Born to a teenage mother and raised in rural Georgia, I was no stranger to lack. It was my normal to be told “no”. It was my normal to be told what I couldn’t do. I remember my family with the outhouse. I remember my relatives not wearing shoes. I remember my aunt telling me stories about growing up in the “Quarters”. I have vivid memories of a time that, according to my age, I should not remember. Those times were not that long ago and this is Georgia history that we don’t talk about. Black people in Georgia have a lineage they have not forgotten and a lineage that is evident today.
This lineage is ADOS, American Descendants of Slavery. These are Black people who can trace their lineage directly back to slavery in America. Black people who know their roots are fertilized with the blood and sweat of their ancestors in America’s soil. A lineage that I couldn’t explain with an economic reality that I understood all too well.
When we hear talk about reparations, many people tend to think about reparations as a handout, when in fact, reparations is a debt owed. A debt to those whose labor was used to amass America’s wealth, a debt specific to the injustices of chattel slavery, black codes, jim crow, redlining, mass incarceration, and the list goes on. ADOS in Georgia and ADOS across the country still suffer economic disadvantage from these accrued systemic injustices. As a first-generation college graduate, I know what it means for my family to “just now” catch up to the American dream while the racial wealth gap continues to widen. The only repair for ADOS in Georgia and the only repair for ADOS in this country is reparations.
My name is Tamara Johnson-Shealey and I am “testing-the-waters” to the United States Senate, representing Georgia. Reparations is a part of my agenda and would create economic viability and economic opportunities for ADOS communities and people who have been systemically locked out. My candidacy would address a myriad of issues that would benefit all Georgians including healthcare for all, quality education, a livable wage, job creation, aid to Georgia farmers, climate change and responsible gun laws. I am “testing-the-waters” to hear your concerns and further understand how to best represent you in Washington. My job as U.S. Senator would be to work for ALL Georgians, including ADOS, to build a better Georgia.
Please make a donation today. Your contribution would prove this is an agenda we should take directly to Washington… Donate Here: www.tamaraforgeorgia.com/testing-the-waters
This article was written by Tamara Johnson-Shealey for TamaraForGeorgia. Read the original.
