City council member Keisha Waites announced her resignation in March of this year. The vacant spot on the council led to an election. Many ran for the position; however, after two elections — a general election and a runoff election — former Atlanta Public School Board Vice Chair Eshé Collins won and became the next city councilwoman.
Collins was born in Atlanta and is a former Atlanta Public School (APS) Teacher. She graduated from Spelman College and earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She then went to Georgia State University and got a Master of Science in education, before going to North Carolina Central University School of Law. She’s received numerous awards such as the Martin Luther King Torch of Peace Award and Atlanta Business League’s 100 Women of Influence. She’s also been a part of multiple programs and organizations like Leadership Atlanta and the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys.
The primary duty of a city council member is to create local ordinances for the city. According to Vote ATL, they also adopt budgets and work closely with Atlanta’s mayor and executive branch members.
Collins has five main visions and priorities: Affordable living, safe and healthy neighborhoods, improved transit and infrastructure systems, equitable economic development, and environmental sustainability, according to her website. VOX ATL asked 5 questions about her priorities concerning teens. Answers are edited for space and clarity.
VOX ATL: Are there any plans to increase funding for teen programs, such as after-school activities, mentorship, or leadership development?
Collins: Yeah, that’s a big deal for me. I will look at those opportunities to support our youth and young adults. And when I say our young adults, I mean our teens.
At 18, you’re still a teen and need support. That’s part of my school board experience, where I saw much of the disconnect in the school system. The school system has taken on so much, but we can only do it some. This opportunity for me to be on the city council allows me to lean in and advocate for more funding for after-school programs, workforce opportunities for our youth, more college or career opportunities and taking a holistic approach, making sure that we are supporting our teachers and citizens of Atlanta.
VOX ATL: How can we work together to ensure Atlanta becomes a city where teens feel safe, heard, and supported?
Collins: One thing is getting our teens involved to truly make sure they have a voice at the table. On the school system side, when I was in leadership, we made sure we codified the Student Advisory Council. I know you have the student ambassadors for the mayor’s scholarship program, but we need to have a true organization that’s city-driven in order for our teens to be involved.
I want to see a large entity that’s completely devoted to our teens, capturing our teen’s voices. I think that’s going to be pivotal for us to have consistent, regular conversations. That will be a key driver in us doing things differently to make sure that our teens feel safe There’s a great opportunity for us to partner with organizations that are doing this work and are already connected with our teens and capturing the essence of their voice, like VOX ATL.
VOX ATL: Are there any plans to enhance mental health resources for teens in under-resourced areas?
Collins: This is where I think there is a great opportunity for us to strengthen our partnership with APS and other organizations. All of these entities have mental health programs, but it all needs to be scaled up. I think there’s a space for us, as a city government, to lean into supporting the entities that are doing this work and for us to take these services to communities with the high-quality individuals that do this work.
We have to set the tone in terms of our commitment to funding these initiatives and ensure that we’re supporting key staff to make this happen. It’s a huge communication effort we need to launch and grow so teens know that all these services are available and dispel any stigma. There’s a communication effort that we have to make to ensure a safe space for teens.
VOX ATL: You also mention housing in your list of priorities. Can you share plans to address homelessness among teens and their families?
Collins: No matter what side of town you live on, or your income, we have to get to a place where everybody can afford housing. We are seeing more and more families that are living in the pits of our streets that are homeless. There are opportunities for us to increase our housing stock by making sure developers, who have agreed to build affordable housing, build it and not buy their way out of it.
As we talk about repurposing buildings and land for transitional housing, we can do those projects with a sense of urgency. In the meantime, while we’re building, we need to fully provide services, and use the infrastructure to help our homeless families. We talked about transitioning to the Atlanta Detention Center to help with transitional housing and mental services. We need to own up to that and make sure we do that, partnering with organizations that do this work already. As a city government, we need to bring teens to the table.
VOX ATL: What do you want to leave teens with when they read this article?
Collins: I want to leave you all knowing that you not only have a voice but, with me, you have a leader who wants to hear your voice. I want you to know that you have a leader who’s experienced in this space — I’m a former teacher, I’m in education, I was a lawyer. I know that to do the work we must do collectively, we must have everybody at the table. From our young babies to our elderly residents, I want you all to know that you can reach out to me and connect with me for any opportunity, in any space that we can. Take advantage of the opportunity I’ve extended for the community. When I start my “Coffee with Collins” and other engagements, know that you all have a seat at the table as well. I ask you all to tell me spaces of opportunity that I may not know about. That’s what I need from you all to ensure I’m successful. You can give me a call at 770-765-3802.
