May 12, 2025

Guest Presenter:   Dr. Randi N. Smith, MD, MPH, Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Department of Surgery at Emory University. Dr. Smith also serves as a trauma surgeon and surgical ICU physician at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, where she developed the innovative and transformative IVYY Project at Grady.

"The Interrupting Violence with Youth and Young Adults (IVYY) Project at the Grady Health System is a hospital-based violence intervention program, offering wraparound services that are designed to reduce re-injury, retaliation and trauma symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety related to potentially traumatic events. IVYY works closely with community partners to increase participants’ self-awareness, engage them with their own health care, and connect them to resources, ranging from after school, employment, education, court and legal programs, and more. Their approach is trauma-informed and centers the patient’s life experiences as key to interrupting the cycle of violence."

 

Team Presenters:  Rev. Anika Jones of Women in Transition and Tami Boyd of Living On Purpose ATL enlightened us with an informative and sobering presentation on the challenges experienced by and resources needed for women who are/have been incarcerated and are transitioning back into the community. 

April 8, 2025

The General Assembly celebrated Sine Die (the last day of this legislative session), Friday, April 5.  At this meeting, we review the bills passed that made us cheer and others that made us "cry in our beer."

OVERVIEW OF CERTAIN LEGISLATION

CALL TO ACTION:  Participate in the Only Young Once Social Media Toolkit

 

March  10, 2025

This spring, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights' Truth + Transformation program is hosting community engagement and listening sessions with metro Atlanta residents to gather feedback and share insights on the upcoming forced labor memorials at the Chattahoochee Brick Company and Bellwood Quarry. This work uncovers Atlanta’s suppressed history of racial terror, forced labor, and systemic injustice, centering the voices of those most affected.

  • Listed below are the links to the videos that were shared at our March 10 meeting.
  • What can you do? NCCHR Call to Action
  • The Chattahoochee Brick Company (CBC) Advisory Board Meeting will be held Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., at the Northwest Library at Scotts Crossing, 2489 Perry Blvd, NW; Atlanta, GA 30318. These meetings are open to the public, and you are encouraged to attend to learn more and help shape how the City of Atlanta is thinking about this work.
  • If you did not complete this survey at Justice Day or at our March 10 meeting, please take five minutes to complete this short Survey.

January 27, 2025

Delvin Davis of the Southern Poverty Law Center will be our guest presenter. He will guide us through an interactive discussion of the SPLC's recently released, "Toward Justice: Effective Community Safety Messaging to Advance Racial and Social Justice in the Deep South." This messaging guide offers state specific recommendations and strategies for securing the support of communities and officials for justice reform measures. We will be focusing on the proposed messaging approaches for our state of Georgia.  Also, we will take action in real time using SPLC's "Georgia - Only Young Once Social Media Toolkit" to help us advance and amplify youth justice in Georgia.