For nearly a year, 70-year-old Simone Grier has had to start every morning using bottled water to brush her teeth and to wash her hands after a pipe burst in her home and left her without running water. The pipe burst just weeks after she moved into her home this past February. She said that […]
Alyssa Johnson
Alyssa Johnson is Capital B Atlanta's enterprise reporter.
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
West Atlanta Turns Flood Zone Into a Park That Protects Homes
In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health. For decades, flooding in the West Atlanta neighborhoods of Vine City and English Avenue had been more than […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
2025 Atlanta Election Guide: Key Races and Candidates to Watch
As Election Day nears, local candidates are making their final push in what has been a monthslong campaign season. Data from the Georgia secretary of state’s office showed 13.4% voter turnout for all active registered voters and 12% turnout for Black voters during the early voting period, which ended Oct 31. This year, Capital B […]
Posted inCommunity, Social Welfare
How to Help or Get Help During SNAP Pause in Atlanta: Free Food, Donations, and Volunteering
Starting Nov. 1, thousands of Georgia families who rely on food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will face a sudden halt to their monthly benefit allotments, as the federal program is paused amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. With no clear date for federal aid to resume, local food banks, churches, and mutual-aid […]
Posted inCourts, Health
Hair Relaxers and Fibroids: Black Woman’s Lawsuit Revived by Georgia Supreme Court
For decades, hair relaxers promoted the creation of sleek styles, but the chemicals may have resulted in long-term health consequences. Now, the Georgia Supreme Court has given at least one woman a shot at holding manufacturers of chemical straighteners accountable. But the legal window for justice is narrow and closing fast. On Oct. 15, the […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Georgia’s Data Centers Are Multiplying Fast — and Largely Untracked
Georgia’s data center expansion is rapidly transforming the state’s economic and physical landscape, from metro Atlanta to rural counties. Major tech companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are investing heavily in the Peach State, buying up land and building massive server farms to power the digital age. Rising utility bills and environmental impacts caused by […]
Posted inArts, Community
Backlash over Race Massacre Mural Leads to Tense Community Meeting
A new mural commemorating the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre in South Atlanta is drawing criticism from residents and historians, who say the artwork was developed with limited community input and misrepresents the historical trauma it seeks to address. The mural, located on the side of a building managed by Focused Community Strategies and across the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
How One Woman Turned a Polluted River Into a Protected Community Treasure
In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health. In 2010, DeKalb County officials actively discouraged residents from getting too close to the South River. Signs were […]
Posted inHealth
Atlanta’s 2025 Breast Cancer Awareness Month Events: Walks, Talks, and Testing
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and across metro Atlanta, the community is stepping up with walks, wellness events, educational panels, and fundraising galas — many of them created with Black women in mind. Black women have the lowest survival rate for every known stage of breast cancer across racial demographics, according to the American […]
Posted inCOVID-19
New COVID Vaccine Guidance Could Hit Black Georgians Hardest
A recent change in how federal officials are recommending the COVID-19 vaccine may have far-reaching implications for health equity in Georgia — especially for Black residents, who were among the hardest hit during the pandemic. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices shifted its recommendation for the COVID […]