Newspaper Page Text
LOCAL
CHAMPION
April 7 - 13, 2016 » Page 9A
Bria Janelle, CEO of the Loud Genius nonprofit,
emceed the program.
The panelists were Mechel McKinley, executive director of the Stone Mountain Downtown Development Authority; small
business owner Diamond Sands; and Steve Bradshaw, a candidate for DeKalb County District 4 commission seat.
Brandon Brant, of Small Creek Alliance, sponsored
the community engagement forum at Clarkston High
School.
Local leaders encourage students to engage
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
A local nonprofit brought
together four local leaders
to encourage Clarkston
High School students to be
engaged in their community.
Sponsored by Small
Creek Alliance, a local
nonprofit that aims
to curb violence, the
event featured Steve
Bradshaw, a candidate
for DeKalb County
District 4 commission
seat; Mechel McKinley,
executive director of the
Stone Mountain Downtown
Development Authority; and
Diamond Sands, owner
or Luxvi Hair, a seller of
luxurious virgin hair. The
program was emceed by
Bria Janelle, CEO of the
Loud Genius nonprofit,
an online news source
dedicated to the music,
comedy and sports culture.
“Today’s event was
really to expose the youth
to leaders in our community
and also give the leaders
in our community the
opportunity to listen and
engage the youth ultimately
in an effort to curb violence
in the central DeKalb
community,” said Brandon
Brant, of Small Creek
Alliance, which focuses on
quality of education, quality
of environment and quality
of health.
The panelists fielded
several questions including
one asking for their
motivation for community
involvement.
“The reason that I do
what I do is because what
I do makes a difference...
in the community I live in,”
McKinley said.
“I work with young
entrepreneurs who are
looking to open a business
and I help them with their
business plan and I help
them find a space for their
business and I help them
do their grand opening and
start to grow their business
and take it to the next level,”
she said.
Bradshaw said he is
motivated by “an interest
and a love for public
service.”
“I’ve been impressed
with public service since
I was very young,” said
Bradshaw, U.S.Army
veteran.
“When I was a child
growing up in Savannah,
I remember my father’s
dream was to be mayor of
Savannah one day,” said
Bradshaw, who also was
appointed by former Gov.
Roy Barnes to the State
Board of Examiners for the
Certification of Water and
Wastewater Plant Operators
and Laboratory Analysts.
“That never happened,...but
I guess it planted a seed in
my when I was young.
“I see an acute need
in DeKalb County for
leadership and that’s what’s
motivating me to run for
office,” Bradshaw said.
Sands said as a young
Black girl she had short hair
and was teased about it.
“A lot of African-
American women and
women of color...have
experienced similar stories
in terms of their hair,” she
said.
Sands said she has a
philanthropic platform that
addresses self love.
“Because without
that nothing else matters,
whether your hair is natural
or you wear a weave,”
Sands said. “I have Iocs up
underneath this. I could take
this off and flaunt my Iocs. I
can wear the weave, I can
wear the wigs. It doesn’t
matter.
“As long as you love
yourself, as long as you’re
taking the proper steps to
be able to really and truly be
confident in the skin you’re
in, that’s all that matters,”
she said. “You can do
whatever you want to do. All
that matters is that you love
yourself.”
Brant said he sponsored
the program because “a
lot of times the people
that have the opportunity
to grasp their attention
and give them a message
are your athletes or your
rappers or your everyday
teachers.
“Today I felt like they
could get an alternative
perspective from a
viewpoint of people that
actually have achieved what
MOVE IN/OUT CLEANING
CleaningByMarines.com
(404)975-9002
they might have in mind,” he
said.
“Our research shows
that...the overall value of
DeKalb will be improved
if we can tackle and focus
our efforts in empowering
our youth and decreasing
violence,” Brant added.
STONE MOUNTAIN
VILLAGE
CITY-WIDE YARD SALE
922 Main St. behind Gazebo
Sat., April 23
8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Setup begins 7:30 a.m. on
day of sale
For info call City Hall
(770)-498-8984