Augusta Citizens Gather to Discuss 2016 Presidential Election on December 3rd
Urban Expressionism Post Election Community Panel
AUGUSTA, GA. Many residents of our community had a profound reaction to the recent presidential election. Some cheered while others jeered. Some cried while others celebrated. Regardless of your political philosophy, it is clear that this election has revealed a deep divide within our country.
Blue Bistro Creative in partnership with Georgia Shift will be hosting a community discussion on December 3, 2017, from 10am - to 1pm at the Augusta-Richmond County Headquarters Library - - located at 823 Telfair Street in downtown Augusta.
Anthony R Page, the Executive Director of Blue Bistro Creative and the primary organizer of this event remarked, that this event has been created to give citizens in the Augusta area a constructive space to share their sentiments and voice their opinions about the recent election and the future of our country. Although we know some will have strong and divergent opinions, this will not be a rant session. We see this as an opportunity to hear from our neighbors and allow them to hear from us. Our goal is to begin a process of reconciliation through dialogue, listening, and understanding.
The organizers would like to encourage the public to participate and be a part of maintaining a healthy community.
ADDITIONAL DETAIL ABOUT THE EVENT
The event will begin with an opening statement from Ian Bridgeforth, who is the founder of Georgia Shift, Inc. His company is built around educating the general population on the issues impacting the community, with a particular focus on getting millennials involved in the political discourse.
There will also be a brief address from Joseph Willard, who is completing a graduate history program at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. He will share insight from the thesis project titled: " A Vietnam in the Ghetto: Black Radical Language and Revolutionary Cuba, 1960-1980."
Sickle Cell Disease Advocate and Ordained Minister, Dr. La'Veda Wallace-Page will serve as moderator, where she will allow each panelist to speak and then expand the conversation to include the attendees.
The community forum will consist of 7 members of our community - - of different generations, political philosophies, ethnic backgrounds, genders, and lifestyles. The panelists include:
Jesse Willard - - Jesse Willard is an Oakland, CA native now living in Augusta, GA. Along with his wife, he is the owner of the only H&R Block Tax Franchise in Augusta. He is also the co-founder of the I Breathe, I Rise Foundation, where he and his family are committed to improving the city through a variety of community-based advocacy initiatives.
Brad Owens - - Brad Owens, a US Army veteran, has become known in the community as a voice on a variety of community issues including gun rights, development of the downtown business corridor, and issues related to military & veteran initiatives. Most recently he has been working diligently to build the local filmmaking industry through the Augusta Film Office and the Southeastern Filmmakers Collective.
Deja Green - - Deja Green is a senior at Davidson Fines Arts High School. Already gaining momentum in a professional creative career she is a performing artist and the founder of a spoken word poetry collective called: Unspoken Words. She also is a freelance journalist and writes for several online publications including Abstract Echoes and TheOdysseyOnline.com.
Elsa Bustamante - - Elsa Bustamante is the founder of the Hispanic Business Alliance of the CSRA and the owner of Precision Capital LLC. She has had a long history of community involvement while working as the Career Center Coordinator at Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA.
Ebony Harvey - - Ebony Harvey is a long-time social activist for LGBTQ awareness, the Black community, education, and women's issues. Ebony is a single mother of a daughter in high school.
Raphael Norris - - Ralphale Norris was a vocal opponent of Hillary Clinton and although he was not a supporter of Donald Trump. He is an African American conservative.
Joey Traina - - Joey Traina was born during a period when both of his parents were working in the Peace Corps. This has become a template for his life of social activism. Joey is the Vice President of Young Democrats of Augusta Richmond County and Young Democrats of Georgia VP of Finance.
There will be a special performance by the ground-breaking new musical group: Divine Intelligence. The group includes Deja Green, Kiara Iman, and Jiggy Bril who blend a combination of song, rap, and spoken word poetry to derive a unique creative style.
For more information contact: BlueBistroCreative@gmail.com
You can also be a part of the conversation on Facebook at:
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