UPDATE 4/1/25: The resolution in support of racial equity and economic justice passed in an 8-2 vote, with Commissioners Johnson and Thornton voting no.
Commissioners may fail to make a formal statement of support for racial equity and economic justice as requested by local activists and the Athens NAACP, even though every commissioner claims to support these values.
This resolution highlights the persistent racial wealth gap in Athens and, if passed, would reaffirm the local government’s commitment to achieve housing security, economic empowerment and safety for Black residents and other marginalized communities. The resolution does not have the force of law and it does not by itself spend any public resources, but it announces the local government’s commitment to do so in the future.
The resolution was drafted by Commissioners Carol Myers, Patrick Davenport, Melissa Link and Dexter Fisher in collaboration with the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. Despite a large turnout of Black residents and other Athenians speaking in favor of the resolution at February’s commission meeting, ACC Commissioners chose to delay the resolution for two months.
The reason for the delay was so that commissioners would have time to develop an ordinance alongside the resolution which would be specific, concrete and would have the force of law. Indeed, many speakers at the February commission meeting wanted more specific action like this in addition to the resolution, which they generally viewed as a positive but insufficient step to address the racial wealth gap in Athens.
However, Fisher said last week that he no longer wants the resolution on the commission’s agenda. He says that since the commission passed a similar resolution proclaiming that Black lives matter in 2020, he doesn’t feel the need to reaffirm that statement in 2025.
“When I read this present resolution and I go back and read the [2020 Black Lives Matter] resolution, it’s similar…I don’t know why we have to go and do another resolution,” Fisher said. “Resolutions aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.”
Instead, Fisher wants to pass an ordinance to ensure that businesses owned by women and people of color get an equitable share of local government contracts going forward. This policy has been in the works since 2023 when the local government reviewed its procurement and contracting policies and found that they had a role in making racial disparities in Athens worse.
After years in committee, the equitable contracting ordinance should be complete sometime this year, but it likely won’t be ready by April. As a result, Fisher wants to delay the racial justice resolution for another 60 to 90 days, even though the resolution is a completely separate item on the commission’s agenda.
After being questioned about the reason for the delay by Myers, Fisher explained that he thought the equitable contracting ordinance would replace the resolution on the agenda.
“I wasn’t quite sure,” Myers said, asking about the racial justice resolution and the equitable contracting ordinance. “You all were saying ‘we’ll pass the two together?’”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Fisher replied.
Myers continued, trying to clarify. “You’re saying ‘forget about the resolution?’”
“Yes,” Fisher confirmed.
It should be noted that this is not typically how local government agendas work. If the commission delays the racial justice resolution for 60 days, that is precisely what they would be instructing the mayor to do. The resolution would not transform itself into an ordinance in that timeframe; it would still need to be voted on at the end of the delay.
If they want the resolution to disappear from their agenda, the commission would need to vote against the resolution in April instead of voting for delay.
Do resolutions make a difference?
Some commissioners, including Commissioner Ovita Thornton, might prefer to vote down the resolution next month. Thornton has previously said that she’s had “bad experiences” with “social justice” resolutions in the past and that she doesn’t want to vote for them in the future.
“In the past, the only things resolutions have done is divide this community,” Thornton said at last week’s meeting. Thornton was likely referring to a 2019 resolution in support of the immigrant community in Athens which was politicized after the tragic murder of nursing student Laken Riley.
Interestingly, Thornton was the commissioner who drafted and pushed forward the 2020 Black lives matter resolution mentioned above. Among other things, that resolution committed the local government to address “environmental health concerns in the Pittard Road and Dunlap Road Black communities.”
This commitment led to an investigation by the local government and the Southern Environmental Law Center that eventually discovered industrial pollutants contaminating well water in the Pittard Road area. The residents who had been drinking from the wells have since been connected to city water at no charge.
Thornton now claims that these environmental investigations weren’t tied to the 2020 resolution. She says they would have happened anyway even though that document did commit the local government to carry them out.
Possibly to deflect potential criticism for not supporting the current resolution, Thornton accused one of her colleagues of not supporting the 2020 resolution, which passed unanimously almost five years ago.
“The 2020 resolution was not supported by three commissioners, and one of them is still sitting here,” Thornton said, looking at Commissioner Melissa Link.
“I supported it,” Link interjected.
“I know you did, after the vote,” Thornton whispered back.
Link voted for the Black lives matter resolution in 2020, as did every other commissioner.
Other resolutions that have left a tangible impression in recent years include the 100% clean and renewable energy resolution, which led to nearly $16 million for renewable energy in SPLOST 2020, and the famous Linnentown resolution, which paved the way for numerous budgetary allocations and is widely seen as the first official act of reparations in Georgia.
Moving forward
Myers, Davenport and Link want to pass the racial justice resolution next week and then advance the equitable contracting ordinance whenever it’s ready. These commissioners feel that a narrow ordinance crafted to address inequities in the ACC government’s procurement and contracting policies is an important step forward but can’t quite replace the broader statement of belief and shared commitment represented in the resolution.
“I think it’s more important than ever that we as a community stand up for these values exhibited in this resolution that are under attack. And then follow through on them,” Myers said, probably referring to President Donald Trump’s efforts to shut down diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives around the country.
Yet, the majority of commissioners seem to want to delay a vote on the resolution, perhaps permanently.
The vote on delaying the resolution will take place on April 1.
If you would like to contact your commissioner about this resolution or any other topic, you can find their email addresses here.
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