A Day at the Capitol
Image by Georgia State House Media Services, taken from the Atlanta Community Press Collective.
On Monday, March 23rd, I went to the Georgia Capitol with a few of my classmates to experience firsthand how lawmakers, journalists, and stakeholders come together to discuss and legislate on issues that affect the state. I had the opportunity to sit in a session in the House Chamber, speak to representatives of the Georgia chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and experience DeKalb Day at the Capitol!
House Speaker Jon Burns recognized Carl Gillard, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives for District 162, and asked him to share a few words. Gillard talked a lot about “answering the call,” the duty to serve the people. He thanked legislators for doing what they do and turning vision into reality. At the end of his speech, he said: “It’s not about you, it’s bigger than you.” His message resonated with me and seemed particularly relevant as a reminder during the current political climate. Lawmakers at the State Capitol are there to serve the people of Georgia and act in what is in the people’s best interest. Always.
It was also DeKalb day at the Capitol, and so a lot of representatives, schools, and stakeholders from the county were present. I had the opportunity to speak with Demetrius Pinkett, a representative of DeKalb County’s District 5 County Commissioner, Mereda Davis Johnson. He explained to me that the main thing the county is working towards is reducing illegal tire dumping and cleaning up private and public areas affected.
Finally, before leaving the Capitol, I stopped by the NAMI Georgia booth, where I had the opportunity to discuss mental health and substance abuse resources with stakeholders. They educated me on HB657, a bill aimed at strengthening addiction recovery support that would “define recovery community organizations and the work they do in Georgia” (Makenna Carlton for the Georgia Recorder, 2026) and even shared with me the contact of Blake Schneider, the Director of the Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery at Kennesaw State University, when I asked about how I could spread the word and share mental health and addiction resources with people in my community.
I would say of my day at the Capitol that, although times might seem dire, everyone I interacted with and observed was passionate about helping their community and doing good. It was very important to me to see that there are still many people working tirelessly to improve Georgia. I left the Capitol thinking of the ways we can all help them make a change, starting by spreading the word, which is what I hope to do with this post.
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