With Christmas and Kwanzaa right around the corner, it’s time to get started on those holiday shopping lists. In Georgia, 10% of all businesses are owned by people who identify as Black or African American, more than triple the nationwide average, according to Pew Research. It also found that 90% of Black-owned businesses operate in […]
Atlanta
Posted inHBCUs, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Students at Clark Atlanta Are Organizing to Save Black Mothers’ Lives
Georgia has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics: Black women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy than a white woman. Systemic barriers to health care access and social marginalization are just some of the reasons public health experts cite […]
Posted inCommunity, LGBTQ
Black Trans Leaders in Atlanta Create Safety and Support Amid Growing Attacks
Amid the current political climate where it has become even more difficult to be Black and trans in the South, the Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative, known as SnapCo, are finding ways to carve out joy and normalcy for Atlanta’s community of queer people of color. Formed in 2013 out of an alliance between the Racial […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy
Runoff Elections: South Fulton Elects Its First Female Mayor
The Blackest city in America elected its first female mayor on Tuesday. South Fulton City Council member Carmalitha Gumbs will become the city’s latest mayor in January after defeating her runoff election opponent, Mark Baker, by a sizable margin, according to unofficial vote totals. More than 13,400 people cast ballots in the contest, according to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Culture, Politics & Policy
WCLK Radio Cuts Puts Atlanta’s Jazz Culture and HBCU Media Training at Risk
Atlanta’s iconic jazz station, Jazz 91.9 WCLK, is fighting to survive. For more than 50 years, the Clark Atlanta University–owned station has been more than a place to hear jazz: it has been a cultural anchor for Black Atlanta and a training ground for generations of AUC students to break into the media industry. But […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
South DeKalb Residents Protest Data Center Plan, Delay Vote
A vote on new data center regulations in DeKalb County has been postponed to Dec.16 after a heated zoning meeting Thursday where residents shouted grievances, demanded answers, and some were removed from the chamber. The deferral underscores the growing frustration of South DeKalb communities — particularly Black neighborhoods like Ellenwood, where a large-scale data center […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
He Bought Land to Build a Community Ranch. Then Fulton County Seized His Horses.
Ten years ago, Brandon “Brannu” Fulton bought 27 acres of land for $150,000 on the corner of Butner Road and Camp Creek Parkway in what was then unincorporated Fulton County. He wanted a space where he could spend his days in nature and ride horses. Fulton, 44, credits his grandfather with introducing him to horseback […]
Posted inCommunity
Atlanta Thanksgiving Food Drives: Where Families Can Get Help This Year
For many families in Atlanta, Thanksgiving can be a stressful time. According to local food bank organizations, thousands of households across the city face food insecurity, meaning they don’t always know where their next meal will come from. And as government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program face delays and cuts, gaps in access […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Georgia Senate District 35 Race Advances To Runoff
The special election to decide the next state lawmaker from Georgia Senate district 35 is headed to a runoff. Democrats Jaha Howard — a dentist from Smyrna — and former state Rep. Roger Bruce, who retired from the state House earlier this year, were the top two vote recipients on election night in a field […]
Posted inGentrification, Housing, Politics & Policy
Mayor’s TAD Plan Sparks Gentrification Fears for Southwest Atlanta Activists
Atlanta community activists advocating on behalf of low-income Black families are raising gentrification concerns about Mayor Andre Dickens’ $5 billion neighborhood reinvestment initiative. The program calls for the extension of existing tax allocation districts (TADs) to help pay for revamping majority-Black neighborhoods on the city’s southwest side. TADs — also referred to as tax incremental […]
