Atlanta Church Conference Explores Ways to Address Issues Facing Black Men

Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens, the first African-American elected to the office in Georgia’s third-most populous county, said the majority of his inmates are black men between the ages of 18 and 25.

“I have a serious problem with that,” Owens said. “What I would like to do is try to catch these young men and women before they come to visit (the prison).”

He and other law enforcement officials have focused on police programs aimed at building trust with children, such as after-school programs. Austell Police Chief Scott Hamilton said those initiatives are critical, but he added that many children fall through the cracks, which can have serious consequences.

His officers responded to a shooting Friday that left a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old with gunshot wounds. Owens urged the youth at the conference to find peaceful ways to resolve their differences without resorting to guns, mirroring calls from other law enforcement officials in metro Atlanta.

“Life is not a video game. There is no reset button,” Owens said. “Once you pull the trigger, you’ve ruined two black lives. You’ve killed one and the other one is going to prison for the rest of their life.”

Many speakers said that Atlanta, as a mecca of black culture, power and influence, should serve as a pioneer in addressing some of the issues facing the African-American community.

Credits: Steve Schaefer /

Credits: Steve Schaefer /

Some of this work is already underway in the health care sector, where Black patients face several persistent disparities.

According to the state Department of Public Health, black women in Georgia are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women. According to Dr. Frank Jones of Morehouse School of Medicine, black men are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure, stroke and a litany of other serious diseases. Black men have a life expectancy 10 years less than white men, while they are also far more likely than any other group to be victims of homicide.

Jones said the most practical solution to overcoming these systemic problems is to support more Black health care professionals.

“We don’t have enough black doctors,” he said. “The data shows that black patients are healthier and live longer if they are treated by black doctors.”

He talked about a startup called My Black Doctor Directory, which allows people to search for doctors in the Atlanta area. He hopes the directory’s coverage area will expand across the state and to other major metro areas.

Credits: Steve Schaefer /

Credits: Steve Schaefer /

The conference was co-sponsored by the Urban League of Greater Atlanta and co-chaired by State Sen. Ed Harbison, a Democrat from Columbus, and State Rep. Omari Crawford, a Democrat from Decatur.

Elected officials stressed the importance of civic engagement among young African Americans. From encouraging voter turnout to reducing incarceration rates, elected officials said these efforts take root at the community level.

“These statistics are heartbreaking to consider,” Harbison said. “Black Georgians are among the most valuable contributors to our state… it’s up to us to find a way to combat crime and achieve equity.”