Written by Raiana Kelly, AADM Contributing Writer
2021 was another eventful year for the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM); we continued to push forward racial justice initiatives, provide resources and information to the Athens community, engage Athens youth, and build lasting community connections.
We proudly opened our Justice Center & Bookstore as a gathering place for the Teen Social Justice Club, events, and for members of the community to purchase books and learn about our various programs and initiatives. If you would ever like to donate books to the bookstore, please call 1-800-922-3607 to schedule a drop-off. The Justice Center is located inside the Georgia Square Mall (3700 Atlanta Highway), on the first floor across from Belk – stop by and say hello!
Advocacy Support
We continued our advocacy for racial justice with several rallies this year including the Stop the Violence March; the Unite Against Asian Hate rally in response to violence and hate crimes experienced by the AAPI community; the Athens Day of Jubilee Vigil and Rally to celebrate, honor, and remember the lives and contributions of African American people in Athens; and the Police Accountability Rally in support of a Civilian Oversight Board for Athens.
We also helped numerous members of the community by addressing discrimination complaints and providing legal support for those in need. This year, we were able to serve 28 individuals who submitted complaints. If you have a discrimination complaint, have a legal question, need legal representation, or believe you have been treated unlawfully by law enforcement, please fill out this form and we will be in contact with you. The discrimination complaints team is proud of its advocacy work and will continue to support anyone experiencing discrimination in 2022!
Looking back, this year featured a lot of successful educational and advocacy initiatives! After two years of educating the community about and advocating for the formation of a Civilian Oversight Board, the Board was established by the Mayor and Commission on November 2nd. While we’re very pleased with its establishment, there is much work to be done and we must stay engaged and involved throughout the development process – stay tuned with us for more information and ways you can get involved.
Accountability Project
We launched the Athens Accountability Project (AAP) in an effort to advocate for increased accountability and transparency of the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) through a rigorous restructuring of the Internal Auditor’s office. To accomplish this, the project drafted local legislation to increase the Auditor’s independence and power directly within the Athens-Clarke County Charter. You can learn more by visiting the AAP website, or by following us on Instagram (@AthensAccountabilityProject) or Twitter (@AthensAccntblty).
Community Service: 22 Graduates!
Our community service program, geared toward high school students and adults, offers a variety of opportunities to give back to the community such as volunteering with AADM, writing blog posts about social justice issues and personal experiences with the criminal justice system, attending protests, writing reports, working with local organizations, and more! This year, 22 clients have graduated from the program, completing all 40 hours from start to finish with AADM.
Teach the Truth
We successfully planned and implemented an 8-week “Teach the Truth” series of professional development for educators designed to support and expand their capacities to teach the truth about systemic racism, white supremacy, and movements for racial justice. The planning committee was a diverse group of local educators, university professors, graduate students and community leaders. If you would like to watch these sessions, you can find them here.
Teen Social Justice Club
The Teen Social Justice Club stayed busy with various field trips for both education and fun. They visited Sweet Olive Farm to learn about life on a farm, took a hiking trip to Anna Ruby Falls and participated in zip-lining, they went kayaking, learned how to sculpt with clay, and more! The teens sharpened their writing and performance skills with poetry workshops, and learned about various careers through the Youth Summer Apprenticeships ranging from journalism, theater, community service and advocacy, and the culinary arts. We’re immensely proud of the budding young activists! Want to follow along with the TSJ activities? Follow their Instagram page (@TeenSocialJustice).
Community Building
As always, the AADM filled the year with fun community events. We kicked the year off with the annual MLK Day Parade and Music Fest, gathered community feedback at the Design Cypher in the pedestrian plaza on College Avenue, hosted several kickball tournaments to raise money for youth programs, held recurring Black Markets to support minority business owners, and we continue to hold weekly art classes taught by AADM volunteer Arie Ritten every Saturday from 3 to 5pm at the Justice Center (all supplies provided).
We’d like to give a big thanks to our sponsors – thanks to your generous support, we’ve been able to offer bail relief to 23 Athens citizens, provide legal defense for community members in need, and host many community events. We’d also like to thank our dedicated staff and volunteers who keep everything running smoothly and help us create the change we want to see in the world. If you’re interested in joining the movement, you can sign up as a volunteer.
We’ll be taking a small break for the remainder of the year, but we’ll see you all again in January at the 6th annual MLK Day Parade and Music Fest! We’re excited for what 2022 has in store!