VALDOSTA – The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus made a stop in Valdosta during its “For the People” tour aimed at igniting hope, fostering unity and advocating for positive change throughout Georgia’s communities Saturday evening.

State Rep. Dexter Sharper of District 177 welcomed the small group of attendees and led the program at Saint Timothy AME Church of Valdosta in place of the organization’s chair, Rep. Carl Gillard. Gillard was absent due to medical complications.

Sharper explained that the event was held to hear from residents about their concerns and to receive input on topics they can take back with them when they return to session.

“It is imperative that when opportunities come for them to lend their voice of concerns, to try to be there. It’s helpful for us to know what the problems are from the people and for us not to think about or try to figure it out but to hear directly from the people so we can connect them to the right resources and organizations that they need to solve their problems,” Sharper said in an interview following the event.

He began the event letting attendees introduce themselves including Homerville Chief of Police Keith Jackson, Valdosta City Council District 1 incumbent Vivan Miller-Cody, Valdosta mayoral candidate J.D. Rice and state Rep. David Sampson of District 153.

The program operated in an open dialogue form and addressed issues that impact the daily lives of Georgians. Conversation leaders promoted civic engagement and highlighted the importance of supporting the marginalized communities in Georgia. This is the first such tour the caucus has conducted.

Sampson made comments regarding the potential changes on benefit programs like the Affordable Connectivity Program and the expansion of the Medicaid program.

He said, “What happens in marginalized communities is this, the majority party, which is the Republican party right now, they’re looking to cut out a whole bunch of benefits that we have. The Affordable Connectivity Program. You know how seniors get phones, tablets and internet in their home. They’re trying to cut that completely off. Just like they’re not expanding Medicaid.”

Saint Timothy AME Church of Valdosta pastor, the Rev. Vivian Green, asked for clarity on Sampson’s statements and the process of communication about the issues.

Sampson introduced Legislative Director Yolanda Pickstock at Georgia Stand-Up, an Atlanta based non-profit, who explained the proposed program changes.

“The federal government, during the pandemic, funded Medicare nation-wide. Anybody that wanted to apply was accepted. Now at the end of the National Public Emergency, they started pulling that money back from Medicaid, SNAP and childcare. We are losing the underpinning of the federal dollars in states. Now, states have to revert back to what their numbers were or what they’re willing to fund in their states so they’re unwinding,” Pickstock said.

She explained that people who no longer qualify have been transitioned out of the program but so are people who do qualify.

“People who qualify are losing their coverage. Monthly, Georgia was posting on the home page for DHS [Georgia Department of Human Services] their report. They took their report down for this month. We don’t know where the numbers are. But between the time they started unrolling in April to August 31st 216,440 Georgians who qualified have lost coverage through procedural errors,” Pickstock said.

Sampson explained the legislative process and called for attendees and local residents to learn the process and to stay informed about the issues.

“With everything there is a process,” Sharper said. “The main job of the legislators is to legislate and then to come up with a balanced budget. Those are the two things that we must do. But the agencies or the organizations that we have in the state are the ones we’re able to lean on to help the individual people.”

When asked what voters should keep in mind while participating in local government city council meetings or the local elections Sharper said, “I want them to keep in mind that there is a process on how everything works. Try everything you can to be positive and a solution for the elected officials and always try to vote on someone that you see is actually doing something in your community whether they are elected or not. Support those people that really have the community at heart.”

Attendees spoke with vendors with help on insurance and healthcare services following the program’s conclusion.