is an example of creative solutions to help our families move from surviving to thriving. Sitting down with social worker and Program Director at Family First’s Parenting Plus division Shakenna Gray, Gray shared a wealth of valuable information about programs and services within Parenting Plus. This included the partnership with The Urban League of Greater Atlanta as well as Families First’s own work through their Parenting Time program. To better help Parenting Plus reconnect or establish connections between fathers and their children, Families First formed a partnership with The Urban League of Greater Atlanta and several prison systems. These current prison systems are Douglas County Detention Center, Fulton County Jail, and Cobb County Detention Center while the Henry and DeKalb County Jails are prison systems that will begin receiving service in the near future. This partnership assists young fathers transitioning from low offense prison sentences and provides additional support to resources in the community.   Those resources provided by Families First’s Parenting Plus division include community linkage to vocational services, Parenting Time services- access and visitation, legal resources such as Atlanta Legal Aid, and internal referrals for Families First’s Behavioral Health department. Resources from the Urban League also extends vocational services, job readiness, housing referrals, and referrals for mental health services. Elaborating further, Gray emphasized the impactful and resilience building services provided that aid in building connections between young fathers and their children.   “Not only with curriculum, we provide them (fathers) with educating them on how to gain access to their children, we coach them on positive communication with the co-parent, and how to have fun with your children, because that is essential, especially in the first five years of that child’s development.”   Currently, Gray estimates that at least 20 young fathers have completed the parenting coursework since the inception of the program and partnership in February of 2020. With the coursework and services briefly pausing due to COVID-19, the now resumed program is expected to reach an additional 50 young fathers by the end of the 2021 fiscal year.  Using Georgia laws as a basis, Gray estimated that likely 80% of incarcerated young fathers have no access or connection to their children. In states where a child is born out of wedlock, the father has no access or legal rights to that child.  With many roadblocks and hurdles in trying to see their children, Gray shared that the fathers trying to reach their children see hope and possibility of reconnecting with them early on in the process.  The fathers achieve this feeling by being able to sit down and be heard by the caseworkers, as often many other organizations or agencies have previously dismissed their attempts to reach their children. Gray also gave some insight into some of the negative perceptions surrounding the role fathers play in their children’s lives. However, those stigmas are shattered the moment you work with fathers who aren’t able to have contact with their children.  “You see where they are, the many obstacles they have to face just to gain access to their children, then you see they are dedicated. They just need a little extra guidance.”  Additionally, Gray spoke about Families First’s Parenting Time and the invaluable work it does. Parenting Time is a free referral-based service through the Department of Human Services (DHS) division of Child Support Services to parents with an active child support case number. She stated that Parenting Time has reached around 350 clients thus far in the 2021 fiscal year and that the number is expected to grow exponentially post-pandemic.   Services provided by Families First’s Parenting Time include legal resources as well as the opportunity for a mediation with the custodial parent, a parenting plan and a visitation schedule. Parenting Time provides pivotal work in establishing a connection between parents and their children through this 90-day program.  In regard to how one can support Parenting Plus as well as the DHS’s division of Child Support Services, Gray shared “One way to support definitely is through word of mouth. Talking about our services and some of the benefits we offer. Also, connections to the community resources, legal aid, job readiness, mentorships, those are some things that are needed and could be good resources for us.” With the discussion coming to a close, Gray shared one more insight into the vital role of fathers in building resilience within the family and in our youth as well as in setting an example for their children.  “I’m a female, I can never walk in a young father’s shoes, nor can I ever teach a young male how to be a man, so their role is essential. I think that’s one thing we have to start uplifting in the community that we serve is that fathers are valuable and needed, just as well as the mothers are.”  To learn more about Families First’s Parenting Plus division and programs offered visit them at https://familiesfirst.org/parenting/.   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 …

By Brian Carr, Director of Marketing and Communications, Midtown Alliance As we continue our work on the ground every day in Midtown, we see continued momentum and positive signs pointing toward recovery. Developers and companies are continuing to bet on Midtown’s future.  Development growth continues, with 17 major projects currently under construction in a 1.2 square mile area. Several of these have broken ground since the onset of the pandemic, and several more proposed projects have cleared the development review process in this same timeframe. Keep up with all of it on our development tour. The uses vary from residential to office space, retail and residential.  Four brand new buildings opened their doors this month in the district, including hotels, residential developments and office space for Fortune 500 companies Google and Norfolk Southern. It’s a testament to pushing ahead as Atlanta works to climb out of a challenging set of circumstances. And it’s clear that Midtown’s mixed-use identity remains a key to Atlanta’s economic resilience. New job announcements, company relocations and expansions keep coming. And at the same time, more employers are choosing to plant their flag in Midtown. The latest organization to sign on is Roadsync, a logistics company moving to an office on Peachtree Street six times the size of its current office. The company currently has 90 employees and plans to have 100 to 150 employees by the end of 2021.  MessageGears, an Atlanta firm whose employee base has grown about 70% during the pandemic, is relocating into the district to take advantage of transit access and proximity to Georgia Tech talent. These and many other employers are demonstrating their long-term interest in having employees be around each other to drive collaboration. The arts are coming back to full strength in the heart of it all. Midtown boasts the southeast’s largest concentration of arts and cultural venues. It’s great to see many of these reopening their doors this season, from Alliance Theatre and their new production “Darlin’ Cory” to The Breman Museum, which has restored its operations to welcome visitors on Sundays. Meanwhile, Midtown Alliance’s “Heart of the Arts” studio residency program, created in partnership with commercial property owners, has taken flight. Take a walk down West Peachtree and you can see printmaker and mixed media artist Jamaal Barber creating in his studio space inside the Coda building. He’s one of half a dozen artists that are making works you’ll soon see in the district.  Atlanta functions at its best when more people return to public life. Together with our partners in Downtown and Buckhead, Midtown is part of an urban core that is built literally and figuratively to help power the City’s post-pandemic recovery. There’s a lot that still needs to happen. But we all know it truly works best when people want to be here, in-person and together.  We’ll be here when you’re ready to return to public life. Get up to speed about coming back to Midtown offices with confidence by reading our new Return to Office guide. Stay up to date on visual and performing arts events happening in the district by viewing our event calendar and social media channels. When you’re able, support your local businesses — while the weather is still warm, you can even sit outside at 100 different restaurants in Midtown offering a combined 100K square feet of patio space.   This is sponsored content.

By Khaliff Davis, Director K-12 Lending, Reinvestment Fund Since its inception, the community development financial institution industry has been committed to providing capital to help expand opportunity for historically excluded communities. In recent years, the continued and often growing disparities in outcomes ranging from health to education to economic prosperity have led CDFIs like Reinvestment Fund to dial up its work to explicitly address racial equity in lending, investing, and operational practices.  While this work remains urgent, it is also a challenge to determine precisely how to incorporate or operationalize racial equity into our varied work. How do CDFIs incorporate an explicit racial equity agenda into their lending and programs? What should we learn from those most impacted by oppressive systems? What work do we need to do as institutions and individuals to genuinely build a racial equity perspective? And how might we collaborate beyond our industry to improve outcomes? In 2018, Reinvestment Fund and a group of seven other CDFIs formed the CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative on Education (the Collaborative) to try to answer these questions with a focus on lending to K-12 schools.  Our focus on education is important because, in many ways, schools are often a microcosm of their communities. They manifest the challenges and strengths of their broader community.  More than just institutions of education, schools play a part in the emotional and physical wellbeing of America’s future. Therefore, it is critical that we understand and nurture the policies and practices that foster equitable educational success.  As a first step, the Collaborative engaged three educational equity consultants–Village of Wisdom, we are (Working to Extend Anti-Racist Education), and Discriminology–to develop a framework for evaluating schools’ commitments to creating equitable learning environments for all students.  Referred to as the Racial Equity Matrix (REM), the consultants defined ten academic focus areas most acutely impacted by racial inequity and provided the CDFI lenders with a host of questions to assess policies and practices related to each of these areas. The ten focus areas include: parent engagement, academic pathways, mindful discipline, culturally relevant curricula, social justice curricula, student recruitment, equitable honors & AP, social-emotional support, and teacher recruitment. As a long-time lender to schools, Reinvestment Fund has delivered flexible financing that supports the real estate development needs of schools providing quality education outcomes. Reinvestment Fund has always gone beyond the financial story that audits and projections tell, seeking to conduct a multifaceted review of a school’s program. We observe classes in session and engage in discussion with school staff to assess the experience of the leadership team, student engagement and demand, and whether the program is outperforming its peers on traditional markers of success such as standardized assessments and graduation rates. Over the last two decades, we’ve provided over $500 million in financing to more than 100 K-12 schools, and most of these schools have served students of color who often reside in communities challenged by poverty. Too often, however, students of color, particularly Black and Latinx students, continue to face inequity inside schools we may even support.  One example is the effect of negative labeling in schools. School leader Ebony Payne Brown of Peace Academy in Atlanta, a school with an Afrocentric curriculum that focuses on pushing academic development and strengthening cultural awareness, describes how negative labels often result in inequitable treatment such as harsher punishment and fewer opportunities.  “In environments that are not steeped in equity, we see a disproportionate amount of Black and brown students with negative labels placed on them throughout their educational career; often as early as Kindergarten,” says Payne Brown. “These negative labels follow them throughout the school system and are extremely critical in the success or lack thereof of their future. For example, Black boys are far more likely to be placed in special education settings, kicked out of class for minor infractions, given extreme behavioral consequences, and are often looked over for gifted and talented programs.”  Payne Brown points out that there are opportunities to incorporate more equitable education practices. She explains “When schools and educators are aware of the messages and practices they have internalized and perpetuate and make the choice to do something different, then we see education systems create a more equitable approach to education. We see more of our Black and brown students thriving. We see communities and generations changing.”  The REM approach digs deeper into whether the racial achievement gap within a school is closing, participation of students of color in gifted and advanced programming is increasing, and that suspension and expulsion rates are decreasing. The approach makes clear that reviewing quantitative data is just the beginning.  While data around enrollment, academic performance, and discipline can be gathered relatively easily, the qualitative questions around culturally relevant practices, restorative approaches to justice, student and parent voice, and whether staff have a racial equity perspective are more nuanced and harder to measure.   “Implementing a more equitable approach to education goes beyond giving more money and resources,” said Brian King, Founder of Liberation Academy, a new public charter school in Southeast Atlanta that serves students in grades 5-8. “It is utilizing those resources to provide an educational experience that is designed specifically for the students and community in which it serves. Catering to the specific needs of students of color, without compromising the quality of education, creates the platform for educational equity.”  The REM has proved to be the first step of an iterative process to provide Reinvestment Fund with a framework to think, talk, and inquire about racial equity in schools. The REM has even been incorporated into our evaluation of mission fit, contributing to a fairly robust set of underwriting criteria used to determine investment decisions. We also recognize the unique value we have as a lender that speaks with many schools, consultants, and equity resources, and are excited to have the opportunity to expand our role as a capacity builder to help schools access training on the concepts of the REM through the recently launched Charter School …

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 Charles Redding, CEO & President This past spring the country of India underwent a massive surge in COVID cases, almost exclusively as a result of the rapid spread of the Delta variant.  The numbers spiked to more than 400,000 daily cases this past spring and experts estimated that the true figure could be more than 20 times greater.  The crisis was heightened due to a lack of oxygen equipment in local hospitals. The daily demand for supplemental medical oxygen rose to roughly 12 times what was needed pre-COVID-19 times, with a catastrophic impact during March, April, and early May, 2021. Despite being a challenging country in which to deliver aid, MedShare was able to organize several emergency air shipments of oxygen related equipment, including oxygen concentrators, ventilators, nasal cannula and VPAP machines.   The most critically needed Item to sustain the lives of many patients stricken with COVID-19 was medical oxygen. In response to this critical need,  MedShare coordinated the delivery of two oxygen generator plants in partnerships with Kaiser Permanente, the UPS Foundation, and PATH India.  Kaiser Permanente donated two Deployable Oxygen Concentration System (DOCS) 500 oxygen generator systems to MedShare.  The UPS Foundation funded the flight and PATH India cleared the systems through customs, delivered them to the hospitals, installed the units and provided training to local healthcare staff.   District Hospital Barabanki and District Hospital Hapur, both located in the Province of Uttar Pradesh, and both serving as 100 Bed COVID hospitals during the outbreak, receive the two units.  This partnership delivered critical, life-saving oxygen to India at a time when the country was in dire need.   PATH India provide the following time-lapse video showing the process of installing the Deployable Oxygen Concentration System (DOCS).   Addressing India’s Oxygen Shortage Video Since the meteoric spike in COVID-19 cases to 400,000 a day and over 4,000 deaths a day back in the Spring, India’s average daily COVID-19 cases are now down to 37,000 and 284 deaths, due to Increased vaccinations and hospital capacity to care for patients.  The oxygen provided helped sustain Ives during this period and continues to provide a life-line for those requiring critical care.   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.

By Clarke Henderson, program associate, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta This summer, we have seen observable effects of global climate change on our environment. Extreme weather events and record-breaking heat waves, like the one that gripped the Pacific Northwest, are coming in far greater frequency. While cities like Vancouver and Portland experienced the brunt of it, Atlanta, and other cities, continue to face increasingly insufferable summers.  Heat is the most dangerous, and deadly, consequence of climate change. Extreme heat kills more people every year than any other natural disaster, and hot days are getting hotter and more frequent. Moreover, not everyone can afford to escape these rising temperatures. Disparities in the distributive effects of climate change are being studied. UrbanHeatATL has been one of two citywide studies this summer examining which Atlanta neighborhoods are hottest and how to help protect them as temperatures rise. Not surprisingly, communities that experience higher temperatures were often those subject to redlining, referring to the historical federal segregationist housing policies that began in the 1930s.  Segregationist resistance of the 1950s and ‘60s managed to preserve the world of segregation and hone it in subtle, but stronger forms. Populations of whites decreased from cities into suburban areas, changing how resources were allocated and to whom. Residential segregation was a key mechanism by which racial inequity was created and reinforced, and we continue to experience those effects today.   Cities are built with a lot of impervious surfaces, like pavement, which absorb and retain heat, creating what is effectively known as an urban heat island. Cities are generally hotter than their rural counterparts are but differences in the distribution of green space and concrete in certain urban neighborhoods can exacerbate the adverse economic and health consequences for its residents.  Environmental justice tells us that whether by conscious design or institutional neglect, low-income communities and communities of color in Atlanta’s urban core have not had the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards. As we grapple with how the economy of space can be made more just, sustainability and resiliency should be at the center of this strategy. Atlanta is home to the largest charitable sector in the South. With the proliferation of climate and environmental justice movements in the American South, there is opportunity to increase the portion of philanthropic climate funding deserving of these grassroots campaigns. At the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, we have experience returning power and resources to communities. We are invested in supporting civic engagement strategies, community organizing, and policy campaigns to strengthen grantees’ efforts to fight for an equitable society. There is still work to be done—we must continue to expand our analysis and advocacy to win climate and equity policy solutions that build durable power for healthy communities.  The Funder Toolkit on Climate, Health, and Equity is a great resource to gain a sense of the interconnected landscape and accelerate investment to communities most implicated by environmental and health inequity. Additionally, we would like to highlight some of our partners and the work they are doing in this field:  West Atlanta Watershed Alliance West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) is a community-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life in West Atlanta’s Watershed by protecting, preserving and restoring the community’s natural resources. WAWA represents African American neighborhoods in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta that are most inundated by environmental stressors, but are least represented at environmental decision-making tables. WAWA’s grassroots approach to organizing, research, community science and education elevates local community knowledge and lived experiences enabling residents to solve and address their environmental challenges. As a collaborative partner in UrbanHeatATL, they are mobilizing community science to highlight solutions for the most vulnerable communities. Partnership for Southern Equity Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) advances policy and institutional actions that promote racial equity and shared prosperity for all in the growth of metropolitan Atlanta and the American South, with a focus on four key areas: energy, growth, health, and opportunity. PSE recently received a $6 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund. Thanks to this grant, PSE will be able to expand the work of the Justice40 Accelerator, a nation-wide effort designed to help community-led environmental justice projects compete successfully for federal funding from the Biden/Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative. Georgia Conservation Voters Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) works to mobilize Georgians to advance climate and environmental justice through voting, advocacy, and other forms of civic engagement. GCV is on a mission to transform Georgia’s political landscape by electing leaders with conservation values and holding them accountable to implementing policies that ensure clean water and air, abundant wildlife, scenic landscapes and economic opportunities for all Georgians. Photo courtesy of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance.   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.