05-03-2025
Albany community members host 'Community Conversations' in partnership with right-wing group Our America
ALBANY – Crime, education and the need for community mentorship of youths were discussed and debated for two hours at the first session of 'Community Conversations,' hosted by Albany native and entrepreneur Terence Fowler in partnership with This is Our America, a national conservative organization.
About 30 community members filled a small fraction of the seats at Albany Technical College's Logistics Education Center Auditorium. They heard from different black, male community members who have taken on leadership and youth mentorship roles within Albany:Travis Luke, an Albany native and former gang member, who after spending time in prison returned to Albany to be a mentor for youths, steering them away from the life he lived as a young man. He's also published the book, 'Product of my Environment.'Antonio Screen, a pastor at Alive Center and businessman who was a 2023 Albany Mayoral candidate and Georgia House District 153 candidate in 2016. Adam Inyang, the owner of E-Zee Copy, an Albany printing service, local activist, and candidate for Albany City Commission District 2. Adam Inyang, Antonio Screen and Travis Luke made up the panel conversation at Monday night's meeting. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganKing Randall, the founder of The 'X' for Boys preparatory school, served as the event's keynote speaker. The school was founded with a mission to teach boys about manhood, masculinity, collaboration and how to be protectors and providers for their communities. At his school, Randall said he teaches male youths skills like automotive repair and general contracting and helped them improve their school grades and reading comprehension.
Monday night he addressed some of the lesser-known work of clothing and feeding youths, teaching them proper sanitary habits and holding parents accountable in fostering the development they receive at his preparatory school back at home.
The group of speakers, along with attendees, discussed actual crime vs. the perception of crime in Albany. Inyang talked about how most of Albany's crime is property crime – theft and burglaries – despite the emphasis being placed on gang violence.
Screen said there was a negative perception surrounding Albany and its crime that wasn't necessarily true.
'If we're going to change that, we have to start changing our language … changing what we say about our own city,' he said.
Luke said he's more concerned about the potential of crime, pointing out that more youths these days have access to guns and may feel driven to turn to them because of surrounding factors like poor education and desensitization to violence.
He said youths are witnessing death at young ages and never healing from or processing it.
'We're leaning on policing, politicking and praying,' Luke said. 'It's not going to work. We're going to have to put intervention into place. We have to be able to partner … to redirect those kids.
Fowler and the group called on a younger generation of men to come together to mentor male youths in the city. All of the speakers are already doing this work but agreed that they needed more support from the older generation of leaders as well as city and school officials.
'We need young, vibrant men in the Albany community that's willing to take the reins, get at least one other son that's not their son, and try to show them the way,' he said.
Community members from across the city were engaged in the conversation.
A.J. Parker, an Albany resident who works with NAMI Albany and in youth mentorship, said she attends a lot of meetings like this throughout the city but rarely sees change.
'This place should be full,' she said. 'In order to get people to come, you have to keep putting things out.'
Fowler said he hopes to have these community discussions once or twice a month. He said it's important that behind these discussions, the group forms direct action plans. He stressed the need for a younger generation to take the reins of mentorship, addressing the modern needs of today's youth in Albany – but he doesn't want to completely cut older generations out of the conversation. He said he wants everyone to work together.
'The ultimate goal is unity,' he said.
Fowler's co-host, Carli Eli, from This is Our America was not present at Monday night's meeting. Eli is the Georgia Chairwoman for the Republican National Hispanic Assembly and was a member of the Latino Americans for Trump coalition. There was no mention to attendees of the organization's part in these meetings.
What is This is Our America?
The This is Our America organization's site reads that the organization's mission is to build a broad, diverse coalition of people who support 'timeless American values' of equal opportunity, mutual respect and freedom of expression.
It lists key issues like criminal justice reform, increased police funding, cost of living, freedom of thought and voter integrity.
Our America's president is Christian Robey, a long-time conservative activist who has spent more than a decade working for the far-right Media Research Center, which broadcasts conservative values, culture, politics and exposes 'liberal media bias.'
An investigation from the FWIW newsletter, which tracks digital spending, strategy and trends in U.S. elections, showed This is Our America to be a public-facing brand for an organization called American Movement, which made significant program expenditures to a 'targeted persuadable voter focus group.'
Tax documents obtained for this investigation list the American Movement as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. These politically active nonprofits are generally under no legal obligation to disclose donors and raise funds with the purpose of influencing elections.
Fowler said he initially connected with the group through Eli, who is a friend. He said the organization wanted to be a part of the conversations. He said that, while a Republican himself, he doesn't fully align with the organization's narrative and isn't sure if they'll have a role in future meetings.
'I just want it to be Albany-centric,' Fowler said.
