The city of South Fulton is making headlines for its justice system run entirely by black women.
Even those facing punitive justice are celebrating what's happening. One Georgia man got a parking ticket, and he brought his daughter to court so she could see the women running it.
"He had heard about us in some kind of way, and he wanted his daughter to see this combination of black women handling business," public defender Vivica Powell said about the experience. "He had a ticket and I wondered why he had his little girl with him. Most of the time, people do not bring school-aged children to court. He told me ... this is why he brought her."
Powell is one of the eight black women who make up South Fulton's justice system — from Chief Judge Tiffany Carter Sellers down to Court Clerks Tiffany Kinslow and Kerry Stephens.
They were all hired after South Fulton officially became a chartered city in May 2017. A photo of the women went viral on social media in June 2018 and has become a larger story about black, female empowerment.
"I didn't notice until [City Solicitor LaDawn Jones] said something … she walked in and said 'Oh my God! Look at all this black girl magic,'" Stephens said.
Photo by Reginald Duncan/The Atlanta Voice.
These women leading their local justice system is both a moment to celebrate and a powerful statement about representation.
South Fulton is about 90% African-American, so it makes sense that it would largely be represented by black people. But that kind of representation is unusual in the U.S., where women of color account for 20% of the U.S. population but only 8% of our state judges. Meanwhile, 57% of state judges are white men despite them making up only 30% of the population.
That's what makes South Fulton so unique: Its governing body reflects its people.
"I think all of us are genuinely invested," Sellers said. "I know several of us live in the community, have gone to school, or have been reared in the community, and so there is this personal attachment to the community that I'm not certain exists in other places."
Having leadership that accurately reflects a community's demographics is a huge step in moving toward more equitable justice. People of the same race (and other identities), upbringing, or socio-economic status in positions of power bring with them an understanding of what it's like to exist in a community.
That knowledge is essential in governing with purpose — and South Fulton is setting the example for one way many U.S. communities could improve justice systems.
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
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Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.