GwinnettForum | Number 21.06 | Jan. 22, 2021
CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL WILL MOVE: Here’s a photo of the 28-year old Gwinnett Confederate monument on the historic courthouse grounds that the Gwinnett County Commission voted to be removed to storage this week. The winter light with the limbs of trees limited this photo by Roving Photographer Frank Sharp. Note the two inscriptions on each side of the monument. It became the focus of media attention and protests after it was vandalized in June 2020. Court proceedings continue which will ultimately determine its fate. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in March 1992 accepted and approved the placement of the Confederate monument on the grounds of the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse in downtown Lawrenceville at the request of the Gwinnett Historical Society. The Gwinnett County Confederate Monument Committee raised funds to erect the structure, which was installed in 1993.
TODAY’S FOCUS: The Hudgens Center looks to decade of arts leadership growth
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Minority School Board members seek termination of Wilbanks
ANOTHER VIEW: At last, England has a Brexit deal with the European Union
SPOTLIGHT: United Community Bank
FEEDBACK: Suggests ways to make our country mentally healthier
UPCOMING: Brenda Lopez Romero is new chair of Gwinnett Democrats
NOTABLE: Mountain Park area seeking input through survey of residents
RECOMMENDED: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Augusta twice occupied by British in Revolutionary War
MYSTERY PHOTO: Distinctive architecture characterizes this Mystery Photo
The Hudgens Center looks to decade of arts leadership growth
By Laura Ballance
Executive director, Hudgens Center for Art and Learning
DULUTH, Ga. | The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning is the region’s visual arts hub. It promotes the idea that education through creative expression is a vital need for a strong and vibrant community. Entering our 40th anniversary year, the vision of The Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for Art and Learning is determined by the 12 members of The Hudgens Board of Directors, led by Board Chair Kate Awtrey. Moving The Hudgens forward into this next decade, the Board aims to create vibrant experiences with diverse community appeal, inspire creativity, and support the financial vitality and economic goals of Gwinnett County.
Ballance
The Board and Executive Director are actively working to ensure The Hudgens will be included in county-wide plans that address economic and community development. Increased partnerships with other local nonprofit organizations, private industry and community events, as well as expanded offerings designed to engage young, working professionals, are just a few of the initiatives the Board envisions for The Hudgens’ future.
The Hudgens seeks to be known as the premiere Gwinnett arts center that inspires creativity through the highest quality educational programs, exhibitions, outreach, and community engagement opportunities. Such initiatives will support students pursuing careers in the arts, grow creative industries in the local area, and ensure that the larger community benefits from and is enriched by access to the arts. Building creative experiences through community partnerships and off-site events will increase the visibility and reach of the arts in Gwinnett, as well as emphasize the critical role of The Hudgens as a cultural institution.
The Hudgens outreach initiatives will continue to grow in scope and support of underserved individuals and families in our community. In this effort, The Hudgens will develop innovative, less traditional educational experiences and engagement opportunities, partnering with Gwinnett County Public Schools, healthcare facilities and veterans organizations, among others.
It will expand programming beyond a small, core curriculum of fine arts – to include digital arts and a more comprehensive visual arts catalog – to ensure The Hudgens’ relevance and prominence in an ever-evolving creative industry landscape. Growing The Hudgens already impressive permanent collection, which includes works from master artists like Picasso, Kandinsky and Miro, will cement our commitment to fine art appreciation and cultural enrichment.
As a nonprofit organization, The Hudgens’ focus on financial vitality over the next decade is a top priority. The Board is strategically shifting to corporate giving and sponsorships to supplement existing financial support from individual donors and foundations. Developing a more robust membership base will, also, help to strengthen The Hudgens financial vitality. The Hudgens strong financial health will pave the way for capital improvements that align with Infinite Energy Center growth and other community projects, such as the Rowen and Water Tower developments.
The full membership of the Hudgens board includes, besides Awtrey as chair; James Darden of Duluth; Emily Dinu of Suwanee; Dee Driver of Lawrenceville; Daniel Espeut of Lawrenceville; Kevin Jones of Flowery Branch; Kristen Nelson of Suwanee; Terry Kolander of Duluth; Joe Miranda of Atlanta; Daniel R. Sosebee III of Hoschton; Charisse Thomas, Hoschton; and Jonathan Wu of Norcross.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Minority school board members seek Wilbanks’ termination
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 22, 2021 | Like a hand grenade about ready to explode, the minority members of the Gwinnett Board of Education are seeking to compel veteran School Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks to resign. A widely circulated petition entitled “Termination of Employment,” comes anonymously from “We, the concerned stakeholders of Gwinnett County Public Schools” to terminate Mr. Wilbanks’ contract.
Two new school board members, Dr. Tarece Johnson and Karen Watkins, joined the board on January 1. With Everton Blair Jr., they form a black majority on the board. The initial open effort for the termination came on December 30 in a Zoom-called meeting. Since then the petition has been circulating seeking the superintendent’s resignation.
The two minority white members of the school board are Dr. Mary Kay Murphy and Steve Knudson.
Wilbanks
GwinnettForum talked with Mr. Wilbanks, 77, on Wednesday, who said he has “No intention of resigning. I intend to come to work every day, and if someone doesn’t want that to happen, they have to take action.”
His contract with the school board continues until June 30, 2022. This is his 56th year in education, and his 25th year as superintendent.
The Wilbanks tenure with the Gwinnett system has been marked by a succession of accomplishments, with the administration and elected members of the school board working together seamlessly. During his administration, the Gwinnett School Board has moved from a good system to a superior one, winning state and national awards for excellence, and also became the largest system in Georgia with 178,000 students.
In the petition calling for Wilbanks’ removal, it maintains Mr. Wilbanks “does not have the students’ best interest. Mr. Wilbanks has engaged in nepotism ….and has implemented a exclusionary process of decision-making that stymies equitable representation.” It asks the school board to exercise a 90 day notice of termination to end the contract.
The petition also injects race into the situation, saying that “students of color from low-income families and students with disabilities have been abandoned by GCPS.” It also maintains that black students are over-represented in discipline and under-represented in academic opportunities.” The petition also claims other reasons that the school board should no longer be guided by Alvin Wilbanks.
- To read the two-page petition, click here for page 1; click here for page 2.
The Gwinnett school-age population in 2021 consists of:
- Hispanic, 32.7 percent.
- Black, 32.4 percent.
- White, 19.4 percent.
- Asian, 11.3 percent.
- Multi-racial, 4.1 percent.
- American Indian, 0.1 percent
Wilbanks doesn’t mince words about the situation. “It’s just one of those things. You have two new members who think they know everything, and listen to no one. They want change, but do not know what change they want (other than my resignation). Civic service is a foreign term for them. They want power and control.”
A related item circulating on the Internet this week is another anonymous effort, a 4.31 minute animated YouTube video seeking the resignation of Mr. Wilbanks. You can see this video by clicking here.
GwinnettForum stands behind the effort to keep Alvin Wilbanks as superintendent. He has served long and well, with tremendous results. Gwinnett would be taking a step backward if this new majority on the school board has its way.
Meanwhile, as this was being written, the school board had a planned meeting on Thursday (January 21), with the work session beginning at 2 p.m. and the regular monthly business meeting at 7 p.m. In addition to the regular items on the agenda, some 79 individuals signed up to address the board.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
At last, England has a Brexit deal with the European Union
By Darryl McDonald, UK Correspondent
LONDON, England | My last report ended with the words “It (Brexit) will be done at the last minute.” How true that turned out to be!
At the beginning of December, the new more virulent strain of Covid had mutated and started sweeping across the south of England and the country was put into four tiers of restrictions. Although being in the south, we started in Tier 2 we soon ended up in Tier 4 before Christmas. On December 26 we went into full lockdown! While all this was going on Brexit was still being negotiated.
Although talks were in progress at the beginning of December, they soon ground to a halt with outstanding issues about the European Courts deciding on outstanding issues in future, which goes against the sovereignty of the United Kingdom (UK) and fishing rights. So, it was left to the prime minister (PM) and the head of the European Union (EU) to have a one-to-one telephone conversation to get things started again. But it did not look good.
Even PM Boris admitted that we were heading towards an “Australian style” deal, which was a tongue in cheek comment as Australia have been trying to do a deal with the EU for 20 years without success an
d are using World Trade Organization terms. Eventually Boris went over to Brussels and had a working dinner with the head of the EU and did manage to get things moving again.
Finally, the only outstanding issue was fishing rights in UK waters, the EU wanted access for an additional 14 years after and the UK just wanted just three years. Needless to say, France were the main protagonist being on the other side of the Channel, but it was agreed at five and a half years.
So, a deal was finally agreed a few days before Christmas and signed on Christmas Eve by both parties. It was passed in Parliament by over 550 votes. The Opposition voted for it even though they said it was a “thin deal” but better than no deal!
The deal is worth around £660 million per annum and the important thing is that there will be no tariffs or quotas. However, it does increase the paperwork required to cross the border.
The other thing is that it only covers trade and not the service sector which is 80 percent of the UK’s dealings with the EU and more importantly includes the highly lucrative financial sector, although there will be an initial loss, it does allow the UK to attract financial markets around the world.
So here ends my reports on Brexit which I have covered over the last two years since meeting up with Elliott on a river cruise in Europe. It only leaves me to finally wish you all well for 2021 even though we are still in the midst of a pandemic, but we will get through it with the vaccine.
All the very best.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
United Community Bank
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriting sponsor is United Community Bank, with 30 offices within Metro Atlanta. Headquartered in Blairsville, Ga., it is the third-largest traditional bank holding company in the state with more than 150 locations throughout Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. Since 1950, United Community Bank has been dedicated to providing platinum-level service to its customers as the foundation of every relationship. Known as The Bank That SERVICE Built℠, it is committed to improving the lives of residents in the communities it serves through this philosophy of delivering exceptional banking service. In Gwinnett, the bank has offices in Lawrenceville, Snellville and Buford.
- For more information, visit https://www.ucbi.com or call 770 237 0007.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Suggests ways to make our country mentally healthier
Editor, the Forum:
The violence in Washington deeply troubled me. Donald Trump’s narcissist incitement to overcome the will of the people is a clear and present danger to our democracy. Bill Moyer, in an online interview with a renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Bandy Lee, suggested that Trump was having a psychotic breakdown and that his ardent followers were in fact experiencing a shared psychosis. This explains the total irrationality of the mob scene in Washington DC. It also explains why 60 percent of Republicans still believe that Trump won the election.
In order to make our country mentally healthy we need to do the following; stop all conspiracy theories from being shared on media, create laws that better protect against domestic terrorism, prevent Donald Trump from continuing to ferment social discord, prevent the Republican Party from becoming the Trump party, and repudiate elected officials who have encouraged totally false claims of election fraud. In a broader sense I would just like to bring truth back to our national consciousness.
— Alan Schneiberg, Sugar Hill
Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrd from way back in 1975
Editor, the Forum:
As a respite from all the politics we’ve had for months now, maybe a segment of your readers would enjoy this.
I’d like to share a memory from Hulman Center Arena in Terre Haute, Ind., from back in 1975. As we all gathered in the Arena and the house lights were still up, a wild man appeared with a frisbee out in the audience. Began throwing it to different various people and running around making behind the back catches, jumping , diving, playing catch and obviously having a great time. This must have gone on for at least 20 minutes. It was great fun to watch and be involved in. The entire arena was engaged.
Finally, the house lights dimmed, and the announcer walked up to a mike on stage and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a big round of applause for Lynyrd Skynyrd,” and the wild man came running down the aisle towards the stage, did a jump and roll like a high jumper, and ran behind and sat down at the drum kit and began to play. The wild man was the drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd! It was only later that I learned his name, and of course it was Artimus Pyle. What a night! What a memory!
— David Simmons, Norcross
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Lopez Romero is new chair of Gwinnett Democrats
Brenda Lopez Romero is the new chairman of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party. Up until the end of 2020, she was an elected state representative in the Gwinnett delegation to the Georgia legislature. She is an attorney with offices in Norcross.
Lopez Romero
She says of her election to this party position: “I am truly honored to continue Gwinnett’s and Georgia’s success to elect good Democratic candidates and to push for progressive policies from our elected officials.
“Your commitment to the party won the Presidential election and U.S Senate runoffs, but there are more elections to come and more work to do. This year in the municipal elections and in the 2022 gubernatorial and state-wide elections. We must ensure every eligible person votes in our democracy–that means organizing and mobilizing Gwinnettians to participate at the ballot box and within Gwinnett County Democratic Party.”
The next meeting of the Gwinnett Democratic Party will be on Facebook live on January 28. To attend, click on this link: www.facebook.com/gwinnettdemocrats.
Briana Keaton was the chair of the Gwinnett Democrat Party for the last two years, and recruited candidates for office, and changed the leadership landscape in Gwinnett in the 2020 elections.
County to name 11-member Police Citizens Advisory Board
To strengthen relationships between the Gwinnett County Police Department and the community, the Board of Commissioners have approved the creation of a Citizens Advisory Board to offer input on issues like transparency, use of force, training and dealing with complaints.
The 11-member board, made up of representatives from various groups around the county, will provide advice to the Police Department, the county administrator, and the Board of Commissioners. The Citizens Advisory Board will assist the department using a collaborative problem-solving process that supports both the community and the Police Department’s desire to enhance public safety.
The board will offer feedback on reforms to improve community-oriented policing practices, transparency, professionalism, accountability, community inclusion, fairness, effectiveness, and public trust while taking into account national standards, best practices, current and emerging research, and community expectations.
The idea of a Citizens Advisory Board came from a Board of Commissioners planning session in July 2020.The board will be made up of appointees from each member of the Board of Commissioners, a Gwinnett 101 Citizens Academy graduate, and a member each from the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Gwinnett Bar Association Criminal Defense Section, the Gwinnett Tech Student Government Association, View Point Health, and Gwinnett cities within the Police Services District. Members will serve staggered two-year terms.
Gwinnett Cares plans online healthcare summit on Jan. 27
Gwinnett Cares, in partnership with the Gwinnett Newton Rockdale Health Departments and Rotary District 6910, will host its third online healthcare summit since the pandemic outbreak to continue to help educate the community about how to best navigate, co-exist with, and now build immunity to COVID-19.
This will be an online Zoom event on Wednesday, January 27, from 8 until 9:30 a.m. Attendees can register for the Zoom link at https://bit.ly/35mcJpF.
Among the guest speakers will include:
- Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner – Georgia Department of Public Health;
- Dr. Clifford McDonald, senior advisory for Science and Integrity, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’
- Dr. Audrey Arona, District health director – Gwinnett Newton Rockdale Health Departments; and
- Dr. Carlton Buchanan, medical director, Emergency Medicine – Northside Gwinnett.
Mountain Park area seeking input from residents
The Mountain Park Community Association (MPCA) is engaging with county leadership and community partners “to make Mountain Park the best it can be.” It is now conducting a survey to see how its residents feel on certain issues. Those wanting to take the three minute survey should go to:
The unincorporated and incorporated part of Mountain Park in Gwinnett (in red)
Here’s an update on other activities the groups engaged in now:
- A public meeting is planned with the City of Lilburn for February. The date and details will be announced in a later newsletter.
- MPCA has hosted four public meetings since the Pandemic forced us to a virtual meeting format. Details and links to information from those meetings will be available in the next newsletter.
- Have you noticed safety improvements on Southbound Arcado Road at the intersection of Killian Hill? MPCA brought the Gwinnett County Transportation people and City of Lilburn officials together to identify problems and solutions. Short and long range solutions will be discussed in the next newsletter.
The mission of the MPCA is to advocate for the entire community on a variety of issues, many of which are overseen by decision-makers at Gwinnett County. The county is working with MPCA to help us influence the future of this corner of Gwinnett. The City of Lilburn is also onboard with giving MPCA a seat at the table. Those who reside within incorporated Lilburn are considered living in the Lilburn-Mountain Park Community and are welcome to become a member of the MPCA.
Commission seeks applicants for positions on county boards
The new Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is seeking citizens to apply for various boards, authorities and committees that help advise commissioners and departments on policies and practices.
The five commissioners have dozens of vacancies on boards they can appoint. Anyone looking to be a part of decision-making on a county level are invited to apply. Interested persons seeking to serve as an appointee of one of the commissioners are encouraged to fill out an application at GCGA.us/ApplyToServe, including those currently serving on a board who wish to be reappointed to their position. Candidates should submit a separate application for each board or authority for which they are applying.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: This is an authoritatively researched chronicle of the hidden hierarchical system that keeps people on rungs in American society, thus guaranteeing they stay in their place. Her research spanned the globe with particular emphasis on the caste system in India and former systems in Germany that resulted in the rise of the Nazi Party. There are eight Pillars of caste which underpin the system that denies access to those considered beneath the worth of full participation in the American dream. Throughout the book short stories outline segments of the book. Fortunately, the author presents a formula for the eradication of the caste in America that can occur only when the top level (no need to name it) recognizes the futility of the system and commits to change and inclusion for all.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Augusta twice occupied by British in Revolutionary War
Augusta is Georgia’s second oldest and second largest city and is the seat of Richmond County. Nature helped determine the course of Augusta’s history. Situated at the fall line between the Piedmont and the Upper Coastal Plain, the focal point of natural trails, and the head of navigation of the Savannah River, the town was destined to become an important trading center. Abundant waterpower promoted the rise of industry.
Some 4,000 years ago nomadic hunters stopped at the islands in the shoals of the Savannah River, learned to fish and farm, and remained there for several hundred years. Hernando de Soto‘s adventurers found both banks of the river occupied by Uchee Indians in 1540.
When James Oglethorpe came to Georgia in 1733, he obtained legislation requiring traders west of the Savannah River to secure a Georgia license and, on June 14, 1736, gave orders to lay out the town of Augusta after the 40-lot pattern he had used three years earlier for Savannah. The city was named for Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Carolina traders based in Savannah Town crossed the river and became Augustans. A fort and its garrison protected the town. When Oglethorpe arrived in the town in September 1739, after his visit to the Creek Nation, he declared it the key to the Indian country. By regulating the trade, he secured the allegiance of the western Indians. During the 1759-60 Cherokee War the Creeks and Chickasaws helped defend Augusta. In 1763 a congress of Indian nations met four colonial governors in Augusta, concluded the peace, and ceded land between the Savannah and Ogeechee rivers to Georgia.
By restricting settlement to the Appalachian Mountains, the royal proclamation of 1763 fostered migration into the 1763 cession. Friction soon developed between the new settlers and the Native Americans who followed the traditional trails to Augusta. To accommodate the influx of settlers, Governor James Wright negotiated a second land cession at Augusta in 1773. Creek Indian discontent, however, erupted in a series of raids on outlying settlements in 1773 and early 1774. The perception that the royal government favored the merchants and Indian traders rather than the settlers caused many in the backcountry to join the revolutionary movement.
George Walton, whose home at Meadow Garden still stands in Augusta, signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He and Lyman Hall, another of Georgia’s three signers, are buried beneath Signers’ Monument on Greene Street. During the American Revolution (1775-83) the seat of state government moved to Augusta in 1779. British troops occupied Augusta for two weeks in 1779 and from May 1780 to June 1781. Two important battles were fought in Augusta. Elijah Clarke‘s failed attack upon Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown in September 1780 was a prelude to the American victory at Kings Mountain. Continentals under Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee, and militia under Elijah Clarke and Andrew Pickens, besieged Thomas Brown at Fort Cornwallis in May 1781 and forced him to surrender after a two-week battle. A hastily reconvened Georgia legislature in Augusta gave American peace negotiators cause to argue for Georgia’s independence, even though Savannah remained in British hands for another year.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
Distinctive architecture characterizes this Mystery Photo
A distinctive type of architecture is shown in this edition’s Mystery Photo. Be careful, for things are not always what they seem. Identify where and what this photo represents by sending your ideas to elliott@brack.net, and include your home town.
Again, two out-of-staters recognized the most recent Mystery Photo. George Graf of Palmyra, Va. said: “That is a strip of blooming trees on Stone Mountain Highway (U.S. Highway 78) in Stone Mountain Georgia, near where the West Park Place Boulevard goes underneath the Freeway.” The photo came from Evermore Community Improvement District.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., also chipped in with the correct answer. “Although it is located in the Stone Mountain postal area, the photo was actually taken in Gwinnett County, approximately 1,400-feet east of the western edge of the county border with Dekalb. If you want to see a Google Map aerial view of the area, check out the link here. The photo was likely taken in the spring of 2020 after the completion of one of the many Evermore Community Improvement District (CID) road improvement and beautification projects that have been undertaken along the U.S. Highway 78 corridor.
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