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Jabari Simama

Senior Contributor

Jabari Simama is an education and government consultant and a senior fellow with the Center for Digital Government. He served two terms on the Atlanta City Council, from 1987 to 1994; as deputy chief operating officer and chief of staff for DeKalb County, Ga., from 2009 to 2012; and as president of Georgia Piedmont Technical College from 2012 to 2018.

Simama received his bachelor's degree from the University of Bridgeport, his master's degree from Atlanta University and his Ph.D. from Emory University. He is the author of Civil Rights to Cyber Rights: Broadband & Digital Equality in the Age of Obama, published in 2009, and has been a columnist for Creative Loafing and Southwest Atlanta magazine and a feature writer for Atlanta magazine. He blogs at Jabari Simama Speaks.

The pandemic has devastated small businesses that employ millions of Americans. Public officials can tap the expertise of strategic partners to give these companies a chance to survive — and thrive.
Every neighborhood should be free of litter, debris and property- and housing-code violations. There's plenty that government can do, including helping residents understand their own role.
In clamping down on access to social media platforms by conspiracy theorists, white supremacists and domestic terrorists, we need to protect our truly marginalized citizens' ability to speak truth to power.
A white-supremacist mob's attack on the Capitol diverted attention from some dramatic electoral victories, a rejection of authoritarianism and the continuing need to confront racism and inequality.
Some think the rollout of vaccines means we've turned the corner, but things are likely to get worse before they get better. Public officials have a role, and messaging is more important than ever.
Surrendering to Republicans on Black Lives Matter and reforming policing isn't the way to motivate voters and win control of the Senate in Georgia's runoffs.
Millions of Americans — particularly those from minority communities who remember infamous medical experiments — are leery of immunizations. Public officials need to find ways to overcome this.
The way things worked out in Georgia reflected not only changes in demographics in a one-time citadel of the Confederacy but also the evolution of political beliefs and social attitudes.
Too many of our elected officials have stood quietly by in the face of idolatry and a cult of personality in our government. We need a return to the values of honesty, human rights and caring.
They can play a larger role in rebuilding economies, breathing life into broken communities and enhancing diversity. Providing 14 years of free public education is an idea that deserves a closer look.