Georgia forum will feature personal stories on political and policy changes

Third Act Georgia and Indivisible Cobb will host a public forum in Marietta on Aug. 27 where veterans, immigrants, civil servants and others will share how recent government actions have altered their lives. Organizers say the event aims to cut through partisan noise and show how personal stories can reframe major political debates.

Why it matters: - The forum is designed to put lived experience ahead of partisan talking points. - Organizers say that approach could help audiences understand the human effects of recent federal policies and political developments. - The event brings together speakers whose stories touch immigration, veterans' benefits, public health, disability and identity.

What happened: - Third Act Georgia and Indivisible Cobb are hosting a public forum on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Marietta, Georgia. - The event will take place at The Showroom at Dave & Buster's, 2215 D&B Drive. - The forum will feature Georgians sharing personal stories about how recent political developments and government actions have shaped their lives. - The program is co-emceed by Al Wiseman, host and voice of The Moth’s Atlanta StorySlam, and Sophia Qureshi, editor of the 285 South newsletter covering Georgia’s immigrant and refugee communities. - Registration is free through the event page.

The details: - Featured speakers include Rodney Taylor, a Loganville barber and double amputee who spent more than a year in ICE detention. - Mildred Danis Taylor, Rodney Taylor’s wife, will speak about fighting nonstop for his release and becoming a political organizer. - Ted Pestorius, a former CDC employee with a 35-year career working on vaccines and infectious diseases, was forced into retirement. - Ed Anderson, an Air Force veteran, will speak about how the Department of Veterans Affairs saved his life and why he wants younger veterans to have the same chance. - Molly Edlein will speak about growing up nonbinary. - Basmat Ahmed, who came to the U.S. from Sudan, now works with refugees and their journeys toward the American dream. - Matthew Woodruff, an immunologist and Emory professor, will share how he once thought politics stopped at the laboratory door. - Ron Kelley, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and former MAGA supporter, says his political views changed after he took a job as a housing inspector. - Additional speakers are expected to be announced. - We Are Your Neighbors and Third Act are working together to host similar events in other states. - The mission of We Are Your Neighbors is to tell stories of veterans, farmers, small-business owners, civil servants, Medicaid beneficiaries, immigrants and others affected by recent federal government policies. - Third Act is a national organization of older Americans working for a genuine democracy and a livable planet. - Indivisible Cobb describes itself as a grassroots, non-partisan movement focused on protecting democracy and defeating authoritarianism. - STAND is a Decatur-based grassroots organizing group that supports marginalized communities through direct aid, community action and civic engagement.

Between the lines: - The event is part political forum, part storytelling performance. - The speaker lineup is built to cross familiar ideological and demographic lines. - Organizers appear to be betting that personal narratives can reach people in a way policy debate often does not. - The inclusion of veterans, immigrants, public health workers and LGBTQ speakers signals a broad critique of how federal decisions play out in daily life.

What's next: - Organizers say similar forums are planned in other states. - More speakers will be announced before the Aug. 27 event. - Interviews are available on-site or in advance with speakers or with James Lardner, one of the organizers. - Lardner is a journalist, activist and co-founder of We Are Your Neighbors and a longtime contributor to The New Yorker, with additional work in The American Prospect, The Nation, C-SPAN, DemLabs and local radio and TV. - Lardner’s books include NYPD: A City and Its Police and Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences.

The bottom line: - In Marietta, organizers are trying to replace political abstraction with firsthand testimony about how government action affects everyday lives.