NEWS AROUND TOWN
Afghan woman in Clarkston found - Masoumeh Mohammadi who was reported missing on November 7th in Clarkston, was found on November 11th. Mohammadi, who has Alzheimers, moved to Atlanta from Afghanistan two years ago and has been living with her daughter and son in law.
Company behind Gainesville poultry plant disaster sanctioned - A Gwinnett County judge sanctioned Messer Gas for destroying evidence of the January 28th nitrogen leak that led to the deaths of six workers. The tragedy came under scrutiny as an example of lack of regulation and neglect in the agriculture sector in Gainesville, where many immigrant and undocumented communities live and work. Read more about it here.
Pandemic’s toll hit immigrant communities harder than non-immigrants: 26 percent of immigrants in Georgia lost their job during the pandemic and 41 percent worried about having enough food to feed their families, according to a new report from the Latino Community Fund and Welcoming Atlanta. That’s a lot higher than non-immigrants - between 13 and 16 percent said they had lost a job and 24 percent reported food insecurity.
And, despite reports that immigrants are overrepresented in essential work, they’re less likely to have healthcare and paid sick leave - only 28% of immigrants reported they had sick leave, compared to 59% of non-immigrant respondents.
Yes, there has been a large amount of pandemic related aid, but as I’ve reported before, there are often multiple barriers that can stop immigrant communities from accessing it. Check out this AJC write up about the report, or read the full report here.
GA legislature holds off on plans for Gwinnett - The GA State Legislature is pausing on plans announced last week that would have impacted majority minority Gwinnett County. The bills, which would have changed the county’s voting districts for the school board and expanded the number of seats on the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners, will now be taken up in January. Advocates and critics spoke out after the bills were initially introduced, saying they were intended to undermine minority political power in the immigrant-dense county.
"The fight to make sure this process is transparent and fair doesn’t stop or start with Gwinnett County. We must hold our elected officials accountable for any practices that intentionally further disenfranchise communities of color. We will continue to advocate for changes that reflect the diverse and growing population in Georgia and hope that our elected officials can stray from historical approaches that silence voices and instead focus on how to amplify all voices and fully support all Georgians," said LaVita Tuff, Policy Director, for Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta.
Read more about it here.
And speaking of redistricting…Georgia’s new General Assembly maps favor Republicans, according to an analysis by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. Check out this piece about it here in the AJC and this piece on growing Asian political power and what that means for redistricting.
EVENTS, RESOURCES, AND HOW TO HELP
Supporting Afghan families: Afghan families are continuing to arrive in the metro area, and aside from housing (which I reported on here), winter clothes, shoes, laptops/electronic devices, and comforter and sheet sets (new), are also major needs at the moment. Contact afgameralliancega@gmail.com if you have winter coats, shoes, or electronic devices to donate, and contact info@welcomeco-op.org if you have leads on housing or if you have new comforter or sheet sets to donate.
Toy Drive - The Latin American Association (LAA) is hosting a toy drive for 500 Latino children. If you’d like to give unwrapped new toys, gift cards, or a financial contribution, contact the LAA. They’re accepting toys until December 3rd at two different drop off locations (one at 2750 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta and one at 508 E Morris St, Dalton, GA). More info here.
Vaccine Event- On Friday, November 19th, the Latino Community Fund is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Cross Keys High School in Atlanta from 9a to 12pm. The first 50 people to get vaccinated will get $25 gift cards. More info here.
