Germaine believes that true change has two sides. The grassroots, social justice movement on one side and legislative advocacy and legislative change on the other. To him, the role of a politician is to work constantly and consistently, with passion and zeal, to push legislation, speak out against injustice and wrongdoing, and develop plans and implement strategies, to make the lives and living conditions better for all they represent. He also believes politicians should be required to attend community empathy training, to live in the shoes of middle to lower class citizens, while surviving on the same resources. A process he believes could keep politicians grounded, more humble and empathetic to the plight and circumstances of those that require their leadership the most. As a community leader, he is committed to transparency, family, integrity, accountability, the betterment of humanity and civil and human rights. His passion for people comes from the belief that the well-being, health, and progress of people should always come first.
In 2010, he worked at the United States House of Representatives for Congresswoman Terri Sewell and educated the Congresswoman on legislative issues, met with constituents, attended policy meetings, and represented the Congresswoman at constituency and congressional gatherings. Not only did the experience open his eyes to the difficulties of the legislative bill process, but it also showed him the importance of friendships and strategic relationships in Congress and the necessity to always put constituents first above all. He plans to bring his grassroots advocacy, community organizing and human rights experience, along with his passion for transparency, honesty, and people, to the United States Senate in the future.
Germaine is a grassroots advocate and community organizer that believes real change only comes when you roll up your sleeves, educate and mobilize the community, and take action. His activist spark bloomed in 2004 after hearing that his university voting precinct would be shut down for lack of voter turnout. After meeting Dr. Jarvis Hall, a professor in the political science department, Germaine organized with a few other students to form the Civic Engagement Task Force. The Task Force’s goal was to mobilize and educate the community to participate in the voting process and protect voting rights. He formed relationships with college organizations, community organizations and political leaders, to host voting rights programs, early voting rallies and voting rights history courses. He partnered with fraternities to host mock probates, to encourage spectators to vote. He also hosted voter registration drives across campus and in local communities and held voter education conferences with state and local leaders. In 2005, he helped organize the campus’ largest early voting rally of over 2,500 voting participants, breaking the City of Durham’s voter turnout record. He also partnered with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL) to organize census, redistricting and voting rights programs. His efforts increased voting participation at the campus polling site by 60 percent, preventing closure of the precinct and maintaining voter access. The Civic Engagement Task Force received the Durham Citizen’s Award for its voting rights education and mobilization efforts and programs.
In 2006, Germaine continued his voting rights organizing with Molly Beacham at Democracy, North Carolina, and embarked on a legislative advocacy journey. He organized voting rights programs to fight for legislation for the enactment of same day voter registration during early voting. The Same Day Voter legislation was enacted. He organized signature campaigns, community forums and seminars about voter suppression, transparency, and voter access, and conducted canvassing events to increase awareness. In 2007, he worked with Josh Glasser and Common Cause, North Carolina, to hold political officials accountable to the promises they made during their campaign runs for office. He organized meetings with local, county and state officials and developed plans to help political leaders implement strategies and create ordinances to increase affordable housing and access to social programs for citizens.
In 2010, during law school, he held programs to support anti-felony disenfranchisement legislation and the Dream Act. He also worked on the North Carolina Raising the Juvenile Age Campaign to keep nonviolent offenders under the age of 17 out of prison and in environments focused on rehabilitation programs. His work was geared towards reducing and eliminating the school to prison pipeline. To achieve that goal, he created a viral video campaign and worked with a mentoring program to help eliminate trauma in the lives of middle and high school youths. He received the Oliver Hill Social Action Award that same year for his community organizing efforts and dedication to social justice initiatives in the community.
He continues to work on voting rights and civil and human rights issues as a Georgia attorney. He currently serves as an Ambassador on the Southern Center for Human Rights Leadership Council, where he helps to organize, promote, and participate in the organization’s programs and community initiatives. He trained legal volunteers in voting rights and co-chaired the LCCRUL’s Election Protection program on several occasions, to protect voters during Georgia’s local and national elections. And in 2019, he was appointed and confirmed by the Atlanta City Council to serve on the Atlanta Citizens Review Board, where he reviews complaints against officers and makes decisions to hold police and correctional officers, who abuse their oath and exceed their scope of duties, accountable for their actions. Germaine also serves in a leadership capacity on the ACRB Board as the Chair of the Policy Committee. His focus as Chair is to review use of force policies, officer training and de-escalation tactics to improve officer interactions with local citizens and those with mental health issues. His goal is to one day, continue his life of service as a United States Senator.