Jereme Sharpe is convinced that most people don’t know what to think of him, and he likes it that way. 

Sharpe is among a handful of Black LGBTQ+ identified candidates for Atlanta City Council. He, along with three others, is seeking to unseat Michael Julian Bond for the Post 1 At-Large seat. The other candidates include educator Alfred Brooks, attorney Brandon Goldberg, and former Atlanta Board of Ethics member Todd Gray. 

“From the outside, people tend to make all sorts of assumptions about me,” Sharpe told The Reckoning. “I don’t like being put in a box. I know the struggles of life. I have seen life’s highs and lows and been in places and situations that maybe I should not have been. But my experiences have taught me important lessons that help me to understand how to help people, regardless of who they are and where they come from.”

According to Sharpe, a plethora of assumptions have been made about him since he declared his candidacy. From the suggestion that his campaign is part of some grand conspiracy by white liberals, to his campaign being designed to disenfranchise the Buckhead elite, all sorts of stories have been told about Sharpe and his candidacy. 

Some have looked at his tattoos, while others have dissected the way he dresses, resulting in unflattering assessments about the Liberty City, Florida native. 

“The truth is,” he said, “for me, it’s all about equity and what’s equitable, across the board, for all Atlantans.” 

Sharpe was raised just outside of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. His go-getter work ethic was born around the age of 10 when, after his father went to prison, he started helping his mother clean homes and buildings. Life, he said, became about survival. Cleaning houses. Working at McDonald’s. Late nights at Kentucky Fried Chicken. They did what needed to be done to make ends meet. 

“I believe that there is this American dream, but it has left out many groups of people throughout history,” Sharpe said. 

“Whether you are Black, a woman, living with a disability, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, there have been those left out of the American dream. And don’t be a single person. Even single people are left out,” Sharpe added. 

“The cost of bread today is based on a household that includes two parents and children. If you are married, you are eligible for all kinds of tax breaks. The system isn’t built for single people. The system makes them suffer.”

This is why Sharpe is committed to equity and the idea that the city can create systems that, at their core, are rooted in the tenets of fairness across the board. 

“There are groups who need support, tangible support so that they can equally participate in the American dream,” he said. 

Making The Case For Reparations 

Earlier this year, when Evanston, Illinois announced that it was making reparations available to Black residents to atone for generations of discrimination due to slavery, Sharpe was dumbfounded. Everything, he said, clicked in his mind. 

Initially, he thought, “Wait a minute, a city is actually doing reparations?” But then he thought, “Why isn’t Atlanta doing something like this? If any city should be doing this in America, it should be Atlanta.”

As part of his platform, Sharpe has developed a plan, inspired by Evanston’s housing initiative, one of the first initiatives of the city’s overall reparations plan, that will provide resources to elevate those citizens who have suffered from being systematically shut out. 

His proposal is to create The Equity Fund, a financial banking institution owned by Atlanta citizens and managed by an independent entity appointed by the citizens on behalf of the city. Through the fund, Atlanta citizens will be eligible for grants and loans to be used for their housing needs, to start a small business, to go towards their education, or to assist in supporting their transportation needs. 

“We have to present the right plan that helps every citizen in Atlanta to know their best interests are in mind,” said Sharpe. “This is about everyone in Atlanta. We need to be investing in things that are creating wealth and giving us long-term success. If people are given access to the opportunities, you would be surprised what they can accomplish and it benefits everyone.”

But he is also convinced that the city’s transportation issues are also at the core of most of Atlanta’s major problems. Atlanta, he said, has a perception issue when it comes to transportation. Put a train station up north of the city and everyone embraces it. But put one in the south of the city and public transportation is viewed as something for poor people.

The city’s dependency on cars and lack of support for public transportation, he said, affects the city in two ways; it hinders public safety and restricts the health and wellness of citizens. 

“I am a nerd. I love trains. I enjoy taking the commuter bus from my apartment in downtown Atlanta to my parents’ house in Snellville. I do it every week,” he said. “I do not have a car. I do not want a car. People are saying having a car in Atlanta is necessary, but it does not have to be.”

Because of traffic, the response times of public safety are extended due to gridlock. Citizens are spending large amounts of their days in traffic; not just to and from work, but even on weekends after what's supposed to be a fun getaway or a relaxing outing. All of these things are tied together.

And with Atlanta boasting one of the most diverse populations in the country, Sharpe says there is still room for growth. 

“We have everything we need to be successful in our city and to be number one,” he said. “In order to have a city where everyone is able to live, work and play equitably, we have to elect officials that are willing to create systems that work for everyone. The system today is broken up in all sorts of fragments.”