Justice requires facing past and present
A recent AJC article on the Georgia House debate over protecting Confederate monuments raises an important question (“Bill to protect Confederate monuments narrowly fails in Georgia House,” AJC.com). Not just about how we remember history but how we understand justice today.
Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell,’s statement that we should be “more concerned about the slavery that exists today than the slavery that existed 160—70 years ago” presents a false choice.
We should be concerned about both.
Modern slavery, such as human trafficking and forced labor, exists and demands urgent action. But we cannot effectively confront today’s injustices without acknowledging the systems that shaped them. The legacy of slavery did not end in 1865 — it has evolved and continues to influence disparities across Georgia.
The monuments at the center of this debate are not simply markers of history. Many were erected during the Jim Crow era and reflect deliberate choices about what and who we honor in our public spaces.
Equally concerning is the use of state power to preempt local decision-making. When the state overrides communities, it diminishes local voice and undermines a fundamental form of civic expression: how people tell their own story in shared spaces.
Justice is not either/or. It is both/and.
JAY BASSETT, SNELLVILLE
‘No Kings’ march is just the beginning
I joined the “No Kings” march to the state Capitol and was inspired to see so many people show up to fight for our democracy. However, protesting isn’t the end goal; it’s a gateway to getting involved in stopping our country’s slide into authoritarianism.
A great next step for making our voices heard is using 5calls.org, which helps constituents contact their state and federal lawmakers by providing phone numbers and call scripts to share our views about current events and pending legislation.
HOPE ROGERS, FLOWERY BRANCH
Remembering Ed McBrayer, co-founder of PATH
Thanks to the AJC for the great coverage of a great Atlantan, Ed McBrayer (“Ed McBrayer, co-founder of PATH who helped shape Atlanta, dies at 81,” AJC.com).
I met him when I first ran for Atlanta City Council, loved hearing his stories about getting paths built in Atlanta and enjoyed his constant contact about parks and paths while I was on the council. What a great thing PATH has done for our city.
CLAIR MULLER, ATLANTA
Conversion therapy has no scientific value
On Wednesday, the AJC reported, “Supreme Court rules against ban on ‘conversion therapy.’”
Conversion therapy is a type of religion-based “talk” therapy, which purports to convert LGBTQ+ people into heterosexuals. Conversion therapy has no scientific, medical or psychological value and has been discredited by most scientists, doctors and psychologists.
Indeed, it has been shown that it does much more damage to individuals than it supposedly cures. Thus, it has been condemned by the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association Commission on Psychotherapy and numerous other medical and psychological associations.
Since it has no support from the medical and psychological establishments, the only way it can be justified is on free speech grounds. A fundamental principle of medical ethics is “first, do no harm.” Since conversion therapy has been shown to do harm to many of its victims by its practitioners, even an appeal to free speech is questionable.
BOB BARTH, ATLANTA
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