Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, Dr. James Beverly, D-Macon, delivers a portion of the Democratic Party's response to the annual State of State Address inside the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)

In this interview with Georgia House Minority Leader Dr. James Beverly, D-Macon, he discusses the current state of affairs in Georgia politics. First, Beverly spoke about his recent op-ed in which he criticizes Governor Brian Kemp for passing over three Democrats in the House, Dr. Michelle Au, Dr. Jasmine Clark and Farooq Mughal, in an apparent effort to uphold the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling which struck down Affirmative Action.

Even though this interview was recorded prior to former President Donald Trump’s indictment in Atlanta, Beverly was asked about Georgia Democrats’ efforts to protect the equitable right to vote in light of the RICO conspiracy charges that eventually would be handed down by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

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Beverly also discusses redistricting and re-apportionment as Georgia prepares to possibly redraw its congressional and legislative maps following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Alabama.

Beverly, rather briskly, brushed aside State Representative Mesha Mainor’s decision to switch to the Republican party earlier this summer. Using this past spring’s policy fight regarding the proposed school voucher program, Beverly was asked his thoughts on the issue if it comes up for discussion in the 2024 legislative session.

Itoro Umontuen currently serves as Managing Editor of The Atlanta Voice. Upon his arrival to the historic publication, he served as their Director of Photography. As a mixed-media journalist, Umontuen...