Seasoned Georgia elected official Dr. John Eaves announces his candidacy for Secretary of State.

“Georgia has been a battleground for partisan bickering surrounding voter access and claims of fraud. I am prepared to fight to make our state a model of democracy, where we honor everyone’s right to vote, and we have systems in place to encourage greater voter access and election integrity. We have come to far to go back now,” said Dr. John Eaves

John says Georgia deserves better, and that our nation depends on strong leaders with integrity, who are willing to stand up for what is right, are dedicated, and have a leadership style that builds coalitions and relationships regardless of political party or opinion.

John is a product of the American South. He is old enough to have experienced segregated public schools and was among the first to integrate schools. But he is also young enough to be excited about the future of Georgia—a state that he says can be a model of diversity and inclusion.

Serving others is a part of John’s DNA. As an 18-year-old student at Morehouse College, John received the same clarion call of service that history-making leaders Martin Luther King Jr, Julian Bond, and Maynard Jackson did, and became active in the community. John volunteered to mentor Black boys in the Atlanta Public School System during the Murdered and Missing Children Crisis in the early 1980s, and he registered people to vote when his uncle Reginald Eaves ran for Mayor of Atlanta in 1981.

John has a passion for helping disadvantaged people, from the homeless to at-risk kids. He established a “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative for boys of color and advocated for better services for the homeless by directing funding to homeless shelters and helping to establish Jefferson Place to house Black men.

During John’s 11-years as Chairman of Fulton County, he helped save Grady Hospital from the brink of collapse and played an instrumental role in reforming the county’s Criminal Justice System. John increased the number of black entrepreneurs incorporated as small businesses with the state of Georgia. He also collaborated with local governments to establish more business incubators to increase the number of minority entrepreneurs and facilitated licensing requirements so that more medical professionals can work in urban and rural areas to improve healthcare.

“During the COVID-19 Pandemic we lost heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, and because of the pandemic, we were unable to celebrate them. Let’s celebrate all that they accomplished for the betterment of society and strive to make Georgia greater,” said Dr. John Eaves

John looks at the accomplishments of the new generation of Georgians and can see so much to be hopeful about. John says if we are to move forward, there has to be a more positive and inclusive approach. That’s why he’s running.

John has Jamaican roots and credits his grandfather, Cecil Reginal Eaves, with instilling him with a love of family, a strong work ethic, and a respect for education. The elder Eaves emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica, encountering racism and religious discrimination as a black Jewish man.