Crowded pews inside of Big Bethel AME Church on Auburn Avenue, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanat Voice
The pulpit at Big Bethel AME Church has always been filled with public speakers of note. On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 30, the church welcomed all but one of Atlanta’s living Black mayors to speak on the “Soul of Atlanta.”
Former Atlanta Mayor’s Ambassador Andrew Young, William “Bill” Campbell, Shirley Franklin, Kasim Reed, and current Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, along with Big Bethel AME Church Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, spoke about how to further defend Atlanta’s legacy of “equality and inclusion.”
“This is only the kickoff; this is not the end,” Augustine said.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Days before the City of Atlanta and Fulton County will elect or re-elect a mayor and a city council president, the pews inside Big Bethel were full of people looking to hear what luminaries like Young had to say about Atlanta’s legacy.
“This is where it all began,” said Young, a preacher in many ways. “I think we have accidentally, with the guidance of God, and the officials you all have elected, we have become one of the best cities in the world.”
Young, the second Black mayor in the city’s history, shared stories about how Atlantans, both Black and white, got together to make the city better. Those stories included the first Black Mayor of Atlanta, the late Maynard Jackson, who broke business barriers by securing citywide contracts. Young also used the city securing the 1996 Summer Olympics bid in 1990 as an example of everyone working together for a common goal.
“I want to thank you for believing in God’s message that was put in your heart and mine,” Young said.
Dickens also spoke, as did Valerie Jackson, Mayor Jackson’s widow. Mrs. Jackson said she knows the late mayor would be proud of the direction the city has taken since the three-term mayor passed away.
“We will not allow the principle of fairness and justice to be blown back,” Mrs. Jackson said.
“We will not allow the principle of fairness and justice to be blown back,” Mrs. Valerie Jackson (above) said.
After telling a story about Mayor Jackson’s decision to steer more airport contracts to Black vendors, Mrs. Jackson said, “Maynard’s policies of inclusion became a model, not just for the state, but for the nation.”
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was not in attendance.
“On day one as governor, I’ll sign an executive order that allows doctors to practice medicine with pregnant women without the fear of prosecution. Secondly, I’ll introduce legislation that repeals the six-week ban and returns us to Roe v Wade. That’s my promise and I’m sticking to it,” said Duncan (left) during his interview at The Atlanta Voice on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan came to The Atlanta Voice for the first time on Monday, Sept. 21,to discuss his campaign for governor. Duncan is one of nearly a dozen candidates who have launched campaigns this year. Last week, Duncan visited a Black-owned small business in what looked like a concerted effort to speak directly to Black voters. A former Republican, Duncan, is running as a Democrat and believes there’s a place for a governor who appeals to both sides.
“I do have a track record of working across the aisle,” he said. “I want to turn chaos into conversations.”
The Atlanta Voice: Good morning, Mr. Duncan, and welcome to WAREHOUSE Studios on the campus of The Atlanta Voice. Let’s get right to it. Why did you decide to run for governor?
Geoff Duncan: I really feel like Georgia’s best days are in front of us and I want to lead all Georgians to those better days. In my role as Lieutenant Governor I saw how important the job as governor can be. I really feel there’s an opportunity to prioritize folks in the state that need it the most.
Duncan listed affordable child care, unemployment, and housing cost, and healthcare as issues he plans to tackle during his campaign.
AV: Any other issues taking place in Georgia that you believe should be addressed on the campaign trail going forward?
GD: Quite honestly, we have a Donald Trump crisis, too. This guy has leaned into our state in such a negative way. Not only trying to steal the 2020 [presidential election], but now he’s essentially putting rural hospitals in a crisis. We have a Donald Trump crisis, and I am willing to stand up and push back.
Photo By Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
AV: Does your experience as Lt. Governor give you an advantage over your opponents in this race?
GD: Absolutely. I learned a lot as Lt. Governor. In the four years that I was in office, we went through a pandemic, which was unbelievable for everybody ….I don’t even know what to refer to the pandemic as. We woke up one day, and there was 10 percent unemployment. We also had to navigate the difficult realities of civil unrest and the horrific murder of Ahmaud Arbery, amongst others. And we had to deal with the 2020 election trying to be stolen by a sitting President. I learned a lot about leadership. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about Georgians, and that’s really what’s led me on this journey. I think most Georgians just want somebody to lead their state that stays focused on the issues that matter most.
AV: What are some of those issues?
GD: Being able to allow folks to raise their kids in safe communities, being able to have access to quality education and quality healthcare, the ability to find a high-paying quality job. Those are the things we want to stay focused on. Too often in politics, folks are staying focused on the fringe issues because it’s a hyper-partisan environment.
If Georgians want to elect somebody who’s going to be hyper-partisan and call names, then they are not going to vote for me. If they want a consistent leader who shows up to work every day focused on the issues that matter, I think we have a good shot to win this.
Duncan was clear that he believes current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has been good for the state. “He is doing a good job of leading our state forward. Our economy continues to grow. I think he handled COVID extremely well, and I was glad to work alongside him and the Legislature on a number of the COVID relief actions. But there’s more work to be done in the state.”
AV: What do you believe you can bring to the governor’s office that the other candidates cannot?
GD: I have been behind the curtain, and I realize how important the job of governor is. You get to write the first draft of the budget. You get to prioritize what is going to be nearly $40 billion, understanding how those agencies work, and understanding what dollars are effective and what dollars don’t seem to be effective. You get to prioritize what’s going on in the Legislature as the chief negotiator between constituencies.
And it’s not just Democrats versus Republicans at the Legislature. There are a lot of constituencies, rural and urban, and others, where you have to broker deals. The governor has to play a significant role. You put all that together, and the job of governor is important, and I feel like I have got a really good head start on understanding how that operates.
AV: Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, State Rep. Jason Esteves, and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond are also running to represent the Democratic Party in this race. All have high levels of name recognition with Democratic voters in two of Georgia’s largest counties, Fulton and DeKalb counties, respectively. Do you believe your level of name recognition will help you as well?
GD: I think more important than name recognition is my platform. I think my platform meets the needs, meets those individuals, meets those counties where they are.
AV: Please explain.
GD: I know I keep talking about affordability, but it’s a reality folks are facing. There are folks who are going to read this who are scared about just paying rent next month. They are worried about being able to afford groceries when they go to the store. My platform is laser-focused on meeting folks where they are at.
I think amongst Democrats, my name ID is high because I have been willing to stand up to Donald Trump, even when it wasn’t politically popular.
Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (above, left, at The Black Coffee Co. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025) and current Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have joined the long list of Democrats and Republicans running for the state’s top spot. Photo by Julia Beverly/The Atlanta Voice
AV: Was the visit to The Black Coffee Company an attempt to begin reaching out to the Black voter base in Atlanta?
GD: One of my areas of focus has been on the Black community, for sure. Such an important part of the election, but more importantly, part of the state. The importance is to learn perspective, to understand what people need, where people’s hearts are at, and where their concerns are at.
On Sunday, Duncan and his wife attended service at Allen Temple AME Church, one of the city’s oldest Black church communities.
AV: Why do you believe Democratic voters should trust you? Why should they believe you have similar Democratic values now?
GD: Those are great questions. Two parts: One is that I do have a track record of working across the aisle on an overwhelming majority of the issues. Two, some Republicans want to point fingers and call me names, saying ‘Geoff Duncan has lost his mind’. I haven’t lost my mind, I found my heart. I want to love my neighbor, that’s my mission each and every day. I want to look for ways to use the state of Georgia as that vehicle for us to love our neighbors.
Duncan, 50, married and a father of three, admitted that he “got guns and abortion wrong” as a “young Republican legislator.”
“I fell into that trap of thinking the NRA and other groups had people’s best interests at heart. They don’t,” he said.
He added, “I was wrong to think a room full of legislators knew better than millions of women in this state. I have taken the time to talk to them, hear their horrific stories, and tough circumstances in situations. I believe they deserve the right to choose and day one as governor, “I’ll sign an executive order that allows doctors to practice medicine with pregnant women without the fear of prosecution. Secondly, I’ll introduce legislation that repeals the six-week ban and returns us to Roe v Wade.
Former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan (above, right) spoke to customers inside The Black Coffee Co. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. Duncan announced his intentions to run for governor in 2026. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and current Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have joined the long list of Democrats and Republicans running for the state’s top spot.
Duncan will run for governor as a Democrat after years of being a highly vocal and supportive Republican. On Wednesday morning, he dropped by The Black Coffee Company, a small business on Jonesboro Road on the city’s southwest side, to discuss the importance of supporting small businesses. Upon his arrival, Duncan, wearing a blue striped polo, matching khakis, and sneakers, was greeted by one of the shop’s co-owners and proceeded to walk in and talk shop with him and other small business owners.
After learning the backstory of how The Black Coffee Company got started, Duncan said the business, which now has multiple locations, including in the Atlanta University Center, had an amazing story.
“To go from a dream to a business, that’s an amazing story,” Duncan said. “I think the customers that are in here feed off of this story.”
The Black Coffee Company is a popular spot for small business owners and work-from-home folks, and on Wednesday, the shop was packed with people tapping on laptops and sipping coffee and tea.
It could not have been a better time or place for a candidate looking to switch political allegiances to show his face. To do it at a Black-owned business feels more strategic than anything else. Duncan ordered a small plain black coffee and complimented the mural on the wall near the entrance. Among the famous faces in the mural are Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and one of Duncan’s Democratic primary candidates, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Duncan (above) took questions from the media after visiting with the owners of The Black Coffee Company on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
In a statement to the media announcing his candidacy, Duncan said in part:
“As Georgia’s first Democratic governor in 28 years, I will stand up to Trump and his yes men in our state while bringing down the costs of childcare, health care, and housing so every Georgia family is in the best position possible. That’s what Georgia deserves,” Duncan said in a statement announcing his campaign that was sent to The Atlanta Voice.
The four men of color on the list each participated in a gubernatorial forum in Warner Robins last month. Republican candidate Ken Yasger, a former United States Marine who has been vocal about his struggles with alcohol abuse, was also in attendance. Like Brown, Yasger is a political neophyte. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is also campaigning to lead the Democratic ticket next year. Bottoms was not in Warner Robins on August 20, but neither were the Republican gubernatorial candidates, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, and Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones. Current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has publicly endorsed registered Republican Derek Dooley.
Duncan is not new to campaigning in front of Democratic voters. During former United States President Kamala Harris’s historic presidential campaign, Duncan made multiple public endorsements and appearances for her campaign.
“Georgians deserve leaders with the courage to take on Donald Trump and do what’s right,” said Duncan in that statement.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (above, center) made an appearance in Clayton County on Monday, August 18, 2025. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, he announced his intentions to run for Georgia governor. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Raffensperger might not make too many public appearances at Black-owned small businesses, after all, he is not switching parties, and remains a staunch Republican. The Secretary of State was, however, a small business owner and spoke about the importance of making small business dreams a reality during a visit to Clayton County and the Riverdale Towne Center last month. Clayton County has a majority Democratic voting block, and Raffensperger might have been tipping his hand when he visited there to discuss small business ownership with the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce.
In a statement to the media announcing his candidacy, Raffensperger said in part:
“Hardworking Georgians are struggling to put food on the table. Parents worry about their kids being indoctrinated in the classroom. Too many families live in fear of gangs, cartels, and violent criminals,” said Raffensperger.
“Our future is in peril, yet cowardly politicians cave to well-funded special interests and political elites—sacrificing the well-being of our families to advance their own agenda.”
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (far left) says he isn’t afraid to “take on Trump.” The former Republican is running for governor as a Democrat. Photo by Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice
Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan has added his name to the long list of Democrats running for the state’s top spot. Duncan will run for governor as a Democrat after years of being a highly vocal and supportive Republican.
“As Georgia’s first Democratic governor in 28 years, I will stand up to Trump and his yes men in our state while bringing down the costs of childcare, health care, and housing so every Georgia family is in the best position possible. That’s what Georgia deserves,” Duncan said in a statement announcing his campaign that was sent to The Atlanta Voice.
Five of the eight men and women campaigning to become Georgia’s next governor were on stage in Warner Robins on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The four men of color on the list each participated in a gubernatorial forum in Warner Robins last month. Republican candidate Ken Yasger, a former United States Marine who has been vocal about his struggles with alcohol abuse, was also in attendance. Like Brown, Yasger is a political neophyte. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is also campaigning to lead the Democratic ticket next year. Bottoms was not in Warner Robins on August 20, but neither were the Republican gubernatorial candidates, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, and Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones. Current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has publicly endorsed registered Republican Derek Dooley.
Duncan is not new to campaigning in front of Democratic voters. During former United States President Kamala Harris’s historic presidential campaign, Duncan made multiple public endorsements and appearances for her campaign.
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Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell began his career covering sports and news in Atlanta nearly two decades ago. Since then he has written for Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Southern Cross…
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Georgia gubernatorial candidate Olu Brown (far left) was first to speak with the crowd during the Georgia NAACP “Meet & Greet” in Warner Robins on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
WARNER ROBINS, GA. What was being labeled as a “meet & greet” took place inside the New Beginnings Center on the campus of First Baptist Church. The Georgia branch of the NAACP hosted the event on Wednesday night. The room, which looked more like a gymnasium, was quickly full of active voters, interested locals, and a good example of the voting demographics in Houston County. Black men and women of all ages mixed and mingled with white men and women.
Houston County is the 14th largest county in the state, according to the United States Census. But if anyone is going to win the election, they will need support from medium-sized counties like Houston to do it.
Former Atlanta Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Keisha lance Bottoms (above) was not in attendance in Warner Robins on Wednesday night. Instead, she sent a video. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The flyer for the event displayed the headshots of all eight candidates for the state’s highest office. Only five of them were sitting on the stage when the event started at 6 p.m.
Jason Esteves arrived first and could be seen working the room, shaking hands with people and taking selfies with others. A state representative in a land far, far away from Warner Robins, Esteves had already hit the ground running, campaigning in Coastal Georgia weeks before the event in Houston County.
During his speech, Esteves made sure to let the crowd know that he was a middle school teacher and appreciated the service educators provide.
“By the way, that job is still the toughest job I have ever had,” Esteves said.
Esteves called out fellow candidates Burt Jones and Chris Carr, and former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, saying they are politicians who cared more about party politics than people.
“As governor, I will make sure I stand up to the chaos that’s going on in Washington, D.C.,” Esteves said.
He was referring to the Trump administration, but there is also chaos on the streets of D.C. because of the federal police presence brought on by the President.
The event took place at First Baptist Church in Warner Robins and was well attended. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The line of the night was delivered by State Representative Derrick Jackson, who said if you ever wondered what it was like to fight for civil rights, you now have your opportunity under the Trump administration. Many in the room applauded the retired United States Navy veteran following that comment.
Former Georgia Labor Commissioner and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond was second to last to speak, but might have made the most impact on Wednesday night.
“Roll it,” said Thurmond as his campaign video played in the background.
Thurmond and retired 14-year United States Marine and Republican candidate Ken Yasger were the only candidates to give their speeches from the floor and not behind the podium.
It has been 26 years since a Democratic candidate was elected Governor in Georgia. The majority of the men in that room tonight are vying to become the next one to walk the halls of the Governor’s Mansion. Thurmond, the only man in the room to win multiple statewide elections, held court and serve on Wednesday night.
Thurmond asked the teachers, cooks, and bus drivers in the room to stand up and receive applause. He said those were the people who needed to be put first by politicians.
“White collar, blue collar, no collar. It’s not the collar, but the green in the dollar,” Thurmond said.
Thurmond was loudly applauded several times during his speech.
“Work is dignity. Honest work. Honest pay,” he said.
Another candidate. Another video. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Yasger, 36, was the only white man on stage. That helped him stand out, but so did his personal story. Yasger said he wants to give people a reason to be proud again, “no matter who’s in the White House,” he said.
Yasger admitted that he suffered from alcohol abuse and is currently a year and a half sober. He said he nearly ended his campaign two weeks ago because of a lack of media attention and fundraising. Yasger acknowledged he has raised $8,000 so far and has donated $5,000 of it to local charities.
“That American flag will outlive all of these politicians,” Yasger said.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Car, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones were not in attendance, but sent videos in their stead.
Glenda A. Hatchett, also known as “Judge Hatchett”, practices law in Atlanta with Stewart Miller Simmons trial attorneys. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
The interior of Wood Chapel BBQ in Summerhill was a bit different than it would normally be on a Friday night. Blue “Harris Walz” signs took up wall space next to red “Stop Trump’s Abortion Ban” signs. The restaurant was packed as usual, but on that afternoon it was supporters of the Democratic presidential Harris-Walz ticket that filled the wooden picnic tables. They were there to see and hear popular political figures such as Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and State Rep. Shea Roberts (District 52), and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speak as part of that day’s “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour, but it was a former television star that stole the show.
Glenda A. Hatchett, more commonly known as “Judge Hatchett” from her many seasons as a television star and TV judge, still practices law in Atlanta as a trial attorney with Stewart Miller Simmons, but on Friday afternoon she took the stage as a grandmother. Hatchett and her son, Charles Johnson IV, lost Kira Dixon Johnson, her daughter-in-law, during childbirth in 2016. Though not necessarily a reproductive issue, Dixon’s death during what should have been one of the greatest moments of that family’s life, is parallel to what happens when women aren’t heard.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took part in that day’s bus tour and was in Atlanta to speak at Wood Chapel BBQ in Summer Hill. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Hatchett with The Atlanta Voice Editor-in-Chief Donnell Suggs following the reproductive freedom bus tour stop in Atlanta on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
“This is the first time I’ve told this story on the campaign trail,” Hatchett told The Atlanta Voice after she left the stage.
Hatchett and her son have made several television appearances and talked to several publications about their family’s loss, but the political sphere is new to her. A major pillar of United States Vice President Kamala Harris’ and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s presidential campaign are reproductive rights and Hatchett’s testimony about Kira’s unfortunate passing is something the Harris-Walz campaign might want to make a feature, at least in Georgia, going forward.
Hatchett wore a white jacket with words and phrases on it like “Empowered,” “Vote”, “Let Your Voice be Heard,” and “Democracy,” as she walked over to speak. She was roundly applauded after being announced to speak, saying it was a “privilege and responsibility to be here” and that voters didn’t do what they needed to do in 2016 and “because we didn’t do what we needed to do in 2016” the country saw three Supreme Court Justices help get Roe v. Wade overturned after decades in the books.
“Had that not happened we wouldn’t be talking about the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” Hatchett reiterated.
Moments later she shared her family’s story of loss and you could hear a pin drop in what was minutes earlier filled with loud, energetic supporters. The silence in the room said a lot about how a story of such tragic loss affects anyone that hears it. Roberts, a wife and mother, also shared her story of having to have an abortion at the age of 37.
“I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was the best decision for myself, my family, and my unborn child,” Roberts, who is an outspoken supporter of reproductive rights, said.
Opal Williams, an independent voter, said the economy, social security, and Medicare are at the top of her list of concerns this election season. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Asked if she was open to sharing her story on the campaign again, Hatchett said she was open to doing that.
“This is not a story that I am shy about telling,” she said.
Two of the people inside Wood Chapel BBQ that were listening, Marnita Lawrence, a Douglas County resident, and Opal Williams, a Fulton County resident and independent, both listed social security, Medicare, and the economy as issues that are at the top of their lists this election season. That said, both were captivated by Hatchett’s story. During the telling, each were speechless, similar to what looked like every other person in the room that wasn’t either crying or physically wiping away tears.
Marita Lawrence, a Douglas County resident, was in attendance on Friday. She plans to vote in November. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
“I vote for my interests and the interests of my family,” Williams said.
“I think there’s momentum going, but hopefully that translates into votes,” Lawrence said.
Ossoff added that the coming presidential election is about more than party choice. “It’s not about Democrats v. Republicans,” Ossoff said. “It’s about real women’s lives.”
On the second anniversary of the Dobbs decision, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and IVF advocate Latorya Beasley joined Georgia State Representative Shea Roberts, Dr. Shawana Moore plus television host Padma Lakshmi to discuss the ramifications of a potential abortion ban in a second term under Donald J. Trump.
As Thursday’s presidential debate quickly approaches here in Atlanta, Democrats along various political spectrums are centering their pushes for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris around abortion rights.
During her remarks, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms discussed the effects of Georgia’s ban on abortions after six weeks. She says there are young women that are refusing to go to college in Georgia because they no longer have bodily autonomy.
“I don’t think anybody wants to have to make that choice, but they want it to be their choice,” Bottoms says. “How do we deal with our own bodies, whether we’re talking about someone who’s facing a miscarriage or someone who’s facing having to go through in vitro fertilization, it’s our choice. It’s our choice. Yet, Donald Trump has decided it shouldn’t be left up to us.”
Latorya Beasley speaks during a press conference regarding abortion rights and reproductive care on Monday, June 24, 2024 in Atlanta. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
Bottoms said during the press conference that in vitro fertilization (IVF) was the only way she could have children. During the press conference, Latorya Beasley, an Alabama woman whose IVF treatments were stopped in February. At that time, the State of Alabama ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Beasley says she was in her doctor’s office when clinics began halting fertility services.
Beasley also cautioned the public of the consequences that the nation could face if Trump wins the November 8th election.
“Alabama physicians can face up to 99 years in prison or life in prison for providing abortion care,” Beasley said. “These bans are horrific enough. Yet by overturning Roe, Trump not only unleashed attacks on abortion access, but on all forms of reproductive care, including IVF and contraception.”
Ramifications of abortion bans in the southern states
Elle Kotopoulos is the lead Administrator and Chief Financial Officer of Pilgrim Medical Center in Montclair, NJ. Abortion is legal in New Jersey. There is no limit on abortion in New Jersey based on how far along in pregnancy a woman may be. Additionally, Many private health plans in New Jersey cover reproductive health care services including abortion services.
During my interview with Kotopoulos, she admitted she has noticed not only an uptick in the patients that are coming from out of state. She also says a different type of patient has come into their offices from southern states like Alabama, Georgia and Texas.
Patients arrive at their offices with naturally occurring miscarriages with fetal demise. In many southern states, they’re forced to give birth to a dead fetus or suffer through an ectopic pregnancy.
“We’ve had a patient very recently who drove to us from out of state. She had three children, all under the age of four,” Kotopoulos explained. “And she got to our facility and she had less than $20 to feed her children. She was a later case, meaning that we had to get her done in two days because the first day we had to prep her cervix. We get her medication. We get her ready and then the following day is her surgery. She had nowhere to go. She asked our security if they would be willing to watch her car and or children while she was getting her termination. That was tragic.”
There is a spectrum of reproductive care, which is indeed part of ‘healthcare.’ At one end there are individuals fighting for abortion rights, access to birth control, including Intrauterine Devices (IUDs). On the other end, couples are looking to start families and may be struggling to do so. In the middle, there are treatments for fibroids, endometriosis, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Inside every space within the reproductive care spectrum is rife with invasive and deeply personal questions.
“And you know, these issues are a whole to be dealt with,” Kotopoulos explained. “There’s fertility treatments, there’s infertility, there’s now surrogates. There’s all of these options that you could be learning about once you figure out what’s happening. Of course, there’s times where in pregnancy nobody knows more or knows better than a woman!”
Author and television host Padma Lakshmi speaks during a press conference regarding abortion rights and reproductive care on Monday, June 24, 2024 in Atlanta. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
What happens next?
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s latest Maternal Mortality Report found 30.2 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births between 2018 and 2020. Georgia State Representative Shea Roberts, D-Sandy Springs, shared she and her husband had to terminate a pregnancy due to medical reasons. She says if that medical event took place today,
“Donald Trump and his MAGA minions will stop at nothing to ban all abortions without exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother,” Roberts said. “Trump has said he is looking at restrictions on birth control as a president. He didn’t just look into it. He took action to attack access to contraception, including by sabotaging family planning programs.”
Organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and Reproductive Freedom for All have come together to form Abortion Access Now, starting Monday. This campaign has a ten year plan to enshrine sweeping federal protections on reproductive care. This also includes laws that make abortion not just legal but easily accessible and affordable.
Padma Lakshmi, the creator of “Taste the Nation” and a best-selling author, is an advocate for the restoration of abortion rights. Monday, she said Trump brags about overturning Roe.
“That’s why he brags about being the one that proudly overturned Roe,” Lakshmi said. “[He says] his extreme abortion bans, putting lives at risk, are working very brilliantly. There is no beauty when a woman struggles. None. Thankfully, we aren’t powerless.”
Lakshmi started the Endometriosis Foundation of America in 2009 after she struggled with the illness.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who are working to protect all our health and all our freedoms and level the playing field for everyone,” Lakshmi explained. “And on the other side: there’s a convicted felon who constantly, brazenly demeans women and sweeps away our rights. Donald Trump has no business being anywhere near the Oval Office. He never did and has no business telling women what to do with their bodies. Let me be clear, there is no democracy without reproductive rights for women.”
The 60th Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, spoke at a Black Voters for Biden-Harris event on Saturday, June 1, 2024 in Decatur, Georgia. Photo by Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice
The Biden-Harris Administration recently kicked off a multi-city tour for its Black Voters for Biden-Harris voter outreach program. Standing in a parking lot outside of Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards in Decatur on a cool Saturday afternoon in early June, Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took to a podium to speak to just under two dozen supporters about voting in November.
“This campaign isn’t taking a single Georgian for granted,” said Williams of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to reach Black voters, a crucial demographic to the campaign’s 2020 victory over then President Donald J. Trump. Williams called the Black Democratic block in Georgia, “the backbone of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
Voting down ballot doesn’t always get the same level of political support that a presidential campaign does. So it is not a surprise that midterm elections do not draw the voter turnout and overall general interest that a presidential election does. That said, the numbers in three of metro Atlanta’s most populated counties by Black people, Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties, were extremely low during last month’s midterm primary elections. The state of Georgia saw more than 514,000 ballots cast during those same midterm elections in May and less than 100,000 of those votes were cast in three of the seven largest counties in the state, according to data provided by the Georgia Secretary of State Office.
In Clayton County, which has nearly 177,000 active registered voters, according to Georgia Secretary of State data, only 13,443 voted in the primary. The Clayton County ballot included the race for county sheriff, which is now headed to a runoff between current Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen and Jeffrey Turner, the former Clayton County Board of Commissioners chairman.
In DeKalb County, the fourth largest county in the state, 34,214 active registered voters cast ballots during the midterms. DeKalb County has more than half a million active registered voters, according to Secretary of State data.
Fulton County, the largest county in the state of Georgia, boasts more than 751,000 active registered voters but only saw 53,001 make their way to the polling stations in May despite the sheriff’s race, which was won by a large margin by the incumbent, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, and democratic race for county district attorney, which was won by incumbent Fani Willis, on the ballot.
Runoff elections for primary and federal offices in Georgia will take place on Tuesday, June 18. Traditionally runoff elections see even less turnout than the primary election did. A prime example being the November 30, 2021 runoff election between Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Felicia Moore. Moore had received 41% of the general election vote in comparison to Dickens’ 23% before losing in the runoff, which saw much less voter involvement throughout Fulton County.
United States Representative Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a press conference on Saturday, June 1, 2024 in Decatur, Georgia. Photo by Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice
Bottoms, who had been out of the national and local political limelight for a while, mentioned being “rusty” but ready to drum up support for the Biden-Harris administration. She spoke of being told that it would be political suicide to endorse Biden for president in 2020, but she felt then and now that he was the right person to lead the country.
“I believe it even more so, because we know the words of Maya Angelou, when someone who they are believe them,” said Bottoms in reference to Trump, who was recently convicted of 34 counts of election fraud in New York City.
