Georgia
Carter ushered in new era of race relations after Georgia’s long racially segregated history • Georgia Recorder
Jimmy Carter would chart a new course for the state at the start of his four-year term serving as Georgia’s governor when he used his inauguration address in 1971 to assert a public stand against the racial segregation that still maintained its popularity among many white Georgians.
Carter’s iconic speech that explicitly declared the end of racial discrimination against Black people and other minorities would become a symbol of Carter’s philosophy during and after a political career that saw him rise to the prominence of becoming U.S. president, before his presidency ended four years later when he lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Carter’s civil rights legacy as governor includes his famous inauguration speech calling for the end of segregation, his efforts to significantly increase the number of Black people working in state government, and his decision to hang a Martin Luther King Jr. portrait inside the state Capitol.
Carter died Dec. 29 at his modest Plains home while surrounded by family. The 100-year-old was the longest-living president in American history and the only Georgian to lead the country.
As a candidate, Carter was able to successfully implement a campaign strategy to court votes from pro-segregationists in order to overcome the favored candidate for governor, Carl Sanders, in the 1970 Democratic primary.
Sanders was seeking a second term as Georgia governor, after previously winning the 1962 election. Sanders was a moderate who led the transition away from racial segregation. Carter campaigned as a populist while attacking Sanders as favoring integration and proclaiming the outgoing segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox as the beacon of the Democratic Party.
However, much to the surprise of many Georgians, Carter’s inauguration remarks on racial equality stood in stark contrast to Maddox, an outspoken white supremacist who infamously used the threat of violence to keep Blacks from dining at his Atlanta restaurant.
On Jan. 12, 1971, Carter delivered this line at his gubernatorial inauguration: “The time for racial discrimination is over.”
Carter’s inauguration speech would place him under a new national spotlight, earning him a place on the cover of Time magazine and a prominent feature in the New York Times.
“When he was actually inaugurated in January 1971, he shocked many people, many people that voted for him and in the previous election with his really clear, definitive statements saying that the time for racial separation, racial conflict is over,” said Joseph Crespino, the Jimmy Carter professor of History at Emory University. “That’s what put him on the national radar. The way he ran his gubernatorial administration, in appointing the most African-Americans of any governor of Georgia up to that point, made clear where he stood on on racial issues.”
Former President Jimmy Carter starts last journey through Georgia from Plains to Atlanta
Carter would become governor of the Peach State on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement era as prominent Black Georgians like King fought to overturn the longstanding dominance of white supremacy. Carter would go on to deliver on the promise he made to civil rights leaders that he would take an anti-segregation stance if elected as governor.
During his four years as governor, Carter is credited with supporting several progressive policies advancing civil rights, including the appointment of several Black judges, expanded opportunities for women and minorities in state government, and working to eliminate racial discrimination in education and housing.
Former Democratic state Rep. Calvin Smyre, who was the state’s longest-serving legislator until he stepped down in 2023, said he met Carter for the first time during his presidential campaign in 1975 and stumped for him in Mississippi and South Carolina as a 27-year-old freshman representative.
In 1984, Smyre would become the first Black Georgia legislator elected to the Democratic National Committee and in 1987 would become the first Black floor leader at the state Capitol since Reconstruction after his appointment by Gov. Joe Frank Harris.
“It’s a sad day,” said Smyre about Carter’s death. “A giant pine tree has fallen in the Georgia forests, and President Carter, Gov. Carter, did much to lift the lives of so many people around the world.”
Smyre said Carter will be remembered in Georgia for his role in advancing racial equality.
“When you think about Jimmy Carter’s upbringing and how he had a turnaround in terms of race relations, it’s a remarkable story, and the fact of the matter is he, once he did that, a lot of people shunned him politically, and it was not an easy task during his term as governor in the Georgia General Assembly.
“When I was elected, there were 90 Black legislators in America, now there are nearly 800,” he said. “So we stand on the shoulders of courageous people like Jimmy Carter, who at the time, that was not a welcome message in the political terrain that we lived in in those days.
Georgia state Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, a Lithonia Democrat, praised Carter for making the state government more inclusive.
According to the Carter Center, there were only three African Americans serving on state boards and commissions when Carter took office as governor and 53 when he left. Carter appointed more women and minorities to his staff, the judiciary and major state boards and agencies than all of his predecessors combined.
“One of the things that President Carter was able to do is to bring together people from different backgrounds around the state of Georgia and really put them in positions to be able to represent the state of Georgia,” Kendrick said. “The state is over 33.5% African American right now, and other nationalities, so you see that because of his efforts, there are a lot of people that are here in the state from different backgrounds. We need to always make sure that whoever our leaders are reflecting that, and he did a great job of starting that.”
Prior to Carter becoming a state senator, he served as chairman of the Sumter County school board where he took the unpopular stance of supporting the desegregation of public schools.
Carter’s successful gubernatorial election would coincide with a couple other progressive Southern Democratic candidates winning elections in states like Arkansas and South Carolina.
“Hanging the portrait of Martin Luther King was very much the opposite of what his predecessor, Gov. Maddox, had done,” said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. “Maddox hunkers down by saying he expects there to be all kinds of riots at the time of the King funeral. Carter countered by saying (King) is a great Georgian, and therefore we’re gonna put his portrait here in the Capitol.”
Bullock said while Carter’s time as governor was hampered because Georgia governors at the time were prohibited from serving consecutive terms, that restriction also made it easier for Carter to advocate for civil rights. Carter being a progressive Southern Democrat also paved the way for running a successful campaign on the national stage, he said.
“At least in terms of his Georgia political ambitions, it wasn’t like he was constrained by ‘gee I better not do this because it’s going to cost me when I run for re-election,’” Bullock said. “ He was free of that kind of consideration. And to the extent he was beginning to think about running for president, from the Civil War on, Southerners were essentially blocked from becoming president because of their stance on issues of race.”
Carter’s dedication to civil rights and inclusive policies would play out during his four years as U.S. president and his humanitarian efforts that continued afterward for the rest of his life.
As a dark-horse presidential candidate Carter narrowly defeated incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976 and served one term as president before his loss to Reagan.
During Carter’s presidency, he made significant civil and human rights achievements. Post-presidency, Carter’s humanitarian work, including efforts to eradicate guinea worm in Africa and promote democracy globally, was unprecedented for a former president, political experts said.
Crespino said Carter’s gubernatorial campaign strategy in his run for the Georgia governor’s mansion would be successful enough to get him elected, but was also an example of the political gamesmanship that often occurs. Carter would later express regret about trying to curry support from pro-segregationists.
“It was a pragmatic decision that you can’t do anything good if you’re not in the office to gain,” Crespino said. “It was a very pragmatic, political decision of how can I best position myself to win this? This is what politicians do. It’s not a pretty business a lot of times and having lost the race in (1966) he was determined to position himself the best way he could win.”
Kendrick said she hopes to emulate Carter’s honesty as lawmakers gavel back into session Monday.
“His work around being honest and transparent when he speaks to constituents, I think that’s something that’s obviously very missing from our politics today,” she said. “In the past few days, I’ve learned a lot about his promises he made to always tell the truth, even if it cost him an election, so I think I’ll take that with me as session starts in the next few days.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting details how the Bulldogs will tweak the use of its early enrollees in Sugar Bowl practices this month.
College football has made roster management much more complicated these days. The latest is Georgia football’s annual December tradition of bringing in a horde of its latest signees for bowl practices.
That now intersects with the new 105-man roster management landscape, among other things.
While it seems like almost all of Georgia’s 29 signees will be early enrollees in January, there won’t be quite that many in Athens for Sugar Bowl practices. DawgNation has confirmed that several members of the 2026 class are expected to practice with the Dawgs for the first time on Saturday.
While the entire class of 2026 can ball, not all of them will get the call.
Bowdon High School’s Kaiden Prothro, who has been ranked by Rivals as a 5-star, shared a little bit about what that now looks like earlier this week. When asked about his short-term plans after his Red Devils won their fourth straight state title, Prothro said he wasn’t sure.
“I’m planning on enrolling early and then hopefully going for some bowl practices,” Prothro said. “If I can make it in time.”
Prothro would normally be a given, considering his elite size, frame, and skill set. But he wasn’t sure about that earlier this week.
“I have no idea,” Prothro said. “It is kind of weird. They have got to call you up or whatever. A spot has got to open up.”
If he got the call, Prothro said he would take advantage of those extra early reps.
“Just practicing with them would just be amazing at the next level,” he said. “Great coaching and [tight ends] coach [Todd] Hartley is a great coach. Coach [Kirby] Smart is going to coach you hard, but you are going to get better in practice. So obviously, I just want to get better and just see what my next step is.”
Georgia signed a pair of Carrollton Trojan seniors in this class. Both confirmed they would move to Athens today and practice with the SEC Champions on Saturday.
“I am one of those guys that got called up,” 3-star IOL Zykie Helton said after the 6A state title game. “I will be in Athens on Friday.”
“I’ll be there Friday,” Mosley said. “Going up there early. Getting experience. Learning the playbook so I’ll be set by the time [next] fall comes around.”
The 4-star WR walked out of the Carrollton locker room for the last time at 1 a.m. on Wednesday. He graduated and had his last day of high school on Thursday, and will be practicing with a program on Saturday that is hunting its third national title this decade.
“That’s what you want,” Mosley said. “Being an athlete, a turnaround like that comes with it. I just want the Georgia fans to know that they are getting a beast. They are getting a real beast.”
Buford ATH Tyriq Green told DawgNation he planned to practice in Athens on Saturday, too. He was quite excited to go from winning a Georgia state championship and a national high school title to strapping it up for a UGA practice this weekend.
Green said this might just be the best week of his life.
“I think so,” he said. “Last week of school. About to graduate, so everything is good.”
Graham Houston, his Buford High teammate, also signed with UGA. He’s the third-highest-rated OL in this UGA class, but he plans to move to Athens next month.
“I believe I am going on January 8th,” he said after the state title game.
Houston knew Green would be going up early. The AJC Super 11 selection has been an impact running back, safety and kick returner during his Buford career. “Ty Boogie” was also named MVP of the state title game after his 184 rushing yards and two scores on just 11 carries.
If there’s one thing to look for in terms of who gets the call with limited slots available, it will be elite talents like Green. Especially at a position like safety, where Georgia is banged up and could use more talented practice bodies.
“He could play any day,” Houston said while laughing. “He might play this year.”
While Green could likely help the Dawgs in some capacity at The Sugar Bowl, he’s not able to suit up for the game under NCAA rules. That hasn’t changed from the annual postseason protocol. DawgNation should not expect to see 20 or more of the new signees wearing a UGA jersey over athleisure attire on the sidelines at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day this time.
DawgNation has been able to confirm that 5-star OT Ekene Ogboko will also be up for early bowl practices, but won’t make it until Christmas Day. 4-star Maryland LB Nick Abrams II is also expected to practice with the Dawgs on Saturday, among others.
Twitchy DL Valdin Sone, a 5-star prospect for 247Sports, was also set to be moving to Athens today for bowl practices this weekend.
The Intel this week suggests that 4-star RB Jae Lamar and 4-star WR Craig Dandridge could also be in Athens this weekend for bowl practices. Prothro is another strong candidate to join the team this month, too.
Have you subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube channel yet? If so, you will see special 1-on-1 content with key 2026 signees like Ty Green, Zykie Helton, Tyreek Jemison, Lincoln Keyes and Kaiden Prothro.
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(Check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
ATLANTA — Georgia’s only private electric utility plans to increase power capacity by 50% after state regulators on Friday agreed 5-0 that the plan is needed to meet projected demand from data centers.
It would be one of the biggest build-outs in the U.S. to meet the insatiable electricity demand from developers of artificial intelligence. The construction cost would be $16.3 billion, but staff members say customers will pay $50 billion to $60 billion over coming decades, including interest costs and guaranteed profit for the monopoly utility.
Georgia Power Co. and the Public Service Commission pledge large users will more than pay for their costs, and that spreading fixed costs over more customers, could help significantly cut residents’ power bills beginning in 2029.
“Large energy users are paying more so families and small businesses can pay less, and that’s a great result for Georgians,” Georgia Power CEO Kim Greene said in a statement after the vote.
But opponents say the five elected Republicans on the commission are greenlighting a risky bet by the utility to chase data center customers with existing ratepayers left holding the bag if demand doesn’t materialize.
“The need for 10,000 megawatts of new capacity resources on the system in the next six years isn’t here,” said Bob Sherrier, a lawyer representing some opponents. “It just isn’t, and it may never be.”
The approval came less than two months after voters rebuked GOP leadership, ousting two incumbent Republicans on the commission in favor of Democrats by overwhelming margins. Those two Democrats won in campaigns that centered on six Georgia Power rate increases commissioners have allowed in recent years, even though the company agreed to a three-year rate freeze in July.
Protestors are escorted out of a Georgia Public Service Commission meeting on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jeff Amy
Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson — the Democrats who will take office Jan. 1 — opposed Friday’s vote. But current commissioners refused to delay.
Electric bills have emerged as a potent political issue in Georgia and nationwide, with grassroots opposition to data centers partly based on fears that other customers will subsidize power demands of technology behemoths.
Georgia Power is the largest unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. It says it needs 10,000 megawatts of new capacity — enough to power 4 million Georgia homes — with 80% of that flowing to data centers. The company has 2.7 million customers today, including homes, businesses and industries.
Whether the company’s projections of a huge increase in demand will pan out has been the central argument. Georgia Power and commission staff agreed Dec. 9 to allow the company to build or acquire all the desired capacity, despite staff earlier saying the company’s forecast included too much speculative construction.
Members of the Georgia Public Service Commission listen to testimony on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jeff Amy
In return, the company agreed that after the current rate freeze ends in 2028, it would use revenue from new customers to place “downward pressure” on rates through 2031. That would amount to at least $8.50 a month, or $102 a year, for a typical residential customer. That customer currently pays more than $175 a month, including taxes.
“So we’re taking advantage of the upsides from this additional revenue, but allow it to shift the downside and the risk over to the company. And I’m real proud of that,” Commission Chairman Jason Shaw said after the vote.
But “downward pressure” doesn’t guarantee a rate decrease.
“It doesn’t mean your bills are going down,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of consumer group Georgia Watch. “It means that maybe they’re not going up as fast.”
Existing customers would pay for part of the construction program that doesn’t serve data centers. More importantly, opponents fear Georgia Power’s pledge of rate relief can’t be enforced, or won’t hold up over the 40-plus years needed to pay off new natural-gas fired power plants.
In a Monday news conference, Hubbard likened it to a mortgage “to build a massive addition to your home for a new roommate, big tech.”
“If in 10 years, the AI bubble bursts or the data centers move to a cheaper state, then the roommate moves out, but the mortgage doesn’t go away,” he said.
Staff members say the commission must watch demand closely and that if data centers don’t use as much power as projected, Georgia Power must drop agreements to purchase wholesale power, close its least efficient generating plants and seek additional customers.
Many opponents oppose any new generation fueled by natural gas, warning carbon emissions will worsen climate change. Some opponents were escorted out of the commission meeting by police after they began chanting “Nay! Nay! Nay! The people say nay!”
“Increased natural gas output for the sake of these silicon billionaire kings seems like a lose-lose,” opponent Zak Norton told commissioners Friday.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — One metro Atlanta organization is weighing both the potential benefits and risks following President Donald Trump’s signing of an executive order Thursday aimed at expediting the reclassification of marijuana.
Atlanta News First spoke with Michael Mumper, executive director of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy. He emphasizes this action is about research – not legalization – and said the science surrounding marijuana use remains unsettled.
“There are a lot of results, research that says that it has benefits and a lot that says it has harms,” Mumper said. “We need to dive into those much more before we rapidly expand marijuana access. This research will allow us to dig deeper into the real benefits and harms of marijuana.”
He adds that this action will also reduce paperwork for researchers and change how the drug is regulated by both the FDA and the DEA.
This order makes marijuana a schedule three classification under controlled substances, putting it in the same category as some steroids. Drugs that can be used in different situations based on the type and severity of pain.
Mumper shares his deep concern after this decision on Capitol Hill.
“Most important message to the public is that it normalizes marijuana as a product for consideration,” Mumper said. “For us, that’s a bit premature and dangerous because youth are still being harmed at alarming rates.”
The move does not change Georgia law and does not fully legalize the use of cannabis.
In Georgia, multiple efforts to legalize or decriminalize marijuana at the state level have failed. Under current state law, patients may access low-THC oil strictly for medical use if they have one of the qualifying medical conditions approved for treatment.
“Will be pressure on states to expand medical marijuana programs,” Mumper said. “But our argument has always been we have to stick to the science.”
President Trump has also directed his administration to work with Congress to “ensure seniors can access CBD products they have found beneficial for pain.”
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