In an effort to address pressing community issues such as food insecurity and housing instability, the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM) is organizing an End-of-Year Community Town Hall. This event aims to foster proactive, community-driven solutions to these challenges. Mokah-Jasmine Johnson, Co-founder and Executive Director of AADM, emphasizes the importance of collaboration, stating, “So, it’s better that we be proactive as a community, to find a middle ground on where we can come together and come up with solutions and different things that we can use to advocate moving forward.”
The Town Hall is open to all community members, local leaders, and advocates. It will include a panel discussion featuring notable figures such as housing advocate and community leader Broderick Flanigan, Dr. Grace Bagwell Adams from UGA’s College of Public Health, and Athens-Clarke County District 6 Commissioner Stephanie Maddox.
Johnson highlights the ongoing struggles despite efforts to alleviate them: “The most important thing about this Town Hall is for us to work together as a community on solutions. Even though the SNAP food freeze has ended, the crisis still exists. People have gotten delayed in their food stamps. The food banks are stretched even though the Mayor and Commission did give them $150,000, and we’re going into the holidays.”
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussions and set actionable goals to address these issues. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, at the Athens Regional Library, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
