Welcome to Starting5, your daily rundown of five ATL news items that should be on your radar or in your group chat. Our morning primer covering culture, politics, sports, and more, is your cheat sheet on what’s buzzing in the A. Diddy Trial: Male Exotic Dancer Testifies Today marks the eighth day of Sean “Diddy” […]
Culture
Posted inCulture, Higher Education
Morehouse College Graduation: Celebrating Brotherhood and Black Excellence
(Photos by Ari Skin) An African drum procession. Fraternity members barking in celebration. Black kings adjusting each other’s proverbial crowns. There’s no graduation quite like Morehouse College’s commencement — a spectacular array of pageantry that marks the matriculation of hundreds of Black men every year and reinforces the HBCU’s status as a beacon of Black […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight, Policing, Public Safety, Public Services
Atlanta’s Police Budget Could Increase by $54.6 Million
The Atlanta Police Department plans to spend $54.6 million more than they did last year, a 15% jump. The increase is part of the $3 billion total operating budget that Mayor Andre Dickens is asking the City Council to approve, a move that would raise the city’s general fund budget by 14% to $975.4 million. […]
Posted inCulture
Goodwill Drops a Cowboy Carter-Inspired Collection Ahead of Beyonce’s ATL Show
Beyoncé is slated to bring her “Cowboy Carter” tour to Atlanta in two months, and local Goodwill locations are helping thrift-loving fans and concertgoers look the part. Goodwill of North Georgia, a division of the international thrift store chain, launched a limited-time capsule collection last Friday dubbed “Cowboy Goodwill” to align with the artistic and conceptual […]
Posted inCulture
How Atlanta Is Celebrating 404 Day
This story has been updated. In Atlanta, 404 is more than just an area code. April 4th — or 404 Day (or “fo-oh-fo”) — is an annual celebration of all things unique to Atlanta. Since 2020, Official 404 Day with Atlanta Influences Everything and Butter.ATL has been producing programming around the holiday that honors and […]
Posted inCulture
Jimmy Carter’s Pivotal Role in Georgia’s Black Civil Rights Struggle
This story was originally published on February 25, 2023, and has been updated. Jimmy Carter wasn’t as outspoken about racial politics on the campaign trail during his second run for governor in 1970, but after winning the race, he made his then-controversial position on integration clear. “The time for racial discrimination is over,” Carter declared […]
Posted inCulture, Education, History
Georgia’s First High School for Black Students Celebrates 100-Year Legacy
The first-ever Georgia high school to serve Black students got its flowers in an elaborate centennial celebration hosted in the atrium of Atlanta City Hall last week. Dozens of Booker T. Washington High School alumni gathered on Sept. 16 to pay homage to the Atlanta school’s 100-year history, which includes graduating icons like Martin Luther […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight
How One Black Atlantan Helps Save Bees
You can find Simone Fyffe at Atlantic Station in Midtown every Sunday, standing among the array of tents and tables where dozens of local entrepreneurs gather to market their products to passing customers leaving the assortment of restaurants and stores within the shopping plaza. Her display is intentionally artsy, decorated with colorful labels that feature […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight, Environmental Justice
West Atlanta Alliance Fights Pollution, Promotes Nature Access
Na’Taki Osborne Jelks spent much of her childhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in one of the many Black communities along an 85-mile stretch between the city and New Orleans known as “Cancer Alley.” She said growing up in an area wracked by industrial pollution and the health problems that come with it put her on […]
Posted inHigher Education, Politics & Policy, Religion
Black Jewish Students and the On-Campus Divide Over Gaza
Life on campus at the Atlanta University Center has been more complicated for Spelman freshman Sara Scherlinder since the Gaza humanitarian crisis began more than six months ago. In a 24-hour period earlier this month, the 19-year-old Scherlinder, a Washington, D.C., native, attended a leadership forum for students who are both Black and Jewish, which […]