In a recent SaportaReport story about the Sandy Springs mayoral race, I referred to candidate Dontaye Carter as “Black.” The sentence came just before a few lines on his platform, which includes a call for greater city support of minority-owned businesses and deeper engagement with Sandy Springs’ diverse communities.
That single word — Black — has since become the focal point of online reaction. Carter posted a screenshot of that portion of the article on social media with a sarcastic caption and no mention of my name, though I am the writer of the piece. Nearly 100 comments followed, most of them criticizing the media, the publication, or journalism overall. But no one reached out directly to me, or that I saw, referenced me by name.
I understand why readers would question the inclusion of race in that sentence. At the time the article was first published, there were no photos of the mayoral challengers. I added those images shortly afterward. Had I reread the story in full after uploading the photos, I would have removed the word “Black.”
I didn’t, and that was my oversight. I have removed the word.
Had the photos not been added to the article later, I’m not sure anyone would have had an issue. The focus of the story is on the competitiveness of the race and the possibility that Mayor Rusty Paul may be facing a tougher reelection challenge than in years past.
If Mr. Carter had contacted me directly, I would have welcomed the conversation and amended the line without hesitation.
I value readers knowing that I am a journalist of integrity, whether they agree with a particular story or not.
That said, I want to be honest about why I stated that Carter is Black in the first place.
In the absence of a photo, it’s a detail that I chose in the context of my understanding of some of the issues that are important to Carter, not only now but in the past. Race mattered in 2021 when he first ran for mayor. I know this because I wrote about the local election season in north Fulton — for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — and I covered how he and other candidates of color navigated the political landscape due in part to racially-charged mailers.
And today, race, ethnicity and cultural identity are a part of our mainstream conversations in news and politics, ranging from Black history to a new local law to fight hate speech to immigration. I am mindful of this as a Black woman.
We live in moments of instant, rewarding reaction. But I wonder if we might be better off asking quieter questions such as: What do I know for sure? What’s my intention? What am I hoping this leads to?
For me, if nothing else, I hope this leads to constructive dialogue.
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