DeKalb County Research Articles

Whose forest, whose values? Planning for Atlanta’s “South River Forest”

ABSTRACT Atlanta, Georgia's (USA) proposed South River Forest (SRF) is a 3,500-acre area straddling southeast Atlanta and parts of neighboring DeKalb County that would include non-contiguous greenspace and developed land uses. Catalyzed by the 2017 Atlanta City Design process, the SRF concept recognizes the ecologically rich, urban forest patches in this predominantly African American part of the metro area. SRF advocates point to the climate and environmental equity benefits of green space conservation for underserved communities and the personal benefits of having wildland-like outdoor recreation areas within the city. To gauge public perceptions of the SRF, promoters conducted the South River Forest Consensus Building & Stakeholder Engagement process in 2022, which included an online survey querying respondents' interactions with and personal relationship to the SRF. The findings showed overwhelming support for the preservation effort; however, eighty percent of respondents identified as white and just nine percent as black. This composition contrasts sharply with most SRF neighborhoods, which question whether black ways of being in nature were captured by the engagement process. Our analysis also brings attention to an alternative, black-led vision for the area that was not reflected in the engagement process and the implications of this erasure for recognition justice.

Detection of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales from nursing home wastewater effluent from September 2021 to November 2021

Background: Surveillance and early detection of antibiotic resistance genes and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), are important to quell outbreaks early, as antibiotic resistance continues to be an increasing threat. Wastewater surveillance in general has gained attention in the United States, but scientific evidence demonstrating the feasibility to assess antibiotic resistance genes and MDROs is limited. In this study, wastewater effluent was used to screen a nursing home facility, which housed a population at increased risk for colonization with MDROs, for the presence of β-lactam–resistant genes.Methods: Wastewater effluent samples (24-hour composite, n = 19; grab samples, n = 6) collected from a skilled nursing home facility from September 2021 to November 2021 in DeKalb County, Georgia, were screened for carbapenem-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactam (ESBL)–resistant Enterobacterales using 2 selective chromogenic media: mSuperCARBA (mSC) for selection of CRE and CHROMagar ESBL for selection of gram-negative bacteria producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Colilert-18 (IDEXX) was applied to detect and quantify total coliforms and Escherichia coli, serving as an enrichment approach for potential gram-negative organisms (Enterobacterales) containing antibiotic resistance genes. E. coli–positive Colilert-18 (IDEXX) samples (n = 24) had a composite of 1.0 mL total from 5 positive wells or 20% per plate collected and stored at −80°C in 25% glycerol. The E. coli–positive Colilert-18 samples were later thawed and plated on mSC and CHROMagar ESBL, where a random subset of all the colonies (ie, mixture of typical and atypical colonies; n = 28) were selected for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) to confirm identification. Additionally, a non-enrichment approach, filtered wastewater samples (10 mL, n = 23) were frozen (−80°C) until DNA extraction, followed by multiplex real-time PCR for the blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, and blaOXA-48–like carbapenemase genes. Results: Among 24 E. coli–positive Colilert-18 samples, 16 (67%) of 24 contained carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella, Enterobacter, or Citrobacter (KEC), 88% contained ESBL-resistant KEC (21 of 24), 4% (1 of 24) contained carbapenem-resistant E. coli, and 67% contained ESBL-resistant E.coli (16 of 24). In the 28 colonies picked from mSC or ESBL, 10 different genera were confirmed using MALDI-TOF: Aeromonas, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Providencia, and Raoultella. Of 23 filtered samples, 18 (78%) were positive for the blaKPC gene, whereas all samples were negative for blaNDM, blaVIM, and blaOXA-48–like genes. In this nursing home, these findings suggest a concerning frequency of bacteria resistant to last-line antibiotics. Wastewater surveillance can potentially serve as an approach to identify antibiotic resistance and track its presence over time.Disclosure: None

The Fight Against Cop City

On Saturday, March 4, I arrived at Intrenchment Creek Park in DeKalb County, Georgia, for the first day of a week of action against a $90 million construction project undertaken by the Atlanta Police Foundation—a private entity, backed by local CEOs and political leaders, that advances police interests. The foundation wants to raze eighty-five acres of public forest to build the largest police training facility in the United States, complete with a firing range, a burn building, and a “kill house” designed to mimic urban combat scenarios. It also argues that the facility will boost morale among officers. The size and scale of the project, and the destruction and deforestation it will require, have led a growing number of activists, organizers, and community members to object to what they call “Cop City.” The campaign against Cop City is simultaneously a campaign to defend the Weelaunee Forest, the name used for the area by the Muscogee Creek people forcibly displaced by settlers from the land in the early 1800s before it became the site of the notorious Atlanta Prison Farm. These elements of the campaign—the histories on which it draws, what it’s fighting against and for, who it is bringing together, and how—have given it tremendous staying power despite extraordinary odds.

Hosea Williams: A Lifetime of Defiance and Protest by Rolundus R. Rice

Reviewed by: Hosea Williams: A Lifetime of Defiance and Protest by Rolundus R. Rice Anthony Siracusa Hosea Williams: A Lifetime of Defiance and Protest. By Rolundus R. Rice. (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2021. Pp. xviii, 394. Paper, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-64336-257-1; cloth, $89.99, ISBN 978-1-64336-256-4.) In his biography of Hosea Williams, Rolundus R. Rice documents the man Martin Luther King Jr. relied on as a field organizer in key campaigns throughout the 1960s. Rice’s telling is largely a favorable one, arguing that Williams’s “campaigns helped to create and maintain pressure on the White House, Congress, and the federal courts, and [that] the resulting legislation and court rulings did more to topple the barriers of Jim Crow in a relatively brief period than anything in the century since emancipation and Reconstruction” (pp. 3–4). But Rice rightly balances this description of Williams by calling him a “a con man with convictions,” noting that Williams described himself as neither a conservative nor a liberal but an “opportunist” (p. 297). Chapters 1 and 2 focus on Williams’s early life and career, while the third chapter recounts his leadership in the Savannah freedom movement of the early 1960s. It was in Savannah that Williams introduced the “night marches,” a mass mobilization tactic designed to place additional pressure on local white power structures (p. 71). Williams’s work in Savannah put him on the radar of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and chapters 4–7 focus on his work with King’s organization. This section of the book is built around an analysis of Williams’s leadership of the 1964 campaign in Selma, Alabama. Notably, King told Williams to call off the famous “Bloody Sunday” march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but Williams and his colleague John Lewis went ahead with the plan after fellow SCLC staffer James Bevel deceived them into thinking that King had changed his mind. The book breaks new ground in covering Williams’s work after King’s death in 1968, most notably Williams’s role in the Poor People’s Campaign, which took him to Charleston, South Carolina, Daytona Beach, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia. Williams criticized King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, for “prostituting” her husband’s legacy by fund-raising for the King Center in Atlanta in the years after his death (p. 238). But this tension between Coretta Scott King and Williams is not sufficiently explored in the book, with Rice instead opting to let Williams’s words tell the story. This approach reveals a larger problem, as Rice does little to explain how sex and gender influenced the movement, Williams, or male senior SCLC staff members. [End Page 187] Numerous scholars of the movement have chronicled Ella Baker’s discontent and resignation from the SCLC after serving as co-founder and president, as well as the fact that King kept his family in near poverty throughout his public life. His choice to split the more than $54,000 he received for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 among civil rights groups, and other similar choices, inflicted real hardship on his wife and children—challenges that became acute when King was murdered in Memphis. Such context would have been helpful in presenting Williams’s demeaning comments about King’s widow, and the absence of a deeper analysis of sex and gender dynamics in the book—just like the absence of women in positions of leadership at the SCLC—is notable. The last portion of the book is dedicated to Williams’s life as an elected official. In 1974, Williams was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he served ten years before leaving that office and running—successfully—for chair of the Atlanta city council in 1985. Williams then won a DeKalb County commission seat in 1990 before retiring from politics in 1994, a fitting end to a career defined by a passion for political education and voter mobilization. At 325 pages, the book is detailed in its treatment of a figure central to the heroic era of the civil rights movement, and it is helpful as a resource for understanding the...

Conrad Seabaugh & Company: An Inside Look at an Illinois Hinterland Merchant

Conrad Seabaugh & Company: An Inside Look at an Illinois Hinterland Merchant

Productive interaction: An effective approach to addressing inequity in STEM

School Science and MathematicsVolume 122, Issue 6 p. 283-285 EDITORIAL Productive interaction: An effective approach to addressing inequity in STEM Natasha N. Ramsay-Jordan, Corresponding Author Natasha N. Ramsay-Jordan nrjordan@westga.edu University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia Correspondence Natasha N. Ramsay-Jordan, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia. Email: nrjordan@westga.eduSearch for more papers by this authorAkua Appiagyei, Akua Appiagyei Dekalb County School District, Dekalb, Georgia, USASearch for more papers by this authorAndrea D. Kiel, Andrea D. Kiel Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta, Georgia, USASearch for more papers by this author Natasha N. Ramsay-Jordan, Corresponding Author Natasha N. Ramsay-Jordan nrjordan@westga.edu University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia Correspondence Natasha N. Ramsay-Jordan, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia. Email: nrjordan@westga.eduSearch for more papers by this authorAkua Appiagyei, Akua Appiagyei Dekalb County School District, Dekalb, Georgia, USASearch for more papers by this authorAndrea D. Kiel, Andrea D. Kiel Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta, Georgia, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 30 September 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12548Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume122, Issue6October 2022Pages 283-285 RelatedInformation

Neighborhood characteristics of low radon testing activities: A longitudinal study in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Radon testing remains low even nationwide although its exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Little has been done to examine the neighborhood characteristics with low testing prevalence. This study investigated the associations between indoor radon testing and neighborhood characteristics in an urban environment with the highest Radon potential. A total of 25 years (1990–2015) of radon tests (n = 6355) were pooled from public and private sources in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. Neighborhoods were characterized using racial residential segregation for African Amercians in addition to other social indicators. The associations between neighborhood characteristics and radon testing rates were evaluated using Ordinary Least Squares and Spatial Regression Models, respectively. Results show that the testing rates were lower than 6.5% over the 25 years. Summers followed by early springs experienced more tests than the other seasons. Areas of low testing rates (≤1.55%) spatially matches the mostly segregated neighborhoods. Residential segregation expanded in the 25 years and was significantly correlated (P value < 0.05) with low testing rates, even after other social indicators were controlled. Associations with the other social indicators, such as income or education, were weaker. Concertedly identifying the culturally relevant interventions in segregated communities is necessary to reduce and eliminate threats from environmental radon.

Abstract WP42: FAST Implementation Of An Urban County Severity-based Stroke Triage Protocol: Impact And Outcomes On A Comprehensive Stroke Center

Background: Severity scales are recommended to assist field-based triage of acute stroke patients to designated stroke centers however require additional EMS education and performance. The Cincinnati prehospital stroke scale (CPSS) is a commonly used pre-hospital stroke screen and has been validated as a severity scale to identify large vessel occlusion (LVO). This study objective is to determine the impact of a county-based implementation of CPSS as a stroke severity scale to directly triage selected patients to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC). Methods: Dekalb County, Georgia in Atlanta implemented a CPSS-based triage protocol with a score of 3 and last seen normal (LSN) time &lt; 24 hours mandating transfer to the nearest CSC if added time was &lt;15 minutes. We compared patients presenting by EMS to the CSC six months before and after the protocol change (November 1, 2020) including frequencies of stroke alerts, diagnoses, LVO, IV tPA use, thrombectomy treatment and LSN time to treatment. Results: During the study period, 802 suspected acute stroke patients presented to the CSC by EMS including 95 (12%) with a FAST score of 3. There was a significant increase in monthly EMS stroke alerts with the protocol implementation (Pre- 43 ± 5.6, Post- 54 ± 5.9; p=0.005). Overall, 325 (41%) patients had a final diagnosis of stroke or TIA, including 228 (28%) with ischemic stroke. There was a significant increase in ischemic stroke patients presenting with LVO (Pre- 26%, Post- 36%; p=0.01) and the monthly rate of mechanical thrombectomy (Pre- 2.0 ± 2.0, Post- 5.5 ± 2.4; p= 0.005) but no difference in tPA administration rate. LSN to tPA median times were similar (Pre- 2.8 ± 1.1, Post- 2.6 ± 0.87 hours; p=0.66) though LSN to groin puncture median times increased (Pre- 3.2, Post- 7.1 hours; p=0.04). CPSS score of 3 was associated with the final diagnosis of ischemic stroke, IV tPA administration and presence of LVO (p=&lt;0.001). Conclusion: County-based implementation of a CPSS score of 3 is a quick, easy and effective approach to triage suspected stroke patients to a thrombectomy-capable center that identifies stroke patients with LVO and increases thrombectomy treatment rates without delays in tPA treatment.

2. Space Time Trends of Community Onset Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Children Living in Southeastern United States: 2002-2016

BackgroundStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) remains a serious cause of infections in the United States and worldwide. Methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) is the cause of half of all health care–associated staphylococcal infections, and Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is the leading cause of community onset skin and soft tissue infections in the US. This study looks at a 15-year trend of community onset (CO)-MRSA and MSSA infections and determines ‘best’ to ‘worst’ infection trends. We identified distinct groups of CO-MRSA and MSSA infection rate trajectories by grouping census tracts of the 20 county Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) between 2002 to 2016 with similar temporal trajectories. MethodsThis is a retrospective study from 2002-2016, using electronic health records of children living in Atlanta, Georgia with S. aureus infections and relevant US census data (at the census tract level). A group based trajectory model was applied to generate community onset S. aureus trajectory infection groups (low, high, very high) by census tract and were mapped using ArcGIS. ResultsThree CO-MSSA infection groups (low, high, very high) and two CO-MRSA infection groups (low, high) were detected among 909 census tracts in the 20 counties. We found ~74% of all the census tracts with S.aureus occurrence during this time period belonged to low infection rate groups for both MRSA and MSSA, with a higher proportion occurring in the less densely populated counties. Census tracts in DeKalb County, one of Atlanta’s most densely populated areas, had the highest proportion of the worst infection trend patterns (CO-MRSA high or very high, CO-MSSA high or very high). Trends of Community-Onset MRSA and MSSA Infection Rates Based on Group-based Trajectory Models Spatial patterns for CO-MRSA and CO-MSSA Trajectory Trends in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area Between 2002 to 2016 ConclusionTrends of S. aureus infection patterns, stratified by antibiotic resistance over geographic areas and time, identify communities with higher risks for MRSA infection compared to MSSA infection. Further investigation of the determinants of the trajectory groupings and the geographic outliers identified by this study may be a way to target prevention strategies aimed to prevent S. aureus infections. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Challenging Essentialist Anti-Oppressive Discourse: Uniting Against Racism and Sexism

Challenging Essentialist Anti-Oppressive Discourse: Uniting Against Racism and Sexism

Abundance and distribution of invasive woody shrub, Mahonia bealei, in the urban forest fragments of the southern Piedmont, USA

Woody invasive plants are a pernicious threat to the structure and function of ecosystems worldwide. Due to the growing number of invasive species and the variable timeline of invasion, many invasive plants are unrecognized or underreported, leading to long-term ecological damage that is beyond the capability of cost-efficient management programs. Mahonia bealei is a woody shrub native to China that is invading urban forests of the southeastern U.S. and is likely underreported. This study (a product of a thesis research paper, https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/geosciences_theses/137/ ) identified and mapped all occurrences of M. bealei across 40 woodlots throughout DeKalb County, Georgia, and analyzed vital indicators in the habitats that may promote colonization and establishment. M. bealei was found in 90% of sample sites, frequently in large numbers within the forest interior. The high abundance of M. bealei combined with success in low-light environments indicates an aggressive and successful long-term invasion of the Southeastern Piedmont.

Chopping the tail: How preventing superspreading can help to maintain COVID-19 control

Disease transmission is notoriously heterogeneous, and SARS-CoV-2 is no exception. A skewed distribution where few individuals or events are responsible for the majority of transmission can result in explosive, superspreading events, which produce rapid and volatile epidemic dynamics, especially early or late in epidemics. Anticipating and preventing superspreading events can produce large reductions in overall transmission rates. Here, we present a stochastic compartmental (SEIR) epidemiological model framework for estimating transmission parameters from multiple imperfectly observed data streams, including reported cases, deaths, and mobile phone-based mobility that incorporates individual-level heterogeneity in transmission using previous estimates for SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. We parameterize the model for COVID-19 epidemic dynamics by estimating a time-varying transmission rate that incorporates the impact of non-pharmaceutical intervention strategies that change over time, in five epidemiologically distinct settings—Los Angeles and Santa Clara Counties, California; Seattle (King County), Washington; Atlanta (Dekalb and Fulton Counties), Georgia; and Miami (Miami-Dade County), Florida. We find that the effective reproduction number (RE) dropped below 1 rapidly in all five locations following social distancing orders in mid-March, 2020, but that gradually increasing mobility starting around mid-April led to an RE once again above 1 in late May (Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta) or early June (Santa Clara County and Seattle). However, we find that increased social distancing starting in mid-July in response to epidemic resurgence once again dropped RE below 1 in all locations by August 14. We next used the fitted model to ask: how does truncating the individual-level transmission rate distribution (which removes periods of time with especially high individual transmission rates and thus models superspreading events) affect epidemic dynamics and control? We find that interventions that truncate the transmission rate distribution while partially relaxing social distancing are broadly effective, with impacts on epidemic growth on par with the strongest population-wide social distancing observed in April, 2020. Given that social distancing interventions will be needed to maintain epidemic control until a vaccine becomes widely available, “chopping off the tail” to reduce the probability of superspreading events presents a promising option to alleviate the need for extreme general social distancing.

First Report of Powdery Mildew on Physocarpus opulifolius Caused by Podosphaera physocarpi in Tennessee.

Eastern ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius (L.) Maxim.) is a popular native perennial plant used in landscapes because of its colorful foliage and spring flower display. Powdery mildew symptoms were observed on container-grown eastern ninebark 'Mindia' Coppertina® plants in a commercial nursery in DeKalb County, TN in May 2016. The disease severity was nearly 40% and the disease incidence was nearly 60% of 1,000 plants. Affected plants displayed witches'-brooms with cream to white colored, thickened shoots with stunted, curly leaves as well as patches of white powdery fungal growth on the surface of young and old leaves, inflorescences, infructescences and stems (Figures 1 and 2). Microscopic observation revealed masses of conidia and mycelium covering symptomatic tissues. Conidiophore foot cells measured 19.2 to 66.7 μm (mean = 38.3 μm) × 5.4 to 15.1 μm (mean = 9.7 μm) (n = 30). Conidia were ovoid and measured 11.4 to 28.5 μm (mean = 20.9 μm) (n = 30) in length and 8.2 to 14.8 μm (mean = 11.7 μm) (n = 30) in width. Conidiophores produced two to six conidia in chains. Fibrosin bodies were observed after treating conidia with a 3% KOH solution. Chasmothecia were numerous, 60.0 to 85.0 μm (mean = 74.2 μm) (n = 30) in size and contained one ascus [60.0 to 82.0 × 52.0 to 69.0 μm; mean = 73.4 × 59.4 μm (n = 30)] with 8 ascospores [25.2 to 28.0 × 14.8 to 16.0 μm; mean = 26.5 × 15.5 μm (n = 30)]. To confirm pathogen identity, total DNA was extracted directly from plant tissue with the UltraClean Microbial DNA Isolation Kit (MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., Carlsbad, CA) following the manufacturer's instructions. The ITS region of the ribosomal DNA was amplified by PCR using primer pair ITS1 and ITS4 (White et al. 1990). The sequence (GenBank acc. no. MT605142) of the amplicon had 100% coverage and 100% identity to that of Podosphaera physocarpi (U. Braun) U. Braun (= Podosphaera aphanis var. physocarpi (U. Braun) U. Braun & S. Takam.) (GenBank acc. no. MT106654). Pathogenicity was confirmed three times by inoculating leaf surfaces of five eastern ninebark 'Mindia' Coppertina® plants by tapping fungal spores from infected eastern ninebark leaves onto the surfaces of healthy leaves. Inoculated plants were maintained in a greenhouse (21 to 23°C) using drip irrigation system until symptoms developed. Five non-inoculated control plants were maintained in the same greenhouse. After two weeks, typical symptoms of powdery mildew developed on the inoculated plants and microscopic examination revealed the same pathogen morphology as the original isolate. All non-inoculated control plants remained disease-free. To our knowledge, this is the first report of powdery mildew caused by P. physocarpi on P. opulifolius in Tennessee. Powdery mildew is known to be a disease problem on eastern ninebark grown in its native range in landscape plantings. Lubell et al. (2011) reported varying levels of powdery mildew resistance among eastern ninebark cultivars. Timely application of fungicides with no phytotoxic effect will be necessary to manage this disease on susceptible eastern ninebark cultivars in affected nurseries.

Estimated Community Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies - Two Georgia Counties, April 28-May 3, 2020.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is ongoing in many communities throughout the United States. Although case-based and syndromic surveillance are critical for monitoring the pandemic, these systems rely on persons obtaining testing or reporting a COVID-19-like illness. Using serologic tests to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is an adjunctive strategy that estimates the prevalence of past infection in a population. During April 28-May 3, 2020, coinciding with the end of a statewide shelter-in-place order, CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Health conducted a serologic survey in DeKalb and Fulton counties in metropolitan Atlanta to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the population. A two-stage cluster sampling design was used to randomly select 30 census blocks in each county, with a target of seven participating households per census block. Weighted estimates were calculated to account for the probability of selection and adjusted for age group, sex, and race/ethnicity. A total of 394 households and 696 persons participated and had a serology result; 19 (2.7%) of 696 persons had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detected. The estimated weighted seroprevalence across these two metropolitan Atlanta counties was 2.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.4-4.5). Non-Hispanic black participants more commonly had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than did participants of other racial/ethnic groups (p<0.01). Among persons with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, 13 (weighted % = 49.9; 95% CI=24.4-75.5) reported a COVID-19-compatible illness,* six (weighted % = 28.2; 95% CI=11.9-53.3) sought medical care for a COVID-19-compatible illness, and five (weighted % = 15.7; 95% CI=5.1-39.4) had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection, demonstrating that many of these infections would not have been identified through case-based or syndromic surveillance. The relatively low seroprevalence estimate in this report indicates that most persons in the catchment area had not been infected with SARS-CoV-2 at the time of the survey. Continued preventive measures, including social distancing, consistent and correct use of face coverings, and hand hygiene, remain critical in controlling community spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Testimonio y Teoría: Creating Bridges with Bilingual Communities in DeKalb County

DeKalb County has transformed significantly over the past 80 years. There have been flows of immigrants and transnationals into the area since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, making present-day DeKalb a very diverse community. The children of transnationals in the U.S. find themselves at once students and teachers of their cultures and languages. Whether we speak our family’s languages or not, many of us born to parents from another country desire a connection to our linguistic heritage so that we can journey towards comfort and a sense of belonging. Drawing from the revolutionary Latin American literary genre, Testimonios (Saavedra, 2011), we share our stories with the hopes of planting a seed for new directions. From a decolonizing, postcolonial framework, we suggest ways to support bilingual and transnational students and groups by connecting to their cultural and linguistic assets through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Funds of Knowledge (Ladson Billings, 2009; González et al., 2005). The article begins with our theoretical framework, followed by an overview of DeKalb County’s history and demographics. We continue with our testimonios and conclude with suggestions for connecting with bilingual students and communities.

The Quietening of Languages: How Can We Celebrate and Welcome Them?

In this editorial, the senior editor discusses linguistic neo-imperialism and indigenous languages and how this concept relates to an interview she conducted with author Nury Castillo Crawford and the feature article for the 2019 issue of GATESOL in Action titled "Testimonio y Teoría: Creating Bridges with Bilingual Communities in DeKalb County."

The Quietening of Languages: How Can We Celebrate and Welcome Them?

In this editorial, the senior editor discusses linguistic neo-imperialism and indigenous languages and how this concept relates to an interview she conducted with author Nury Castillo Crawford and the feature article for the 2019 issue of GATESOL in Action titled "Testimonio y Teoría: Creating Bridges with Bilingual Communities in DeKalb County."

Testimonio y Teoría: Creating Bridges with Bilingual Communities in DeKalb County

DeKalb County has transformed significantly over the past 80 years. There have been flows of immigrants and transnationals into the area since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, making present-day DeKalb a very diverse community. The children of transnationals in the U.S. find themselves at once students and teachers of their cultures and languages. Whether we speak our family’s languages or not, many of us born to parents from another country desire a connection to our linguistic heritage so that we can journey towards comfort and a sense of belonging. Drawing from the revolutionary Latin American literary genre, Testimonios (Saavedra, 2011), we share our stories with the hopes of planting a seed for new directions. From a decolonizing, postcolonial framework, we suggest ways to support bilingual and transnational students and groups by connecting to their cultural and linguistic assets through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Funds of Knowledge (Ladson Billings, 2009; González et al., 2005). The article begins with our theoretical framework, followed by an overview of DeKalb County’s history and demographics. We continue with our testimonios and conclude with suggestions for connecting with bilingual students and communities.

New State Records and Habitat Characteristics for Kloosia Kruseman (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Wadeable Streams in Missouri

Abstract First records of occurrence of the midge genus Kloosia Kruseman in Missouri are reported based upon aquatic macroinvertebrate community samples collected during April 2012 and October 2015 from reaches of Grindstone Creek in Dekalb County and South Blackbird Creek in Schuyler County in the Central Dissected Till Plains. Select physical and water quality characteristics from the reaches are also provided.

Vascular Plant Flora of Stone Mountain Park, DeKalb County, Georgia, Based on Digitized Specimens in the University of Georgia Herbarium (GA)

Stone Mountain in DeKalb County, Georgia, is a large exposed granite monolith, 514 m (1,686 ft) above sea level and covering 230 ha (560 ac). This monadnock is located in the southwestern portion of Stone Mountain Park, comprising 1,300 ha (3,212 ac) owned by the state of Georgia. Recent specimen digitization efforts at the University of Georgia Herbarium (GA) have greatly facilitated capture of data from historic vouchers collected from this park. Based on these newly available data, the goals of this project were to (1) prepare a vouchered species list for the park, (2) produce a vegetation map based on georeferenced label data, and (3) identify all plant collectors and track collection activities through time and taxon focus. Eighty-one individuals and teams collected 1,207 vouchers (709 species) dated 1846–2011. The largest families were Asteraceae (96 spp.), Poaceae (70 spp.), Fabaceae (49 spp.), Cyperaceae (33 spp.), Rosaceae (21 spp.), and Lamiaceae (20 spp.). Approximately 17.5% of the species were exotic. Eighteen species are listed as rare in Georgia with state protection status conferred on five species; Gratiola amphiantha (threatened) and Isoetes melanospora (endangered) are also federally ranked. Specimen label data and various map resources were used to plot the locality of each specimen. Habitat data were recorded on 808 specimen labels, allowing assignment of 612 taxa to at least one of five general habitat types. GPS coordinates, assigned through GeoLocate, were combined with habitat data and infrared imagery to create a general vegetation map of Stone Mountain Park.