Justin Mutawassim’s dream of becoming a pilot took flight 22 years ago when, at age 5, he stepped on a plane for the first time during a family trip to Disney World. “I just had a fascination with the airplane itself and how it flew,” Mutawassim recalled in a recent phone interview. That fascination took […]
End of year: 2024
Posted inEducation, K-12
Why Black Students at One Atlanta School Are Excelling in Reading
When Heather Perry asked her third grade class at Warren T. Jackson Elementary last week what they love about her literacy lessons, a sprinkling of hands shot up into the air. One student noted the way Perry uses mnemonic devices like songs, chants, or popular TV characters to aid in conveying and retaining information. Another […]
Posted inFood Access, Money, Wealth Gap
This Free Grocery Store Is Trying to Address Atlanta’s Food Access Problems
This story was originally published on March 2, 2023, and has been updated. Bankhead resident Jeff Jackson says accessing fresh groceries in his neighborhood has become more difficult over the years. Jackson recalls multiple grocery stores closing in the past decade. It’s why the Grocery Spot, the free grocery store where he volunteers and gets […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, State Politics
Georgia Is Turning Away Federal Funds That Would Feed Kids Next Summer
For the second year, it looks likely that Georgia won’t participate in a federal program that helps feed hungry families during the summertime. Summer EBT, also called Sun Bucks, provides qualifying families with $120 for each eligible child in their household. Congress approved the program in 2022 to help feed children who receive free and […]
Posted inEducation, Politics & Policy
Project 2025: What Could It Mean for Education in Georgia?
Georgians with school-age children and who attended college with the help of federal student loans routinely interact with the U.S. Department of Education without realizing it. That’s because it’s among the many federal bureaucracies that, unless there’s a major hiccup, does most of its work in the background. With Republicans taking control of Congress and […]
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 inCulture, Education, Sports
Atlanta Innovator Builds App to Help Student Athletes
This story is a part of Capital B Atlanta’s Community Spotlight series. We’re shining a light on the people, places, and businesses working to bring joy to and uplift Atlanta. To nominate a deserving spotlight, reach out to Atlanta’s community engagement editor Ann Hill Bond at ann.hillbond@capitalbnews.org It’s been more than a week since a video […]
Posted inHistory
Blazing The Trail: Atlanta’s Black Women Fire Chiefs
In a field where Black women are few and far between, metro Atlanta has had four Black women leading fire departments. While the boys’ club that has dominated firefighting certainly isn’t going anywhere, Black women are making their mark in the fire service. From East Point appointing the country’s first ever Black woman fire chief […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Are Police, Prisons, and Prosecutors the Only Option?
Across the country, Black people are policed, arrested, tried, and convicted at a rate that is disproportionate to our population. In Georgia, Black people are 60% of the state prison population but only 32% of the state’s overall population, according to a 2019 report published by the University of Georgia. This is almost the complete […]