While Knocking Doors for a Campaign, KHALID is Networking a Community to Save Black Boys

"Politicians cater to people who vote. Every time you don't vote, you give the system another excuse not to care about you." City Council candidate KHALID explains to a group of young men hanging out on a corner of Old National's Monterey neighborhood.

"According to my data, I'm not even supposed to stop and talk to y'all. But I can't do that. You are the future of this community."

As all his campaign volunteers do when they knock doors of "likely voters" in South Fulton's new City Council District 6, KHALID shows the young men maps, gives them fact sheets, and discusses cityhood. Then he goes further, telling them about apprenticeship programs at area film studios and Wolf Creek Amphitheater.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which runs the apprenticeship program, were guests at KHALID's January Future of South Fulton Forum. The program teaches enrollees, including ex-offenders, both the technical skills of stage work, and "soft skills" required for all jobs, like time management and how to deal with conflicts in the workplace. Program graduates receive job offers.

Before law school, Black Lives Matter and Democratic Party organizing, KHALID drove a bus for MARTA and climbed telephone polls for AT&T. Through his work in the transit and communications unions ATU & CWA, he learned of IATSE's apprenticeship program.

CHANGING "GANG" CULTURE

Each month, the Future of South Fulton Forum educates residents about different aspects of cityhood and connects them with new or little-known programs already at work in the community.

One such program is the StreetGroomers, a confederation of GDs, Bloods, Crips and Black Rock members working to reform "gang" culture through community patrols, conflict mediation and mentoring. KHALID met StreetGroomers leader Haroun Wakil working with Black Lives Matter. A testament to his ability to bring unlikely participants into the political process, the StreetGroomers have endorsed KHALID-- their first ever endorsement of a political candidate.

Watch 11Alive Story on Haroun & StreetGroomers

SAVING OUR SONS

This month's Future of South Fulton Forum will be held Saturday, February 25th at 11am at New Life Presbyterian Church on Old National Highway. One of the programs featured this month is the Next Level Boys Academy.

In 2008, Gary Davis left a lucrative job to start this South Fulton nonprofit, which includes an after-school program, summer camp and Saturday morning mentoring sessions that connect at-risk boys with successful, Black men. Profiled by V-103 and Ebony Magazine, Davis often travels to the Fulton County Jail to interview program applicants in person.

If your son or a young man you know is in need of a life-changing intervention, click the link below to contact this program.

Contact Next Level Boys Academy

BRINGING FATHERS BACK INTO FAMILIES

"Almost daily, I meet someone who either has a great program for young men, or needs one for their son." KHALID explains.

So many of the challenges our community faces stem from young men, lost without the love & support of their fathers. One program working to solve this problem in South Fulton is From Boyz to Men, Inc., which focuses on establishing & restoring the parental rights of noncustodial fathers. Founder Clinton Bailey goes beyond simply getting fathers to pay child support to getting fathers involved in their children's lives.

Partnering with Child Support Services and Georgia State University's School of Social Work, their FREE, 14-week #JustDads program teaches co-parenting skills, child psychological development, legal barriers to non-custodial fathers and much more.

The next #JustDads series begins April 8 at the South Fulton Public Library. To learn more or register for the program, contact:

478-390-6242

At a recent Next Steps forum held by new Fulton County Schools Superintendent Jeff Rose, School Board President Linda P. Bryant urged mayoral and city council candidates to partner with schools and create "wraparound services" to address the needs of South Fulton's young people outside the classroom.

KHALID with Dr. Cornel West at 2016 Democratic National Platform Meeting

"Children are coming into our schools with mental health issues, with family and financial issues we can't address in the six or seven hours a day we are supposed to be teaching them." Bryant explained.

KHALID agrees. "Until we start prioritizing our spending on preventative care, we'll keep having to call and pay police for emergency care. A vote for me is a vote to change our priorities. The young, Black men running these programs are already doing amazing work. They need the support of our city so they can do even more."

Black Lives Matter activist KHALID (District 6) & Progressive Police Officer Mark Baker (District 7) invite you to a radical Forum that goes beyond stump speeches & soundbites to have hard conversations about rebuilding our community; and share innovative, best practices used by award-winning cities around the country.

This month's forum will feature Developers looking to invest in Old National & Hwy 138, and discuss how the community can get more involved in the zoning process that decides what type of developments are appropriate for an area.

And as always, our Forum will spotlight more programs working with at-risk youth in our community, getting them ready for the workplace and the world.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 @ 11AM
New Life Presbyterian Church
6600 Old National Highway, 30349

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EARLY VOTING BEGINS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27!

CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION

EARLY VOTING
Monday, February 27, 2017 - Saturday, March 11, 2017

EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS
South Fulton Annex - 5400 Stonewall Tell Road, 30349
Wolf Creek Library - 3100 Enon Road 30349
8.30 AM - 6.00 PM

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 21, 2017

FIND YOUR ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACE

MORE UPCOMING EVENTS

OLD NATIONAL CANDIDATES FORUM
(Districts 5, 6 & 7)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 @ 630PM
World Changers Church
Youth Experience Building
(across the street from Gold Dome)
2500 Burdett Road, 30349

Though most of Old National sits in South Fulton's District 6, Districts 5 & 7 also touch parts of Old National Highway. The Old National Merchants Association (ONMA) in conjunction with World Changers, will host a forum with the 18 individuals running for these 3 seats.

MEET the MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Nine people are running to be our city's first Mayor, including a Harvard MBA, a former Chair of the Fulton Housing Authority, and one of the architects of South Fulton's cityhood movement.

Click the link below to see interviews of each Mayoral Candidate by our local State Representatives. If you are not already subscribed to this email list, sign up at the end of this email to receive updates about upcoming Mayoral forums.

Watch South Fulton Mayor Candidate Interviews

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JOIN THE MOVEMENT

From #BlackLivesMatter activist to Democratic National Convention delegate, KHALID is leading a generation of young people from protests to politics.

Come join the campaign and knock doors on Old National Highway with KHALID, or call residents on from the comfort of your own home! Click the Volunteer button to connect with our Volunteer staff and learn all the ways you can help get the word out about this movement.

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