Five black women are running for statewide office in Georgia.

Robbin Shipp

There is probably no better example of Georgia being the "new South" than this: Five black women will be on the ballot for statewide offices in November -- a record.

Known as the "Georgia Five," the women are running at a time of major demographic shifts in the state and as Democrats see Georgia as a state that could begin to loosen the GOP's grip on the South.
So who are the Georgia Five?

Former State senator Connie Stokes is running for lieutenant governor.

Doreen Carter is up for secretary of state.

Liz Johnson is on the ballot for insurance commissioner.

Valarie Wilson is running for state schools superintendent.

Robbin Shipp is up for labor commissioner.

Read more: Five black women are running for statewide office in Georgia. Here’s why that matters.

More Blacks Headed to Congress

There are 44 African American members of Congress. Next year, five more are expected to join them, bringing the total to 49. That will represent the highest number of Blacks in Congress in American history. But will it make a difference? Can they leverage their numbers?

Another record-breaking development in the record-breaking 114th Congress will be that all of the new Black members will be women. It is likely that as many as 20 Black women could take the oath of office on Capitol Hill, which is also a record.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that as we’ve seen in statehouses throughout the South, when Democrats become a minority in a legislative chamber, that means less clout for everyone in the party, including African Americans.

Depending on how many House Democrats there are in 2015 (there are now 199), the Black Caucus could become 25 percent of the House Democratic Caucus. As the Tea Party members in the House Republican Caucus have proven over and over, a voting bloc of just 25 members can leverage a great deal of power.

Read more: More Blacks Headed to Congress

SC State Trooper Shoots Unarmed Black Man - Officer Charged & Fired from Job

Here's video of an unarmed black man being shot by police that some would like us to believe are isolated incidents.The video showing a shooting involving a South Carolina state trooper (Sean Groubert) and an unarmed man (Levar Jones) has been released to the public by police. The only thing that saved the victims life is that the trooper is obviously a bad shot. Groubert was fired from the force last week after an investigation into the incident by the State Law Enforcement Division. He reportedly could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted on the charge of aggravated assault.

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Wal-Mart Surveillance Video of John Crawford III Shooting

WARNING: Graphic content. Wal-Mart surveillance video of John Crawford III before he was shot by Beavercreek police Aug. 5. From what is in the video it appears that Crawford was not pointing the rifle at anyone as the 911 caller initially claimed. (He has since recanted).

Ferguson Police Chief Apologizes to Brown Family

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson has issued a video apology to the family of Michael Brown, saying the 18-year-old's body was left in the street for too long last month after he was fatally shot by an officer in the St. Louis suburb. (Sept. 25) Watch his apology below: