Seeing Who We Are

Dear *|FNAME|*,

One of the fundamental missions of The Current is to raise awareness of our state’s and region’s record about civil rights and tolerance. Not through opinions, but by in-depth reporting, like our story this week of our neighbors in Camden County seeking recognition for the sacrifice and suffering they endured 50 years ago in a catastrophic explosion at a Vietnam War-era munitions factory.

Ahmaud Arbery’s horrific death last year prompted many of us in Coastal Georgia towards a reckoning with historic social and racial justice. The record turnout from the 2020 elections helped elect the state’s first Black and Jewish senators, causing celebration for some but not for all Georgians. 

For us at The Current, social justice isn’t a partisan issue. It’s part of our mission to improve life in all our communities in Coastal Georgia, whether through the pursuit of economic development to battle stubborn levels of poverty for rural, elderly and minority residents; educational equality for students left behind during the pandemic; or civil rights so that all of us, no matter our race, sexual orientation, gender or religious belief, feel safe and respected. 

That’s why we are launching a new newsletter dedicated to these issues. We will highlight storytelling about historic injustice like the Thiokol explosion in Woodbine, investigations into current law enforcement practices, examinations of inequality in healthcare and, as always, endeavor to hold local governments and officials accountable across the coast, from Brunswick to Ware County to Savannah. 

Shining a light on problems is vital. But we also want to offer solutions by providing inspirational stories about community members who are helping solve these problems. One such story is how Black churches across the South are offering mental health support to their congregations as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates stress, loneliness and despair.

We would like to hear from you about your ideas for how to make this happen. Tell us the people you know in church, or at school or at work who are working to make a difference. We need more lights to brighten our way on this difficult path towards a better future. 

Armed with such facts, we hope our community will be empowered to live together, work together and solve problems together.

Best wishes,

Margaret 

P.S. Our reporting is free to read for anyone interested in trustworthy news. But producing quality journalism costs money. We aren’t beholden to corporate advertisers and instead we rely on good people like you who agree that quality reporting is a public service. Consider a donation to our nonprofit newsroom.