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A Letter from the Publisher: Investing in the Truth

To our readers and neighbors,

When we launched The Truth Seekers Journal (TSJ), our mission was simple: to restore trust in local journalism by focusing on verified facts, transparency, and the stories that truly shape our community.

Today, I am proud to share that the “pulse” of this journal is stronger than ever. This past week, we reached a significant turning point in our growth. Our page views have tripled, and most importantly, our Returning Visits have grown by over 1,000%. This tells me that TSJ isn’t just a site you stumble upon. It is becoming a trusted resource you rely on.

National Recognition

I am also honored to announce that The Truth Seekers Journal has been awarded a prestigious rural reporting grant from Grist, following a highly competitive national selection process. Grist is a national leader in environmental and justice journalism.

Furthermore, to ensure we maintain the highest ethical standards, we have been formally accepted as members of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Online News Association (ONA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), and the Atlanta Press Club. These affiliations are our “gold standard” promise to you that our reporting is independent, ethical, and professional.

Expanding Our Expertise

Growth isn’t just about numbers; it’s about the depth of the stories we can tell. I am thrilled to highlight two key pillars of our expanded editorial team:

  • Dr. Florita Bell Griffin has joined us as a Contributing Writer and Systems Analyst. Dr. Griffin will lead our coverage in the AI, Science, and Technology sectors. Her expertise allows us to move beyond the headlines, providing our readers with deep-dive analysis on how emerging technologies and infrastructure projects impact our local economy and daily lives..
  • Ted Knorr, our resident historian, continues to bridge the gap between our past and present through his twice-monthly column, “Shadow Ball: Learning More About Negro League History.” Many of you have already engaged with Ted by submitting questions and sharing family stories, making “Shadow Ball” a true cornerstone of our community dialogue.

The Road Ahead

We are no longer just a news site; we are a growing civic institution. Whether we are investigating DeKalb data centers or documenting the rich history of the South, our goal remains the same: to give you the information you need to understand your community and shape your future.

Thank you for being the most important part of this journey. We are just getting started.

In Truth,

Milton Kirby

Founder & Publisher, The Truth Seekers Journal

Black Writers Weekend Comes Home: Why Atlanta Will Host More Than a Literary Festival

Black Writers Weekend concludes its national tour in Atlanta with three days of storytelling, film, publishing, networking, and opportunities that extend far beyond books.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | July 23, 2026

Every generation has places where movements take shape.

Some begin in churches. Others start in classrooms, neighborhood barbershops, or around kitchen tables where stories are shared long before they are ever written down.

For thousands of Black writers, readers, filmmakers, publishers, and creative entrepreneurs across the country, one of those places has become Black Writers Weekend.

What started nearly two decades ago as a gathering for Black authors has grown into a national movement that celebrates storytelling while helping creatives build careers, expand their audiences, and take greater ownership of their work. After stops this year in Dallas, Newark, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., the 2026 tour concludes in Atlanta from July 31 through August 2 with three days of conversations, workshops, film screenings, networking, and celebration.

For anyone still wondering whether the event is worth attending, organizers believe the answer lies in understanding that Black Writers Weekend is no longer simply about books.

It is about building the future of Black storytelling.

More Than a Festival

The publishing industry has changed dramatically over the past decade.

Writers today are no longer limited to traditional publishing houses. Independent publishing, digital platforms, podcasts, streaming services, audiobooks, newsletters, and social media have opened new pathways for creative voices to reach audiences directly.

Those opportunities, however, come with new challenges.

Authors must learn marketing, branding, distribution, intellectual property, audience development, and business strategy in addition to mastering the craft of writing.

Black Writers Weekend was designed to help bridge those gaps.

Produced by AAMBC Inc., the nonprofit organization behind the festival, the event has spent 18 seasons creating opportunities for Black creatives to learn from experienced professionals while building relationships that often continue long after the weekend ends.

“BWW is about making sure Black storytelling isn’t treated as a moment, it’s a movement,” said Delphine of Legacy Media.

“After 18 seasons and over 30,000 readers and creatives touched, I see BWW as infrastructure. We’re building the pipeline. The future of Black storytelling depends on us controlling more of our own distribution, our own narratives, and our own platforms.”

Her words capture what many attendees say separates Black Writers Weekend from a traditional literary festival.

It is not simply a place to showcase completed work.

It is a place where careers begin.

Where Stories Meet Opportunity

This year’s Atlanta finale reflects how much the festival has evolved.

The weekend opens Friday at the historic Auburn Avenue Research Library with the Black Writers Weekend Film Festival, featuring more than 20 independent films created by Black filmmakers. The evening concludes with a screening of Dear Black Writers, a documentary exploring the artists and storytellers fueling today’s Black literary movement. Later that evening, poets and spoken-word artists will gather for Open Mic in the Garden at The Darwin Hotel, one of the festival’s most anticipated community traditions.

The focus shifts Saturday and Sunday to the Loudermilk Conference Center, where more than 80 speakers will lead discussions ranging from publishing and digital marketing to filmmaking, branding, entertainment, and entrepreneurship.

Among the featured sessions are the BookFunnel Workshop, designed to help authors expand their readership through digital distribution, the “I Am Creative” conversation with bestselling author Zane and filmmaker Trey Haley, and the Access to Hollywood panel featuring Jonathan Curtiss, Lamont Pete, Imani Nia Robinson, and Lynette Blackwell. Other sessions will explore how attorneys, publicists, talent managers, and financial advisors help creatives protect and grow their brands.

For aspiring writers and filmmakers, the weekend offers something that cannot be downloaded from the internet.

Access.

Beyond Amazon

Delphine believes one of the biggest mistakes new authors make is assuming success begins and ends with publishing a book online.

“The biggest mistake I see debut authors make is thinking distribution is just about getting a listing on Amazon and calling it a day,” she said.

Instead, she encourages writers to build relationships with bookstores, festivals, community organizations, and media outlets that already serve Black readers.

“Distribution isn’t just logistics,” she said. “It’s visibility. You have to be seen and remembered before someone picks up your book in a market where nobody knows your name yet.”

That philosophy explains why Black Writers Weekend has expanded into multiple cities across the country.

Each stop introduces writers to new readers, new collaborators, and new opportunities.

“My advice to new authors is don’t treat a festival stop like a one-off event,” Delphine said. “Treat it like the first domino.”

The Power of Honest Stories

While publishing strategies and marketing workshops are important, organizers never lose sight of why people write in the first place.

Stories change lives.

Asked about memoirs rooted in trauma and resilience, such as Little Miracles of Katrina by M. V. Despenza, Delphine said authenticity remains a writer’s greatest strength.

“Your story doesn’t need to be polished to be powerful,” she said.

She believes readers recognize honesty immediately, especially when writers refuse to sanitize painful experiences.

“Don’t rush the healing to finish the book,” she said. “Let the book carry the healing as it happens.”

For many aspiring writers attending Black Writers Weekend, those words may prove just as valuable as any publishing contract.

Why Community Media Matters

Another recurring theme throughout Black Writers Weekend is the importance of community-centered journalism.

While major media organizations often determine which stories receive national attention, Delphine believes local and independent outlets frequently discover important voices long before they become household names.

“They’re everything,” she said of community media.

“Community-centered outlets don’t wait for permission. They cover us because we matter to them, not because we’re trending.”

That relationship between independent journalism and emerging writers has become an important part of the festival’s identity, helping connect authors with readers who may never encounter their work through traditional publishing channels.

Atlanta’s Growing Literary Legacy

Anyone who attended Black Writers Weekend in Atlanta last year already understands why so many people return.

The 2025 festival brought together bestselling authors, filmmakers, podcasters, publishing professionals, and emerging writers for conversations on everything from world-building and memoir writing to Hollywood opportunities, banned books, and the future of Black storytelling. Those sessions sparked collaborations, mentorships, and professional relationships that extended well beyond the closing ceremony.

This year’s finale aims to build on that momentum.

Saturday evening’s Book Swap Party at Buckhead Art & Gallery will once again invite attendees to exchange books while meeting fellow readers in a relaxed, art-filled setting. Throughout the weekend, informal conversations in hallways, networking events, and community gatherings may prove just as meaningful as the scheduled programming.

Often, the most important story begins after the panel discussion ends.

More Than a Weekend

Black Writers Weekend is not asking people to attend another conference.

It is inviting them into a community built on stories.

Some attendees will leave with signed books.

Others will leave with publishing contacts, business partnerships, or the confidence to finally finish the manuscript sitting on their computer.

Some may discover a new favorite author.

Others may discover their own voice.

That is why Black Writers Weekend has grown from a literary gathering into one of the nation’s most important celebrations of Black creativity.

And for one weekend this summer, that movement comes home to Atlanta.

Support open, independent journalism, your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

Why Speed Feels Loud After a Certain Age

By Florita Bell Griffin, Ph.D | Houston, TX | July 21, 2026

Speed is often treated as a universal good. Faster systems are praised as smarter. Quicker decisions are framed as better decisions. Acceleration becomes synonymous with progress, efficiency, and relevance. In many technological environments, speed is positioned as the primary signal of advancement.

Yet for people who have lived long enough to observe patterns repeat, speed begins to register differently. It does not simply feel fast. It feels loud.

This sensation is not about age in a biological sense. It is about exposure. People who have moved through multiple eras of change have learned that speed amplifies whatever already exists inside a system. When structure is sound, speed can feel exhilarating. When structure is thin, speed becomes destabilizing. Experience sharpens the ability to sense the difference.

Earlier in life, speed often feels forgiving. Consequences are lighter. Recovery is easier. Decisions can be reversed with minimal cost. The environment absorbs error. Over time, people experience situations where rapid movement produces lasting effects. They witness reorganizations that move too quickly to integrate learning. They see technologies deployed at scale before their implications are understood. Speed stops feeling neutral and starts feeling consequential.

Consider an organization that prioritizes rapid iteration above all else. Decisions are made quickly. Features ship continuously. Feedback loops shorten. On the surface, the system appears agile. Yet employees who have lived through previous cycles of acceleration notice familiar signals. Documentation lags behind implementation. Context disappears between iterations. Rationales change without record. The organization moves faster, but understanding struggles to keep pace. Speed becomes noise.

The same pattern appears in communication systems. Messages arrive instantly. Channels multiply. Expectations compress. Response time becomes a proxy for competence. Those with experience recognize how this alters judgment. Faster communication encourages premature conclusions. It rewards reaction over reflection. It fills available attention without increasing clarity. Over time, people begin to experience speed not as efficiency, but as constant interruption.

Speed also changes how systems handle error. Rapid environments often assume mistakes can be corrected quickly. What this overlooks is how errors propagate when systems are tightly coupled. A fast decision made without sufficient context can ripple outward before it is detected. Those who have lived through system failures understand that speed without buffers magnifies impact. What feels agile in the moment can become fragile over time.

This sensitivity grows after people have witnessed consequences unfold slowly. A policy change whose effects appear years later. A technology adoption that reshapes incentives long after rollout. A restructuring that improves metrics while hollowing culture. Memory teaches that not all outcomes reveal themselves at the pace of implementation. Speed feels loud because it drowns out signals that only emerge over time.

Consider a public institution that adopts an automated decision system to increase efficiency. Processing time drops dramatically. Backlogs clear. The improvement is immediate and measurable. Yet experienced observers notice what the system does not capture. Edge cases disappear into averages. Appeals become harder to navigate. Accountability blurs as decisions move faster than explanation. The institution appears more efficient, while trust quietly erodes. Speed has outpaced understanding.

Human lives do not operate at constant velocity. Learning unfolds unevenly. Insight often arrives after delay. Judgment benefits from pause. People with experience recognize that certain forms of knowledge require time to surface. When systems eliminate pause entirely, they eliminate the conditions under which deeper understanding forms.

This does not mean speed is inherently harmful. It means speed requires structure. Without continuity, acceleration becomes overwhelming. Signals blur together. Prior lessons are bypassed. People lose the ability to locate themselves within the system’s movement. The result is not resistance, but withdrawal. Individuals continue to function while disengaging from meaning.

Speed also alters how authority is perceived. In fast systems, authority tends to reside with those who respond quickest rather than those who understand most deeply. Decision-making shifts toward immediacy. Reflection is reframed as delay. Over time, this devalues experience not because it lacks relevance, but because it operates on a different timescale.

People who have lived long enough to feel this shift are not rejecting speed. They are responding to its volume. Speed feels loud when it leaves no room for context to settle. It overwhelms the internal processes that integrate new information with prior understanding. What once felt energizing begins to feel abrasive.

Continuity offers a way to recalibrate. Systems designed with continuity acknowledge that not all intelligence arrives instantly. They create space for sequence, explanation, and integration. They allow speed where it strengthens coherence and slow where it preserves understanding. They recognize that pace is not a single setting, but a variable that must align with consequence.

Consider a system that introduces deliberate checkpoints during rapid change. Decisions move quickly, but rationales are recorded. Transitions are documented. Feedback is contextualized rather than immediately acted upon. In such systems, speed remains present, but it is no longer overwhelming. People stay oriented because the system remembers itself as it moves.

Over time, this distinction becomes critical. Systems that prioritize speed alone tend to burn through trust. Systems that balance speed with continuity gain durability. They move quickly without becoming disorienting. They remain responsive without becoming chaotic.

Why speed feels loud after a certain age is not a mystery. It is a signal. It reflects accumulated awareness of consequence, propagation, and delayed impact. It indicates that the observer has learned how systems behave beyond the moment of action.

As technology continues to accelerate, this perspective becomes increasingly valuable. Systems that dismiss it will continue to optimize for immediacy while destabilizing those inside them. Systems that listen to it gain access to a deeper form of intelligence, one that understands how movement unfolds across time.

Speed will always matter. The question is whether it is governed by structure or allowed to dominate it. The answer determines whether progress remains inhabitable, or whether it becomes something people endure rather than inhabit.

© 2026 Truth Seekers Journal. Published with permission from the author. All rights reserved.

Support open, independent journalism, your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

SHADOW BALL: Learning More About Negro League History

By Ted Knorr | Memphis, TN | July 21, 2026

Last week, I discussed the recent 25th annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Research Conference that I attended last month. This week I want to introduce readers to the ten Negro League players/managers identified by conference attendees at the conference as the worthiest of induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. . It is my strongly held opinion that all ten and more need immediate induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown if that organization is to truly fulfill its mission as a 501 c 3 educational non-profit . Here are the top ten candidates according to attendees at this year’s Negro League Research Conference:

10th     Candy Jim Taylor, Manager … Connie Mack (each candidate will feature an existing Hall of Fame comparable): Taylor is number one in Negro League history with 27 years. 2169 games, and 1042 wins (the only Negro League manager with more than 1000 Major League victories); only Vic Harris & Rube Foster won more pennants, and no Negro League manager won more World Series. He also was an all-star caliber player: hitting .295 with 11 HRs and 14 SBs for every 162 games played while achieving batter than average fielding percentage and range as a third baseman. He is listed in the Courier poll as the 7th best third baseman in Negro League history. “(each candidate will feature a quote from James  A. Riley’s Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues) He was with sixteen different teams during a forty-five-year career as player and manager that spanned virtually the entire existence of the Negro Leagues as a Major League.”

8th tie  John Beckwith, 3B …Dick Allen … named to the 1952 Courier 2nd team as a utility player who played  all positions during his career – including catcher and shortstop, while being a top ten masher with the bat … no Negro Leaguer, batting as often as he did. achieved a higher batting average, slugging. OPS, or OPS+ …  “The right-handed pull hitter was a powerful and consistent batter whose slugging prowess was extraordinary.” In my opinion, he is the most deserving Negro League player outside of Cooperstown’ plaque room.

8th tie  George Scales, 2B … Rogers Hornsby … Scales slashed .322/.427/.522 with a 149 OPS+ while exhibiting better than average metrics in both fielding percentage and range factor as a second baseman over a 20-year Major League career. “Scales was a versatile fielder who could play third base, first base, shortstop or the outfield, but was at his best at second base.”

7th        Grant Johnson, SS … Luke Appling … “(In 1894) he is credited with 60 home runs and earned his nickname of “Home Rin” at that time.”  He was the best “Negro League” shortstop prior to John Henry Lloyd … Baseball historian Gary Ashwill argues, “(Grant Johnson) was the best everyday player in Black baseball from 1895 to 1909.” This opinion is backed up by Seamheads database which shows Johnson’s career WAR (Seamheads.com)  at the time of his retirement  was exceeded among Negro Leaguers only  by Hall of Famer Pete Hill.

5th tie  John Donaldson, Pioneer/P … Rube Foster … (John Donaldson) won his greatest fame in the ‘10s as a star for J.L. Wilkinson’s multiracial All Nations ball club with whom he averaged almost 20 strikeouts per game.” Personally, I consider his overall career when I consider him as a Hall of Famer – entrepreneur, owner, manager, outfielder, pitcher, and Major League scout over a forty year plus career.

5th tie Newt Allen, 2b …  Nellie Fox … “Considered the best second baseman during the 1920s and early 1930s, the wide-ranging, slick-fielding middle infielder had quick hands and was superb on the pivot in turning a double play.” Currently, there is no second baseman from the Negro Leagues in the Hall of Fame … Newt Allen is one of the strongest candidates to represent that position. His playing in two Negro League World Series 18 years apart is one of his more remarkable feats. Although he hit .285 over his twenty-year big-league career, it is his glove that is most worthy of the Hall. Among second baseman only Bingo DeMoss saved more runs with his glove than Allen and no one – not even DeMoss – had better a better range factor than Allen among secondbaseman playing as many games as Allen did.

4th        Dick Lundy, ss …     Arky Vaughan, Derek Jeter … “The best shortstop during the 1920s, Lundy bridged the time gap between John Henry Lloyd and Willie Wells.”  Lundy’s WAR/162 of 5.85 is the highest among all Negro Leaguers yet to be inducted that played as many games as he did.

3rd        Vic Harris, mgr … Joe McCarthy, Miller Huggins, John McGraw … quite simply there is no Major League manager, appearing in more than 500 games, with a higher winning percentage than 7-time pennant winner Vic Harris.

2nd       Rap Dixon, rf … Roberto Clemente  … both Dixon & Clemente wore “21” and had the best arms in their respective era … “A five-point ballplayer who did everything with style, the power-hitting outfielder was one of the better hitters during the 1920s and 1930s.”  Dixon cracked 14 consecutive hits in July 1929, stroke four triple in one game in August 1930 – the only Major Leaguer to do so in the 20th century.

1st        Dick Redding, p … Smokey Joe Williams …  Dick Redding is in the top 5 amongst all Negro League pitchers in games, innings (#1), wins, complete games (#2 behind Joe Williams), shutouts, strikeouts, and years pitched. “One of the great pitchers of Black baseball, Dick Redding’s overpowering speed earned the big, tall right hander the nickname “Cannonball Dick …Redding was credited with 30 no-hitters against all levels of opposition.”

One note regarding John Donaldson (tied for 5th) and the top two finishers – Donaldson & Redding as pitchers and Dixon as an outfielder are the only players named to the Negro League Centennial team at the Negro League Baseball Museum in December 2018 that are not inducted in Cooperstown.

Last Week’s Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week

When was the last year that any Negro League players were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Please identify at least one player inducted that year. No one submitted the correct answer which follows: In 2006, 17 Negro League personages were inducted … of them 12 were players, including Frank Grant who currently is listed by the Hall as an executive. Other players inducted that year were Ray Brown, Willard Brown, Andy Cooper, Pete Hill, Biz Mackey, Jose Mendez, Louis Santop, Mule Suttles, Ben Taylor Cristobal Torriente, and Jud Wison.

This Week’s Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week

Which former Memphis Red Sox player worked in various roles at the Peabody Hotel after his baseball career ended.?

Send your answer, along with your comments about the Negro Leagues, to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or mail them to:

Shadow Ball
3904 N. Druid Hills Road, Suite 179
Decatur, GA 30033

About the Author

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a respected Negro League baseball historian, a longtime member of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, and the founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. He has also organized numerous Negro League Commemorative Nights throughout central Pennsylvania.

Beyond his research and organizational work, Ted is a sought-after speaker at sporting events, community programs, family gatherings, and educational forums, where he brings Negro League history to life. His deep knowledge of the players, teams, and the cultural significance of Black baseball has made him a trusted voice for audiences seeking to better understand the enduring legacy of the Negro Leagues.

AI and the Public Good: Why Citizens Need a Clear Understanding

By Florita Bell Griffin | Houston, TX | July 14, 2026

rtificial intelligence is now entering public life at a depth that makes broad civic understanding necessary. For several years, AI was discussed mainly as a technical field, a business opportunity, or a future-oriented innovation story. Today it is something larger. It is increasingly part of the systems through which people receive information, apply for services, encounter recommendations, complete financial transactions, communicate with institutions, and move through everyday routines. That shift means AI is no longer only a topic for engineers, executives, or policymakers. It is a public issue, and citizens need a clear understanding of what is changing around them.

The phrase public good matters here because AI is affecting the shared conditions of social life. It influences how information circulates, how resources are prioritized, how institutions make decisions, and how individuals are seen by the systems they depend on. Once a technology begins to shape those underlying conditions, public understanding becomes essential. A society cannot responsibly govern what large numbers of people do understand. It cannot protect fairness, accountability, or human dignity if major systems are changing faster than the public’s ability to interpret them.

One reason clear understanding is so important is that AI often arrives under the language of convenience. It is introduced as something that will save time, reduce complexity, personalize services, improve efficiency, and remove friction from daily tasks. In many cases, those promises are genuine. AI can help summarize information, detect patterns, support administrative work, improve customer service, assist with logistics, flag anomalies, and make certain systems more responsive. People and institutions do benefit from tools that help them manage complexity in a demanding world.

At the same time, convenience can hide significance. A system that seems to help a user find something faster may also be shaping what is considered relevant. A system that appears to offer support may also be narrowing the range of options a person sees. A system that feels neutral may be carrying assumptions, priorities, and optimization goals that remain invisible to the public. This is why citizens need more than excitement or fear. They need clarity. They need to understand that AI is altering decision environments, not merely adding digital assistance.

That distinction is central to the public good. In democratic life, people need sufficient visibility into the systems that affect them. They need to know when information is being filtered, when recommendations are being personalized, when rankings are being influenced by behavioral data, and when machine-generated outputs are helping shape institutional decisions. Without that visibility, people begin to live inside systems they rely on but do understand. That is a dangerous condition for any society, because trust without understanding can be easily exploited.

Trust is one of the key issues in the AI era. Modern life already depends heavily on digital systems. People trust platforms to display information, banks to detect suspicious activity, schools to manage learning tools, healthcare networks to process records, transportation systems to guide movement, and government-facing systems to handle applications and communication. As AI becomes more integrated into these structures, that trust is being extended toward systems that do more than transmit information. They interpret it. They sort it. They rank it. They frame what appears first and what fades into the background.

This matters because interpretation is a form of power. A system that decides what is most relevant, what counts as risk, what deserves escalation, or what should be recommended is influencing the shape of human decision-making. The public still sees a screen, a portal, a service, or a result. Underneath, however, the environment is being organized by predictive logic. If citizens do understand that shift, then public discussion remains too shallow. People may debate whether AI is useful while missing the more serious fact that it is helping structure the conditions under which they think and choose.

A clear understanding is also necessary because AI often appears more reliable than it truly is. Many systems speak in polished language, respond instantly, and produce outputs that feel coherent and assured. This creates a natural tendency to trust them. Human beings often associate fluency with competence and speed with authority. Yet a confident answer can still be incomplete, biased, poorly sourced, or contextually wrong. Citizens therefore need a stronger public literacy that allows them to distinguish between persuasive presentation and justified reliability. Without that distinction, AI can accumulate influence simply because it sounds sure of itself.

The public good requires more than personal caution. It requires shared standards. Citizens need to be able to ask common questions about systems that increasingly affect everyone. How are these tools being used in schools, hospitals, banks, workplaces, courts, agencies, and public-facing services? What rights do people have when automated systems influence outcomes? Where does human review remain essential? What kinds of explanation should be required? How should recourse work when AI-assisted processes create confusion or harm? These are civic questions, and they belong in public discourse.

Education is one place where this need becomes especially clear. If young people are growing up with AI-assisted learning tools, generated explanations, predictive recommendations, and algorithmically shaped information streams, then they need more than technical familiarity. They need civic understanding. They need to know how systems influence what they see, how outputs are produced, how errors can occur, and why independent judgment still matters. A society that teaches students how to use AI without teaching them how to think about AI is leaving them underprepared for the world they are entering.

The same is true for adults. Many citizens now interact with AI in subtle ways through work platforms, search systems, online retail, digital entertainment, financial tools, and institutional portals. Often they are using the system before they have developed language to describe what it is doing. That gap between experience and understanding is exactly why public education around AI matters. Citizens do need to know every technical detail of machine learning in order to participate meaningfully in the discussion. They do need to understand how influence works, how opacity can hide power, and why convenience should never replace accountability.

The public good is also at stake because AI can widen inequalities if it is deployed carelessly. Systems trained on narrow histories or tuned toward blunt performance goals can reproduce distorted patterns across hiring, lending, policing, healthcare access, education, and public services. Even where intent is good, poor design or weak oversight can create uneven consequences. Citizens need to understand that technology does stand outside existing social conditions. It enters them. It can reinforce them, challenge them, or reorganize them, depending on how it is governed.

This is why the conversation about AI must remain larger than market enthusiasm. Innovation is important. Technical progress is real. Economic opportunity is part of the picture. But the public good requires a broader lens. It asks whether AI is strengthening human judgment or quietly displacing it. It asks whether institutions are using these systems responsibly. It asks whether people still have meaningful ways to question, appeal, or understand decisions that affect their lives. It asks whether public life is becoming more legible or more opaque as machine systems gain influence.

A healthy society does reject advanced tools. It develops the civic capacity to govern them wisely. That means citizens need plain language explanations, stronger digital literacy, institutional transparency, and a public culture that treats AI as a matter of shared responsibility rather than passive consumer adaptation. The future of AI will be shaped by designers, companies, regulators, and institutions, but it will also be shaped by whether the public understands enough to ask serious questions and demand serious answers.

AI is already becoming part of the infrastructure of modern life. That alone makes clear understanding a public necessity. Citizens need it because trust is being reorganized, decisions are being mediated in new ways, and power is moving into systems that often operate quietly. The public good depends on whether people can see that change clearly enough to respond with intelligence, caution, and civic seriousness. That is why AI must be understood beyond hype, beyond fear, and beyond novelty. It must be understood as a force shaping the common world citizens share.

© 2026 Truth Seekers Journal. Published with permission from the author. All rights reserved.

Support open, independent journalism. Your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

Six Blocks That Changed the Conversation About Lung Health

A walk through Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood reveals personal stories of lung disease, caregiving and fear, showing why community conversations about screening matter.

A walk through Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood revealed stories of resilience, fear and hope before a community lung cancer screening event even begins.

By Milton Kirby | Philadelphia, PA | July 12, 2026

Six blocks.

That was all it took to remind me why community journalism still matters.

On a warm Friday afternoon, I walked the neighborhood surrounding Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, where residents will gather on Saturday, July 25th 10:00am – 12:30pm, for the Lung Cancer Screening to Treatment 2.0: A Community Conversation.

I wasn’t conducting a formal survey. I wasn’t knocking on doors.

I simply walked.

Two blocks along Ogontz Avenue. A turn onto 18th Street. Two more blocks through a neighborhood where families relaxed on front porches, neighbors washed garbage bins after a delayed pickup, and others returned home from work or afternoon errands.

Nothing about the neighborhood immediately suggested that conversations about lung health would soon unfold.

Yet before I completed my walk, I had heard stories about a punctured lung, years of asthma, fear of cancer screening, and the quiet burden carried by caregivers who often neglect their own health while caring for others.

Those conversations reminded me that every neighborhood has stories waiting to be heard. Sometimes all it takes is slowing down long enough to listen.

Looking Beyond Statistics

Public health reports can tell us how many people develop lung cancer each year. Researchers can identify risk factors and explain who qualifies for screening.

But statistics rarely introduce you to the people behind those numbers.

That afternoon, the people of Mt. Airy did.

Each conversation revealed a different path to lung disease and a different reason why community education matters.

No two stories were alike.

RB’s Journey Through Trauma and Recovery

One of the first residents I met was RB.

His lung problems did not begin with smoking.

Years ago, he survived a gunshot wound that pierced one of his lungs. Later, exposure to mold triggered asthma complications and recurring respiratory infections that led to repeated hospitalizations.

“There were times I was in the hospital every month,” he told me as he reflected on years of treatment and recovery.

Today, he continues receiving regular medical care and says he is doing much better than he once was. His story serves as a reminder that lung disease can develop for many reasons. Trauma, environmental exposure, chronic illness and other health conditions can all leave lasting effects on the lungs.

His experience challenged a common assumption that every conversation about lung health begins and ends with smoking.

It doesn’t.

A Conversation About Caregivers

As our conversation continued, another topic emerged.

Sitting next to RB was his companion, who has accepted responsibility for managing RB’s care.

Watching the two of them together reminded me of another caregiver who has shaped my own life.

I shared the story of my cousin, who devoted years to caring for my mother until she passed away on June 19 at the age of 95.

I gently encouraged the caregiver not to make the mistake of neglecting her own health while ensuring that RB gets all of his health needs cared for.

People who care for loved ones often remind others to see a doctor.

Sometimes they need someone to remind them to do the same.

Fear Can Become Another Risk Factor

A few houses down the block, I met Andre.

He told me he has smoked for about 20 years.

He also shared something healthcare professionals hear every day.

He has never been screened for lung cancer.

As we talked, the reason slowly emerged.

It wasn’t because he didn’t know screening existed.

It wasn’t because he couldn’t find a hospital.

Like many people, he was afraid of what screening might reveal.

Fear has a way of postponing difficult conversations.

Sometimes it postpones doctor visits as well.

Rather than criticize his hesitation, I invited him to attend the July 25 community conversation.

“Just come and listen,” I told him. “Nobody is going to make you do anything.”

Community health events give people an opportunity to ask questions without the pressure that sometimes comes with a medical appointment. Physicians, survivors and healthcare advocates can explain who qualifies for screening, how the process works and why finding lung cancer early often provides more treatment options.

Whether Andre attends remains his decision.

But our conversation reflected something many healthcare providers understand.

People cannot benefit from screening if fear prevents them from taking the first step.

Every Porch Has a Story

By the end of my walk, I realized I hadn’t interviewed dozens of residents.

I had only spoken with the people who happened to be outside enjoying the afternoon.

Their stories cannot represent an entire neighborhood.

Nor should they.

But together they painted a picture that statistics alone cannot provide.

One resident was living with the lasting effects of trauma and respiratory illness.

Another admitted avoiding screening because of fear.

A caregiver quietly balanced another person’s health while risking her own.

Three conversations.

Three different experiences.

Three reminders that every family encounters health challenges differently.

Why July 25 Matters

Those conversations help explain why HEAL Collaborative, in partnership with Amgen, is bringing Lung Cancer Screening to Treatment 2.0 directly into the Mt. Airy community. Together, the organizations are working to remove barriers to information by connecting residents with physicians, survivors, patient advocates and healthcare professionals in a welcoming community setting.

The free event will take place on Saturday, July 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, 6401 Ogontz Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19126.

Participants will learn about lung cancer risk factors, who qualifies for screening, the importance of early detection, available treatment options and local resources that can help people navigate their healthcare journey.

Shenika Bond, Regional Director of Community Outreach and Advocacy Engagement for HEAL Collaborative, said the goal is for participants to leave with more than information.

“We want people to leave with the confidence to talk with their personal physicians, request screening if they qualify, and become strong advocates for their own healthcare,” Bond said.

That confidence begins with asking questions.

It grows through understanding personal risk factors, learning when screening is appropriate, and having informed conversations with family members and healthcare providers.

The message shared throughout the initiative is straightforward: Anyone with lungs can develop lung cancer.

While smoking remains the leading risk factor, environmental exposures, occupational hazards, family history and certain medical conditions can also increase a person’s risk. Understanding those risks and knowing when to seek screening can lead to earlier detection, more treatment options and better outcomes.

More Than an Event

As journalists, we often measure success by stories published, photographs taken or events covered.

Walking through Mt. Airy reminded me to measure something else.

Not how many interviews I completed.

But how many conversations had begun.

Through partnerships like the one between HEAL Collaborative and Amgen, organizers hope those conversations that begin on neighborhood sidewalks will continue inside churches, doctors’ offices and family living rooms, where informed decisions about lung health can ultimately save lives.

If even one resident decides to ask a physician about lung cancer screening because of a conversation that started on a neighborhood sidewalk or outside a local church, then that walk accomplished far more than filling seats on July 25.

It demonstrated what community journalism is meant to do.

Connect people with information that can improve lives.

Sometimes, it may even help save one.

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Philadelphia – Mt Airy Residents – Believe in lung cancer screening

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Part II- “Your Lungs Are Talking”: How the Respiratory System Works – and What It Tells Us

Part III – “From Awareness to Action”: Communities Confront Lung Cancer Together

A Celebration of Hope Inspires Birmingham’s Community Conversation on Lung Cancer

WNBA Makes History as First Professional Sports League to Host Events at Obama Presidential Center

The WNBA will become the first professional sports league to host events at the Obama Presidential Center during 2026 All-Star Weekend, highlighting youth leadership, civic engagement, and community impact.

By Milton Kirby | Chicago, IL | July 9, 2026

The Women’s National Basketball Association will make history later this month as the first professional sports league to host official events at the newly opened Obama Presidential Center, bringing one of basketball’s biggest weekends to one of America’s newest civic institutions.

The announcement, made jointly by the WNBA and The Obama Foundation, places several marquee events from AT&T WNBA All-Star 2026 at the Center’s Home Court athletic facility on Chicago’s South Side. Beyond basketball, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to leadership, education, and community engagement.

For the Obama Presidential Center, it marks another milestone less than a month after opening its doors to the public. For the WNBA, it reinforces a growing emphasis on using the league’s national platform to inspire young people and strengthen communities beyond the game.

A Historic Partnership

“Hosting AT&T WNBA All-Star events at the Obama Presidential Center is a true honor and reflects our commitment to creating connection through basketball and engaging communities in meaningful ways,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.

“We’re excited to bring together the WNBA family and the greater Chicago community to create memorable experiences at this historic new venue.”

Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer of The Obama Foundation, said the partnership reflects the mission behind the Center.

“We are thrilled to welcome the WNBA as our first professional sports league hosted at the Obama Presidential Center,” Jarrett said. “At the Center, we believe sports have the power to bring people together and create meaningful opportunities to build the next generation of leaders.”

Their comments underscore a common goal shared by both organizations: using sports as a catalyst for leadership, learning, and civic participation.

More Than a Presidential Library

Located on 19.3 acres in historic Jackson Park, the Obama Presidential Center was envisioned by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as more than a place to preserve history.

Instead of functioning solely as a traditional presidential library, the campus was designed as a living institution where visitors are encouraged to explore public service, civic engagement, leadership, and community action.

Since opening earlier this summer, the Center has hosted educational programs, cultural events, and community gatherings that encourage people of all ages to become active participants in improving their neighborhoods and communities.

The arrival of the WNBA continues that vision by demonstrating how athletics can serve as another pathway to leadership, teamwork, and civic responsibility.

Home Court Becomes Center Stage

Most of the July 24 activities will take place inside Home Court, the Center’s 60,000-square-foot athletic facility.

Designed as a year-round community resource, Home Court includes a WNBA-regulation basketball court along with flexible spaces dedicated to youth programming, wellness initiatives, leadership development, and neighborhood events.

Its design makes it an ideal setting for the league’s expanding focus on community impact beyond competition.

A Full Day of All-Star Activities

The Obama Presidential Center will host several signature events on Friday, July 24.

The day begins with AT&T WNBA All-Star Media Day and Practice, marking the first time an official WNBA All-Star practice will be held at a venue dedicated to civic engagement and youth leadership.

The Center will also host the third annual WNBA Changemaker Day, bringing together the league’s Changemaker partners, including Ally, AT&T, AWS, CarMax, Deloitte, Google, and Nike. The initiative will be presented in collaboration with the Chicago Sky, Chicago Public Schools, and the Girls Opportunity Alliance, an initiative of The Obama Foundation.

Young athletes will also participate in Jr. WNBA Day, a full day of basketball instruction, leadership workshops, STEM activities, vision board creation, and other programming designed to inspire girls through sports, education, and personal development.

Additional details regarding Changemaker Day and other community activations are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Chicago Takes Center Stage

The Obama Presidential Center represents one stop during a weekend that will place Chicago at the center of the basketball world.

The State Farm WNBA 3-Point Contest and Kia WNBA Shooting Stars competition will be held Friday evening at Wintrust Arena, home of the Chicago Sky.

The 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game follows on Saturday, July 25, at the United Center.

Together, the events will showcase several of Chicago’s most recognizable venues while bringing thousands of visitors to neighborhoods throughout the city.

Continuing the Obamas’ Vision

The announcement builds upon the Obama Presidential Center’s mission of becoming an active gathering place rather than simply a destination for historical exhibits.

Throughout planning and construction, Barack and Michelle Obama emphasized that the Center would be a place where ordinary people could find inspiration to lead, organize, and strengthen their communities. That philosophy remains evident in the Center’s educational programming, public events, and partnerships.

Welcoming the WNBA as the first professional sports league to host official events on the campus represents another step toward fulfilling that vision.

For the league, the partnership reflects its continued commitment to expanding opportunities for young women while using basketball as a vehicle for education, leadership, and social impact.

For the Obama Presidential Center, it signals that the campus is already emerging as a national destination where sports, culture, education, and civic engagement intersect.

As thousands of fans gather in Chicago for All-Star Weekend, the Center’s first major partnership with a professional sports league may ultimately be remembered not only for the basketball played there, but for the next generation of leaders it seeks to inspire.

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SHADOW BALL: Learning More About Negro League History

By Ted Knorr | Memphis, TN | July 8, 2026

This week’s Shadow Ball focuses on my June 18-20 trip to Memphis for the 26th Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. Since its founding in 1998, this conference has remained the highlight of my baseball year. This year was no exception. In fact, it was one of the very best.

My Memphis experience began moments after stepping off the Amtrak train on June 18. I chose to walk the mile and a quarter to the conference hotel rather than call a cab or Uber. As anyone who has traveled to Memphis by train knows, one of the first historic landmarks encountered is the National Civil Rights Museum, housed at the former Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

Lorraine Motel Room 306 Where Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated – Photo by Milton Kirby

Dr. King had traveled to Memphis to support 1,300 Black sanitation workers who were striking after years of dangerous working conditions, poverty-level wages, and the city’s refusal to recognize their union. It was for such a noble cause that he met his death on April 4, 1968, while standing on the Lorraine Motel balcony.

As the familiar façade emerged through the Memphis morning mist, I stopped my walk and sat quietly in prayer for several minutes, reflecting on the events of that tragic day. It was a powerful reminder that history often feels much closer when standing where it happened.

By the time I arrived at the hotel, the conference’s opening session was already underway. The Educational Forum traditionally begins each Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference by bringing together visiting researchers and local educators to discuss ways of integrating the study of the Negro Leagues into K-12 and higher education history curricula. Anyone who teaches or lectures on Negro League history, regardless of the audience, can always find valuable ideas and techniques during these sessions.

After lunch, attendees boarded an inspiring bus tour of several civil rights and baseball sites that echoed the emotions of my morning walk through downtown Memphis. Stops included the Lorraine Motel, Mason Temple, where Dr. King delivered his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” Martin Stadium, business locations associated with Memphis baseball entrepreneurs, and finally Clayborn Temple, headquarters of the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike and the birthplace of the “I AM A MAN” movement.

The greatest surprise came at Clayborn Temple, where attendees learned that the church’s damaged condition was not simply the result of age. Much of the destruction was caused by a devastating arson fire in March 2025. It served as a sobering reminder that preserving history remains an ongoing responsibility. As Robert Frost wrote, “Miles to go before we sleep.”

Later that afternoon, we watched the outstanding 1996 documentary Black Diamonds Blues City, which beautifully captured the intersection of community, race relations, politics, music, and Negro League baseball in Memphis. Following dinner, conference attendees gathered for a meet-and-greet at the Ernest Withers Photography Museum in the heart of Beale Street. My morning walk, the documentary, and the evening stroll through Beale Street together created a fitting foundation for the next two days of the conference.

Friday featured the centerpiece of every Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. Nine Negro League researchers presented their latest work during a series of thirty-minute presentations covering subjects that ranged from player biographies and race relations to home run research, ballpark histories, and even poetry.

One of the highlights was a moving panel discussion featuring family members of Negro League greats Frank Duncan Jr., Frank Duncan III, Johnny Wright, and Larry Brown. Their personal stories reminded us that Negro League history is more than statistics and championships. It is also about families preserving the memories of remarkable men whose contributions deserve continued recognition.

After a full day of intellectual stimulation, attendees enjoyed an evening picnic before heading to AutoZone Park to watch the Memphis Redbirds, providing the perfect close to another memorable conference day.

My own contribution this year was a presentation examining Rap Dixon’s season in Japan, along with announcing the results of our annual attendee poll identifying the next ten Negro League players, managers, and pioneers who deserve induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The top ten vote-getters, all of whom have deserved induction for many years, were Cannonball Dick Redding, Rap Dixon, Vic Harris, Dick Lundy, Newt Allen, John Donaldson, Grant Johnson, George Scales, John Beckwith, and Candy Jim Taylor. An additional 36 candidates also received votes.

Inspired by everything we experienced in Memphis, SABR’s Negro League Committee should continue advocating for justice in Cooperstown. Why not begin by inducting these ten deserving players, managers, and pioneers when Negro League candidates become eligible again in December 2027?

The conference concluded Saturday with nine additional research presentations, the always-entertaining baseball Significa contest, and the annual awards banquet.

As I reflect on this year’s conference, I keep returning to the lessons Memphis teaches.

From slavery to the Civil Rights Movement, America’s racial history is on full display throughout the city. Yet Memphis also reminds visitors that the work of preserving history is never complete.

The same can be said of Cooperstown.

Throughout the National Baseball Hall of Fame, visitors find Negro League history woven into exhibits on nearly every floor, in countless displays, and throughout the museum. Yet the Hall of Fame plaque gallery tells a different story. There, 137 players whose Major League careers began during baseball’s segregation era have plaques, while only 28 Negro League players and executives have been inducted over the past two decades.

Just as there remains important work to be done in our society, there is also important work to be done in Cooperstown.

The Hall of Fame has an opportunity to continue correcting baseball’s historical record. It should begin by seriously considering the recommendation that emerged from this year’s conference and electing Redding, Dixon, Harris, Lundy, Allen, Donaldson, Johnson, Scales, Beckwith, and Taylor when Negro League candidates are next considered in December 2027.

Last Week’s Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week

What Negro League pennant-winning team played its home games at Dick Kent’s Ballyard?

The answer is the St. Louis Stars, who won the Negro National League pennants in 1928, 1930, and 1931 while playing their home games at Stars Park, also known as Dick Kent’s Ballyard.

No one submitted the correct answer.

This Week’s Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week

When was the last year that any Negro League players were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Please identify at least one player inducted that year.

Send your answer, along with your comments about the Negro Leagues, to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or mail them to:

Shadow Ball
3904 N. Druid Hills Road, Suite 179
Decatur, GA 30033

About the Author

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a respected Negro League baseball historian, a longtime member of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, and the founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. He has also organized numerous Negro League Commemorative Nights throughout central Pennsylvania.

Beyond his research and organizational work, Ted is a sought-after speaker at sporting events, community programs, family gatherings, and educational forums, where he brings Negro League history to life. His deep knowledge of the players, teams, and the cultural significance of Black baseball has made him a trusted voice for audiences seeking to better understand the enduring legacy of the Negro Leagues.

Please consider supporting open, independent journalism, no contribution is too small!

Unapologetically Influential

Atlanta’s most influential Black women in television, radio, print, and digital media reflected on leadership, legacy, and mentorship during the “Unapologetally Influential” panel discussion.

The Women Who Built Atlanta’s Black Media Legacy

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | July 7, 2026

Atlanta’s rise as the nation’s capital of Black culture did not happen by chance. While the city’s influence is often measured through politics, business, music, film, and professional sports, another force quietly helped shape its identity for generations: Black women in media.

Long before podcasts, livestreams, and social media influencers, pioneering women walked into television stations, radio studios, and newspaper offices where few people looked like them and even fewer expected them to succeed. They earned the public’s trust one broadcast, one headline, and one interview at a time. In doing so, they helped transform not only Atlanta’s media landscape but also the way an entire city saw itself.

That extraordinary legacy came into focus during the Atlanta Cultural Exchange’s “Unapologetically Influential” panel discussion, a gathering that celebrated the women whose careers helped define Atlanta’s media culture while inspiring those who will carry it into the future.

The panel brought together legendary broadcaster Monica Kaufman Pearson, veteran radio personality Joyce Littel, multimedia journalist Rashan Ali, Atlanta Voice Publisher Janis L. Ware, media strategist and journalist Dawn Montgomery, and award-winning broadcaster Liz Smith, who served as moderator.

Although each woman followed a different professional path, together they represented more than two centuries of journalism, broadcasting, publishing, entrepreneurship, and community leadership.

The conversation quickly became about something much larger than careers.

It became a conversation about legacy.

Building Atlanta’s Media Legacy

Throughout the afternoon, panelists reflected on how dramatically Atlanta has changed during their careers.

Today’s Atlanta is home to nationally recognized news organizations, influential Black-owned media companies, syndicated radio personalities, digital content creators, filmmakers, and cultural commentators whose work reaches audiences across the country.

But those opportunities were built by pioneers who entered an industry where few opportunities existed for women, particularly Black women.

Rather than focusing on personal accomplishments, the discussion repeatedly returned to a common theme: every generation has a responsibility to leave the profession stronger than it found it.

Atlanta’s Media Trailblazers

Monica Kaufman Pearson – Broke barriers in 1975 as the first woman and first African American to anchor the evening news at WSB-TV, becoming one of Georgia’s most trusted journalists over a 37-year career.

Jocelyn Dorsey – One of Atlanta television’s pioneering Black journalists whose work helped open newsroom doors for future generations while setting a standard for public affairs reporting and community engagement.

Joyce Littel – A respected Atlanta radio personality whose decades behind the microphone have informed, entertained, and mentored aspiring broadcasters.

Janis L. Ware – Publisher of The Atlanta Voice, preserving one of the nation’s historic Black-owned newspapers while leading its transformation into the digital age and championing community development throughout Atlanta.

Rashan Ali – A multimedia journalist whose career spans sports broadcasting, television, radio, acting, and digital media, reflecting the versatility of today’s media professionals.

Dawn Montgomery – A journalist, strategist, and cultural commentator whose work demonstrates the expanding role of storytelling across journalism, marketing, podcasting, and social commentary.

Liz Smith – An award-winning multimedia journalist and executive producer representing Atlanta’s next generation of influential media leadership across radio, television, streaming, and live events.

Jovita Moore – Remembered as one of Atlanta’s most beloved television anchors, whose professionalism, compassion, and community commitment inspired viewers and young journalists alike.

Remembering Those Who Opened the Door

One of the afternoon’s most meaningful moments came when Monica Kaufman Pearson reminded the audience that history is never created by one person alone.

She acknowledged veteran journalist Jocelyn Dorsey as the first Black news anchor in the Atlanta television market, recognizing one of the women whose groundbreaking work helped expand opportunities for those who followed.

It was a fitting reminder that Atlanta’s media story has always been one of shared progress rather than individual achievement.

The recognition also underscored an important truth often overlooked in conversations about success: every trailblazer once followed another pioneer.

“When I Started, I Didn’t See Black Anchors”

Following the panel discussion, The Truth Seekers Journal spoke with Pearson about the remarkable gathering of women whose careers collectively span nearly every chapter of modern Black media in Atlanta.

Reflecting on the beginning of her own career, Pearson recalled entering an industry where representation was almost nonexistent.

“When I started, I didn’t see Black anchors,” she said.

Rather than accepting those limitations, she chose to become the example she never had.

In 1975, Pearson made history when she became the first woman and the first African American to anchor the evening news at WSB-TV, beginning a remarkable 37-year career that would earn the trust of viewers throughout Georgia.

Her success demonstrated that excellence has the power to change institutions.

Knowing When to Go

Pearson also shared one of the most profound lessons she learned during her decades behind the anchor desk.

“Know when to go.”

The audience grew quiet.

Her advice was not about retirement.

It was about leadership.

Pearson explained that truly effective leaders understand that their responsibility extends beyond personal success. They must also create opportunities for those who follow.

By recognizing when it was time to leave the anchor desk, Pearson helped create space for another respected journalist to become a familiar face in Atlanta homes.

That opportunity allowed viewers to embrace the late Emmy Award-winning anchor Jovita Moore, whose warmth, professionalism, and deep commitment to community made her one of Atlanta’s most beloved broadcasters before her passing in 2021.

Pearson’s lesson extended far beyond journalism.

Leadership is measured not only by the barriers we break, but by the doors we leave open for others.

Every Platform, One Purpose

Although their careers developed in different decades and across different media, each panelist illustrated how journalism continues evolving while remaining grounded in the same core values.

Joyce Littel built one of Atlanta’s most respected careers in radio, using her voice to entertain audiences while encouraging and mentoring young broadcasters.

Janis L. Ware demonstrated that community journalism remains one of democracy’s most important institutions. Under her leadership, The Atlanta Voice has successfully evolved from a traditional newspaper into a modern multimedia news organization while remaining deeply rooted in serving Atlanta’s Black community. Her work in affordable housing, economic development, healthcare, and civic leadership reflects the belief that publishers should help strengthen the communities they cover.

Rashan Ali showed how modern journalists successfully move between television, sports broadcasting, acting, podcasting, and digital media without sacrificing credibility. Her career reflects the versatility demanded of today’s media professionals.

Dawn Montgomery offered another example of journalism’s evolution. Her career has crossed modeling, sports journalism, marketing, strategic communications, podcasting, and cultural commentary. Throughout those transitions, she has remained committed to authentic storytelling and using media as a vehicle for meaningful conversation.

Moderating the discussion was Liz Smith, whose own career represents the next chapter of Atlanta media. As an executive producer, radio personality, television host, and multimedia journalist, Smith embodies an industry where storytellers increasingly move seamlessly across radio, television, streaming platforms, podcasts, and live events.

Together, the women demonstrated that while technology changes, the mission of journalism remains remarkably consistent.

Serve the audience.

Tell the truth.

Earn trust.

More Than Media Personalities

One of the strongest themes to emerge from the discussion was that influence is not measured solely by ratings, readership, or followers.

Each woman described careers deeply connected to community service, mentorship, nonprofit leadership, civic engagement, and advocacy.

Their influence extends well beyond the newsroom.

Collectively, they have served on nonprofit boards, supported educational initiatives, championed healthcare awareness, mentored aspiring journalists, promoted economic development, strengthened neighborhoods, and used their platforms to elevate voices often overlooked by mainstream media.

For these women, journalism has never been simply a profession.

It has been public service.

The Legacy Reached Beyond the Stage

The conversation resonated just as strongly among those seated in the audience.

As attendees gathered following the discussion, many reflected on lessons that reached beyond media careers.

Taylor Dunn summed up the afternoon simply.

“It was an amazing panel, and I really enjoyed it.”

For Atlanta licensed esthetician Tasha, one lesson stood above all the others.

“Know when it’s time to go. Know when it’s your time to leave.”

Moments earlier, Pearson had offered nearly identical advice while describing her own career.

For Tasha, the message applied as much to business and life as it did to broadcasting.

Great leaders do not simply achieve success.

They prepare others to succeed after them.

A Legacy Still Being Written

Looking across the stage, it became clear that this was far more than another panel discussion.

These were not simply accomplished broadcasters, publishers, radio personalities, journalists, and media strategists.

They were women who helped shape how Atlanta tells its own story.

Individually, each forged a unique path through television, newspapers, radio, and digital media.

Collectively, they built something much larger than themselves.

They helped establish Atlanta as one of America’s most influential centers of Black journalism and media excellence.

The applause that filled the room at the close of “Unapologetically Influential” was not merely recognition of distinguished careers.

It was gratitude for doors opened.

Barriers broken.

Communities served.

And generations inspired.

As Atlanta’s media landscape continues to evolve, the technology will change. New platforms will emerge. Different voices will capture public attention.

But the standard established by these pioneering women remains unchanged.

Tell the truth.

Serve the community.

And never forget to leave the door open for the woman coming behind you.

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The Real AI Revolution: How Technology Is Rewriting Daily Life

AI is no longer a distant technology. It’s quietly reshaping daily life—guiding choices, filtering information, influencing work, learning, shopping, and trust. The real revolution is happening in ordinary routines, not futuristic labs.

By Florita Bell Griffin | Houston, TX | July 7, 2026

The real AI revolution is unfolding in a far more intimate way than many people first expected. Early public imagination placed artificial intelligence in laboratories, robotic machines, futuristic factories, and distant corporate research centers. Today its reach is far closer, quieter, and more powerful. AI is entering the spaces where ordinary life happens every day. It is shaping how people search for information, buy products, receive recommendations, complete paperwork, communicate with institutions, manage schedules, learn new things, and move through the digital systems that now surround almost every part of modern life.

That is why the real revolution is larger than a story about technical progress. It is a story about daily life being rewritten in real time. AI changes the way people encounter choices, the way they receive guidance, the way they spend attention, and the way they experience convenience. Its influence is spreading through routines that seem familiar, which makes the change easy to underestimate. Yet the most powerful shifts in society often arrive through ordinary habits rather than dramatic announcements.

One of the clearest signs of this rewrite appears in the way people now receive information. In an earlier digital world, users often had to search, compare, read, and sort through large volumes of material on their own. That process could be tedious, yet it kept people closer to the raw act of evaluating what they found. AI increasingly changes that relationship. It summarizes, ranks, recommends, predicts, and frames. Instead of simply opening a door to information, it begins arranging the room. It decides what rises to the top, what appears relevant, what seems urgent, and what fades into the background.

That shift matters because daily decisions grow out of the environments people see. When the environment is increasingly curated by predictive systems, the character of human judgment begins to change. A person still chooses, yet the shape of that choice is influenced by an intelligence layer working quietly in the background. This is one of the deepest ways AI is rewriting life. It changes the conditions under which thought takes place.

Work offers another powerful example. Across offices, schools, logistics systems, creative industries, customer service channels, financial operations, and research environments, AI is accelerating tasks that once required more time and labor. It drafts messages, organizes notes, summarizes meetings, analyzes documents, answers routine questions, and supports decision workflows. For many workers, this feels like a gain in speed and relief. Yet every gain in speed also changes expectations. Once a task can be completed faster, institutions begin recalibrating what counts as normal productivity. The result is that AI shapes work by changing pace, pressure, and standards as much as output itself.

That transformation reaches beyond professional settings. Family life is also being rewritten. AI now influences what children watch, what parents are shown online, what products families are encouraged to buy, and what kinds of answers emerge from search tools and digital assistants. Recommendation systems shape household routines with remarkable subtlety. Entertainment choices, educational prompts, shopping patterns, and even emotional tone can all be influenced by algorithmic systems tuned to predict what will hold attention. A household may feel as though it is simply enjoying convenience, while a far more complex process of behavioral shaping is taking place underneath.

Education is changing in similar ways. Students now live in a world where AI can explain concepts, generate practice material, summarize readings, offer writing assistance, and serve as a constant academic companion. This brings real benefits, especially for learners who need quick support or another pathway into a difficult idea. At the same time, education is about more than receiving answers. It is about building concentration, reasoning, memory, authorship, patience, and confidence. When AI enters learning environments, it changes the relationship between effort and outcome. That means the revolution touches the formation of the mind itself.

Consumer life may be the area where the rewrite is most visible. AI helps determine which products appear first, which prices are shown, which ads are served, which promotions feel personal, and which paths lead most smoothly toward a purchase. Shopping becomes more tailored, more responsive, and more predictive. A person may feel seen by the system because the system seems to understand preferences so quickly. Yet the deeper reality is that the marketplace is evolving from a place of display into a place of dynamic behavioral influence. AI is helping transform commerce into a living environment that learns, adjusts, and persuades continuously.

Healthcare, banking, transportation, and public services are also experiencing this shift. AI supports scheduling, triage, fraud detection, record management, route suggestions, screening systems, and prioritization tools. Many of these applications improve responsiveness and efficiency. Yet they also show how deeply the rewrite reaches. AI is entering the back-end structures that shape how people are processed, flagged, assisted, routed, or delayed. A person may never see the full system, yet the system may already be shaping the pace and quality of their experience.

Trust sits at the center of all of this. As AI becomes more fluent, polished, and responsive, it becomes easier for people to accept its outputs as authoritative. A system that speaks clearly and smoothly can feel competent even when its reasoning is partial or its perspective is narrow. That dynamic matters because everyday life depends on trust. People trust information systems, financial systems, educational systems, medical systems, and communication systems every single day. As AI becomes more embedded within them, the question of what deserves trust grows more urgent.

The real revolution, then, is about more than automation. It is about mediation. AI sits between people and information, between consumers and markets, between workers and institutions, between students and knowledge, between citizens and systems. It increasingly helps shape what is visible, what is recommended, what is rewarded, and what is treated as meaningful. Once a technology reaches that level of influence, it becomes part of the architecture of social life.

This is why public understanding matters so deeply. Many people still speak about AI as though it were mainly a future issue. In truth, it is already part of the lived present. It is reorganizing routines through search, media, shopping, learning, work, and administration. Its effects often feel incremental because they arrive through convenience rather than disruption. Yet accumulation has power. Hundreds of small changes across ordinary life can produce a profound social transformation.

The word revolution usually suggests spectacle. In the case of AI, the more accurate image is restructuring. Daily life is being reorganized by systems that predict, guide, rank, personalize, and respond at scale. Human beings still make choices, yet those choices increasingly arise inside environments shaped by machine intelligence. That is a major civilizational development because it changes how people encounter reality itself.

The real AI revolution deserves serious attention for that reason. It is rewriting daily life through tools that feel useful, familiar, and ordinary. It is changing how people work, learn, buy, trust, communicate, and decide. It is shifting influence into the hidden layers of modern systems, where guidance can shape behavior long before people realize how much has changed. That is the true scale of this moment. AI is rewriting daily life from the inside, and the future will be shaped by how clearly society understands the depth of that rewrite.

© 2026 Truth Seekers Journal. Published with permission from the author. All rights reserved.

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Kaiser Permanente Expands ‘Building for Impact’ in Atlanta, Connecting Minority Contractors to Growing Healthcare Projects

Kaiser Permanente’s “Building for Impact” initiative is reshaping Georgia’s construction market, signaling major healthcare expansion and new opportunities. Industry leaders stress that strategic preparation, strong relationships, and operational excellence will determine which contractors are ready to compete as demand and investment accelerate across the region. themselves for long term success.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | July 6, 2026

Earlier this spring, at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Kaiser Permanente convened contractors, developers, business leaders, and community partners to discuss what it will take to compete for more than $70 million in current and projected investments across Georgia. Although the meeting has ended, the message remains timely as healthcare construction and supplier opportunities continue to expand across the state.

As Kaiser Permanente grows its footprint in Georgia, its Building for Impact initiative is preparing businesses for more than the next construction project. It is challenging contractors to think strategically, strengthen their operations and position themselves for long-term success in one of the state’s fastest-growing sectors.

The central question echoed throughout the program was straightforward: Who will be ready when opportunity arrives?

According to speakers, the answer depends less on access and more on preparation.

A Growing Market with Real Stakes

Marc A. Love, Vice President of National Contracting Strategy for Kaiser Permanente, outlined more than $70 million in active and projected investments tied to construction, supplier development and facility expansion throughout the Atlanta region.

With more than 466,000 members in Georgia and continued growth expected, Kaiser Permanente signaled a steady pipeline of work tied to healthcare infrastructure and modernization. The organization is now serving the largest membership base in its Georgia history, driven by continued demand for its integrated model of care.

But speakers emphasized that access to those opportunities is not automatic.

“People buy from people,” consultant Reggie Williams told attendees. “They buy from those who bring value and meet performance expectations.”

Strategy, Not Just Survival

Earnest Ellis – Todd Gray – Jamila Veasley

Keynote speaker Earnest Ellis, president of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) and CEO of FS360, challenged attendees to rethink how they approach the construction business.

Ellis grounded his message in personal experience -growing up in an entrepreneurial family shaped by resilience and work ethic. His father, who lost his right arm in a farming accident and could not read or write, still outworked everyone around him. That example, Ellis said, removed any excuse to avoid hard challenges.

After careers at IBM, Verizon, and MCI, Ellis founded FS360 in 2008, his sixth entrepreneurial venture. Today, the firm operates in Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX, generating $35 million in net revenue in 2025 and delivering more than $270 million in completed work.

“Too many small businesses think tactically, just chasing the next contract,” Ellis said. “You have to think strategically. Pick your markets. Build expertise. Develop relationships that last.”

He underscored the urgency with industry realities:

  • 50% of businesses fail within five years
  • 65% fail within ten years
  • Underrepresented firms account for just 21% of construction companies despite representing 42% of the population

Still, Ellis framed the moment as one of opportunity.

“This is a $1.3 trillion industry,” he said. “And right now, it’s short more than 500,000 workers. There is more work than people to do it.”

He also emphasized purpose over pay, sharing that his Yale-educated son turned down a high-paying corporate career in favor of work he found meaningful.

“Excellence is what keeps us in business,” Ellis said.

Healthcare Construction Requires Precision

Elise Webster, Preconstruction Manager, WEBMyers Construction emphasized that healthcare construction carries a higher level of complexity than traditional projects.

“You’re building while people are being treated,” she explained. “That changes everything your schedule, your safety protocols, your coordination.”

Firms that can manage phased construction, infection control standards, and off-hour work schedules are better positioned for long-term opportunities in the healthcare sector.

Relationships Still Drive Opportunity

Despite formal initiatives like Building for Impact, speakers repeatedly stressed that relationships remain the foundation of the industry.

“It takes seven interactions to make an impression,” Ellis said. “One meeting won’t do it.”

Contractors were encouraged to stay engaged, complete Kaiser’s prequalification process, and remain visible even when contracts are not immediately awarded.

Persistence, not proximity, often determines success.

Community Impact Beyond Contracts

Kaiser leaders emphasized that the initiative extends beyond construction projects to broader community outcomes.

Jamila Veasley, Senior Director of Program Management and Strategy Execution, reinforced that vision.

“Who we build with and who we work with matters,” Veasley said. “What we do with Building for Impact supports more than individual projects – it supports economic empowerment, workforce development, and stronger communities.”

One example highlighted a project where a construction team used a local church as its operations base, renovating the space and paying above-market rent, leaving lasting value behind.

“This is what building for impact means,” Todd Gray said. “Not just projects, but community investment.”

Be Ready or Be Left Behind

The closing message was consistent across speakers: opportunity is expanding, but readiness will determine who benefits.

Contractors were urged to:

  • Strengthen internal systems and financial controls
  • Focus on specific market segments
  • Build relationships intentionally
  • Deliver consistent, high-quality work

Kaiser’s long-standing partnership with NAMC—spanning more than 15 years reflects a continued commitment to building capacity among minority contractors through training, networking, and strategic development.

As Georgia’s healthcare sector continues to grow, speakers agreed that success will belong to contractors who invest in relationships, build strong internal systems, and prepare long before opportunities arrive. For minority-owned businesses, the message was clear: the next major project may already be on the horizon, but readiness begins today.

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America at 250: The Distance Between Promise and Practice

By Richard Rose, President of Communities United for Justice | Atlanta, GA | July 6, 2026

As much of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, racial oppression of sub-Saharan Africa and Native descendants continues. The president leads a revival of hate with white evangelicals constituting the amen corner.   Although the bigotry-fueled oppressive conditions that have been systematically enforced upon black and brown American citizenry have diminished, “making progress” means that the destination of full citizenship has not been reached.

Even if “all men are created equal,” equal treatment under the law is yet a poet’s dream in the United States of America. Not only is the 250th American milestone celebrated without a commitment to fulfill the lofty words enshrined in the declarative document of 1776, the current White House occupant, assisted by a collection of sycophants, is intent on sharpening the swords of repression by usurping established policy and regulation that have slowly bent toward justice. 

The destruction of the Federal civil service system will allow a bigoted bloodbath of HBCU graduates who had more limited corporate opportunities in previous generations. Policies and regulations that denied Native Americans promised relief from 400 years of post-invasion genocidal conditions can be expected to be discarded. Treaties between the USA and various Native Tribes, not worth the paper written on, will remain empty promises of equity and respect. 

The welcoming nation described in Emma Lazarus’ sonnet is but a figment of righteous imagination.  Instead, we are the nation of my baby boomer childhood that was infested with declarations of white supremacy proclaiming,  “whites only” and “colored entrance.”  Executive orders have declared that neither poor nor huddled masses can find freedom on our shores. We are still that nation, without apology.

The states of the former Confederacy lead the way. Gerrymandering of legislative districts uses race flimsily disguised as political differentiation to reduce the voting power of non-whites with Black Americans as the bullseye. Redlining by banks, insurance companies and local councils maintain limited access to healthcare and other life essentials. Southern attitudes see no conflict with American patriotism and waving flags that celebrate the failed insurrection against America, commemorated with assembly-line Confederate soldiers in front of southern courthouses.

 Georgia is home to the largest shrine to white supremacy in the history of the world, yet thousands of Black men and women visit the surrounding park daily, having been acclimated to racial oppression through subliminal messaging such that obvious signs of hate and oppression have been normalized. The Civil War has not ended.  It’s cornerstone that “the negro is not equal to the white man” is still a presumption. 

Knowledge of our true American history can save us. Neither Columbus or anyone else could have discovered a land where millions already lived and thrived.  This fable supports the current myth that America belongs to the paleskins, that there was no American genocide that continues in a modified version, that the enslavement of stolen Africans does not have bearing on the poverty that infects Black communities and that our governments are not currently invested in bigotry. We can do better if we face the realities of America today.

The Declaration of Independence gave America its words. The next 250 years will reveal whether we have the courage to live them.

Dream Fall to Valkyries Despite Strong Individual Performances

Allisha Gray scored 22 points and Angel Reese posted her 14th double-double, but the Atlanta Dream fell 88-83 to the Golden State Valkyries on July 4.

Gray Scores 22, Reese Records 14th Double-Double as Atlanta Drops Season Series

By Milton Kirby | College Park, GA | July 4, 2026

The Atlanta Dream battled until the final buzzer Saturday afternoon but came up just short, falling 88-83 to the Golden State Valkyries at Gateway Center Arena @ College Park.

The loss completed a season sweep for the expansion Valkyries, who improved to 4-2 all-time against Atlanta. The Dream dropped to 2-4 in the series despite another strong afternoon from Allisha Gray, Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard.

Atlanta also unveiled a new starting lineup featuring Jordin Canada, Gray, Howard, Isobel Borlase and Reese. The game marked the first WNBA career start for Borlase as Head Coach Karl Smesko continued evaluating new lineup combinations entering the second half of the season.

Turning Point

The Dream stayed within striking distance throughout much of the afternoon, but Golden State delivered the game’s biggest plays in the closing minutes. Every time Atlanta threatened to erase the deficit, the Valkyries answered with timely baskets and defensive stops to preserve the victory.

Gray Continues Her All-Star Campaign

Gray once again led Atlanta offensively, scoring a game-high 22 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and a steal. The performance marked her eighth game this season with at least 20 points, continuing one of the most consistent scoring seasons in the WNBA.

Howard provided another steady performance with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists, giving the Dream a reliable scoring option throughout the contest.

Rhyne Howard 10 drives against Kaila Charles 6 – Courtesy photo

Reese Keeps Making History

Angel Reese continued her remarkable sophomore season by recording her 14th double-double of the year with 17 points and 13 rebounds. She also contributed three assists and two steals while controlling the glass and creating second-chance opportunities for Atlanta.

Reese’s relentless rebounding and defensive energy kept the Dream within reach throughout the afternoon, even as Golden State maintained its lead late in the game.

Okot Provides the Spark

Center Madina Okot delivered one of Atlanta’s most efficient performances of the season.

Okot scored 11 points while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, providing an important offensive lift off the bench.

Canada continued directing Atlanta’s offense with poise, finishing with seven points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals. The performance marked her 18th game this season with at least five assists.

A New Lineup Takes Shape

Saturday’s game offered Atlanta its first extended look at a new starting five.

Although the lineup fell to 0-1 together, Borlase’s first career start and the continued production from Gray, Howard, Reese and Canada provided encouraging signs as the Dream continue searching for the right combinations heading into the second half of the season.

What It Means

While the loss was disappointing, Atlanta’s core continues to produce at a high level. Gray remains one of the league’s most dependable scorers, Reese continues to pile up double-doubles, Howard delivers consistent two-way production, and Canada remains the catalyst for the Dream offense.

If the new starting lineup develops chemistry over the coming weeks, Saturday’s performance could prove to be an important step in Atlanta’s evolution.

Looking Ahead

The Dream will look to regroup and return to the win column as they continue their push through the second half of the WNBA season.

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A Celebration of Hope Inspires Birmingham’s Community Conversation on Lung Cancer

By Milton Kirby | Birmingham, AL | July 4, 2026

When Francina Morales rang the celebration bell at Birmingham’s Kirkland Clinic, the sound marked more than the end of her final chemotherapy treatment. It celebrated another milestone in an ongoing fight against lung cancer and offered hope to others facing the same uncertain road.

Surrounded by members of her medical team, family and friends, Morales celebrated completing chemotherapy just four months after surgeons removed most of her right lung because of lung cancer. While her treatment journey continues with twelve months of immunotherapy, she chose to share her experience publicly to encourage others to recognize symptoms early, seek medical attention and never lose hope.

Since recording that message, Morales has completed her immunotherapy, marking another significant milestone in her cancer journey.

“This is me at Kirkland Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, ringing the Celebration Bell,” Morales said in a video shared following her final chemotherapy treatment. “I just finished my last round of chemo, and it is cause for celebration.”

Her story reflects the message organizers hope will resonate throughout Lung Cancer Screening to Treatment 2.0: A Community Conversation on Lung Cancer, a free educational forum scheduled for Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at The Purpose Center at Dannon, 2324 Fifth Avenue North in Birmingham.

Hosted by HEAL Collaborative in partnership with Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and supported by Amgen, the event will bring together physicians, researchers, patients, caregivers and community advocates to discuss lung cancer screening, advances in treatment and resources available to families throughout Alabama.

A Diagnosis She Never Expected

Morales says one of the biggest misconceptions about lung cancer is that it only affects smokers.

She never smoked.

Yet she found herself confronting a diagnosis that required major surgery, chemotherapy and ongoing immunotherapy.

Before doctors discovered the cancer, Morales experienced several symptoms that she now encourages others not to ignore, including extreme shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, pain in her leg, loss of appetite and pain in her side.

“I was never a smoker,” she said. “I am sharing this now to encourage smokers to stop smoking because your odds are greater than a non-smoker like me. Believe me. You do not want this.”

Her experience reinforces one of the central messages physicians and patient advocates have emphasized throughout HEAL Collaborative’s educational campaign: anyone with lungs can develop lung cancer.

Although smoking remains the leading risk factor, doctors say lung cancer can also occur in people who have never smoked, making awareness of symptoms and appropriate screening critically important.

Turning Experience Into Education

Howard Mosby, chief operating officer of HEAL Collaborative, said community conversations like the July 18 forum are designed to connect medical expertise with the real-life experiences of patients and families.

“Far too many lives are lost because lung cancer is diagnosed too late,” Mosby said. “This community conversation is about bringing trusted experts and lived experiences together to help people understand their risk, navigate available resources and ultimately save lives.”

Throughout the morning, nationally recognized physicians, researchers and patient advocates will discuss lung cancer screening, biomarker testing, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, mental health, veterans’ lung health and financial resources available to patients and families.

Organizers hope participants leave with practical information, greater confidence and a better understanding of how early detection and informed decision-making can improve outcomes.

Finding Strength in the Journey

Morales acknowledges that cancer affects far more than the body.

“It is the master of stress, anxiety and depression,” she said. “Knowing that there is something inside your body trying to kill you.”

Even so, her message remains one of gratitude and hope.

She thanked God for guiding her surgeons through a successful operation and expressed appreciation for the healthcare professionals, friends and family members who have supported her throughout treatment, including her son, Joseph Bryant, her sister Carolyn Bailey-Fain, cousin Willie Fedrick, Cynthia Davis-Lockhart and Dorothy Baxter.

Having completed immunotherapy and rung the bell, Morales hopes others will listen carefully when their bodies signal that something may be wrong.

“Early detection can make all the difference,” she said.

Stories That Save Lives

Joseph Bryant, Morales’ son and one of the community leaders participating in the July 18 forum, believes personal experiences often reach people more deeply than statistics alone.

“You can talk about clinical facts all day, but nothing reaches people like hearing from those who’ve actually lived through cancer and found a way to overcome it,” Bryant said. “Seeing real people who’ve been touched by cancer and are still living their lives to the fullest is the strongest message we can give the community.”

For Morales, ringing the celebration bell marked the completion of one important chapter.

The next chapter of Morales’ journey has already begun. Having completed surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, she now hopes her experience will encourage others to pay attention to their health, seek medical care when symptoms appear, and remember that a lung cancer diagnosis is not the end of the story.

The July 18 Community Conversation on Lung Cancer is free and open to the public. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., and lunch will be provided. Organizers encourage residents, caregivers and families to attend, ask questions and learn more about the resources available to help prevent, detect and treat lung cancer.

Related articles

Part I – “Anyone With Lungs”: Understanding the Hidden Realities of Lung Cancer

Part II – “Your Lungs Are Talking”: How the Respiratory System Works – and What It Tells Us

Part III – “From Awareness to Action”: Communities Confront Lung Cancer Together

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Are African American Millennials and Gen Zers Too Busy Partying While Democracy Burns?

By Lola Renegade | Atlanta, GA | June 25, 2026

Too many Black Millennials and Gen Zers are partying, twerking, and shopping us back into slavery all while being distracted by an endless parade of entertainment, celebrity culture, social media validation, consumerism, and moments of performative outrage when another Black man or woman is gunned down by the police. Seemingly, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are long forgotten.

And it’s not just them. Many older African Americans are also sleepwalking through one of the most consequential political, economic, and social moments in modern American history. They are so afraid of white folks they will not embrace messages of liberation. Those that are doing nothing now did not do anything earlier in their lives. Once an activist, always an activist.

While our ancestors risked their lives to learn to read, register to vote, own property, attend school, challenge segregation, and secure opportunities for future generations, many of our young are being encouraged to invest their time, attention, and resources elsewhere. Social media algorithms reward spectacle over substance. Celebrity culture celebrates consumption over joining those of us who continue the fight. Influencers teach them how to go viral but rarely how to build institutions, organize communities, create businesses,  acquire political power, or defend democracy.

At the very moment when voting rights are under attack, economic inequality is widening, public education is being politicized, healthcare remains unevenly accessible, and democratic institutions face mounting challenges, millions are being sold a different vision of success. They are encouraged to pursue likes, followers, luxury brands, designer labels, sports betting, slave chains around their necks, expensive vacations, strip clubs, and temporary fame. They are taught to consume, react, and entertain rather than take on and disrupt the negative forces shaping all of our futures.

Too many African Americans of all ages have become spectators in a struggle that demands participants. While powerful interests debate voting rights, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, public education, and the future of democracy itself, voter turnout remains inconsistent, particularly in local elections where decisions affecting schools, housing, policing, economic development, healthcare, and public safety are actually made. So many of our young people know the lyrics to every trending song but cannot name their city council member, county commissioner, state representative, state senator, school board member, or congressional representative.  They know who is dating whom, who is feuding with whom, and who released the latest album, yet remain uninformed about legislation that directly affects our communities, our children, and our economic futures.

This conversation must also include the influence of portions of modern rap culture. Not all hip-hop is destructive. Hip-hop has produced extraordinary artists, scholars, entrepreneurs, activists, storytellers, and visionaries who have illuminated the Black experience with honesty, creativity, and brilliance. However, it is equally true that some of the most celebrated figures in popular culture built their brands glorifying drug dealing, violence, misogyny, hyper-materialism, and self-destruction. Many proudly recount how they sold drugs in Black neighborhoods to anyone willing to buy them, helping fuel addiction, family instability, incarceration, and despair in communities already struggling under the weight of poverty, discrimination, and disinvestment. The very activities that damaged neighborhoods became the foundation of entertainment empires worth millions and billions of dollars. Meanwhile, the communities left behind continue to bear the social and economic consequences. They helped the colonizers destroy our families and communities. 

The irony is painful. Previous generations marched so that we could vote. They risked their lives so that we could attend integrated schools, go through the front doors of establishments, sit in whatever seats were available, use any bathrooms, and stay in any hotel. They endured beatings, arrests, police dogs, fire hoses, bombings, economic retaliation, imprisonment, and even death so that future generations would have opportunities they never enjoyed.

Yet too often our younger generations behave as though freedom is permanent, democracy is on auto-renewal and is self-sustaining, and that progress is inevitable. Many consume the sacrifices of our ancestors without investing in the future of our descendants. They enjoy rights they did not earn while failing to protect them for those who will come after them. They spend billions of dollars each year on entertainment and consumption while too many schools struggle, too many worthy Black-founded nonprofits close for lack of funding, too many neighborhoods decline, too many young people lack mentors, and too many families remain economically vulnerable.

There is nothing wrong with partying and enjoying the life you have built. There is nothing wrong with enjoying music, fashion, sports, nightlife, or entertainment. Black joy has always been a form of resistance and survival. Our music, humor, creativity, and culture have sustained us through slavery, segregation, Jim and Jane Crow, discrimination, and injustice. The danger arises when entertainment becomes your primary identity, when consumption replaces solid citizenship, when celebrity replaces leadership, and when distraction becomes a substitute for civic engagement.

History has never been changed by those who were merely entertained by it. History is changed by those willing to organize, vote, build institutions, create businesses, educate children, mentor youth, challenge injustice, and make sacrifices for causes greater than themselves. Frederick Douglass did not free himself and speak out against slavery through entertainment. Harriet Tubman did not lead enslaved people to freedom through social media influence or how many likes she received from the plantations’ cottonfields. The Freedom Riders did not board buses headed into danger because it was convenient. All of them acted because history called and they unselfishly answered.

The question before Black Millennials and Generation Z is not whether they deserve to party. The question is whether they will party and still answer history’s call. The question is whether they can enjoy life while remaining committed to protecting democracy, strengthening communities, building wealth, educating children, supporting institutions, and defending freedoms won through the sacrifices of those who came before them.

One day, future generations will read about what all of us did with the freedom we inherited. They will not ask how many followers were accumulated, how many luxury vehicles owned, how many concerts attended, how many viral videos created, how many nights spent in clubs, or how many designer labels filled closets.

They will ask whether we strengthened democracy or weakened it. They will ask whether we expanded opportunity or merely consumed it. They will ask whether we invested in future generations or focused exclusively on ourselves.

Perhaps the most haunting and powerful question they will ask is, “What were you all doing when democracy was whipped beyond recognition, burned on a cross, and hung on a tree?” 

Dream Rally Falls Short as Valkyries End Atlanta’s Four-Game Winning Streak

The Atlanta Dream erased a 26-point deficit before falling to the Golden State Valkyries. Madina Okot and Angel Reese led Atlanta’s determined fourth-quarter comeback.

By Milton Kirby | San Francisco, CA. | June 25, 2026

The Atlanta Dream nearly turned one of their toughest nights of the season into one of their most memorable comebacks.

After trailing by as many as 26 points, Atlanta mounted a determined fourth-quarter rally before falling 77-66 to the Golden State Valkyries Wednesday night at Chase Center. The loss snapped the Dream’s four-game winning streak and evened the season series between the teams at 2-2.

For much of the night, the Dream struggled to find their offensive rhythm. But a spirited comeback led by Atlanta’s bench nearly erased what once looked like an insurmountable deficit.

“We brought in players off the bench, and that gave us a lot of energy,” Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said. “We made a run that got us back in the game and gave us a chance to try to pull something off. Give the Valkyries credit. They hit a couple of 3-pointers to close it out.”

Slow Start Creates a Steep Climb

Atlanta Dream Reese helps Canada to her feet -Courtesy photo

Atlanta’s starting lineup of Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon, and Angel Reese entered the game with an impressive 12-4 record together. Early on, however, the offense never found its usual rhythm.

The Dream scored on their first three possessions before cooling off dramatically. Atlanta finished the first half with just 27 points while shooting 30.3 percent from the field and making only one of its first 10 attempts from three-point range.

Golden State took advantage, connecting on 55.2 percent of its shots and 53.3 percent from beyond the arc to build a lead that eventually reached 26 points.

Atlanta’s challenge became even greater in the third quarter when Allisha Gray left the game with an upper-body injury after scoring eight points. The team did not immediately provide an update on her condition.

“We got the shots we wanted,” Angel Reese said. “We just didn’t hit them tonight.”

Bench Provides the Spark

Just when the game appeared out of reach, Atlanta’s reserves breathed life back into the contest.

Opening the fourth quarter with fresh energy, the Dream held Golden State scoreless for more than five minutes while putting together a 21-6 run that trimmed the deficit to 10 points. Atlanta shot an efficient 10-for-15 during the quarter while scoring 26 points, its highest output of the night.

The bench contributed 22 points and supplied the defensive intensity that fueled the comeback. Indya Nivar and Sika Kone each finished with a team-best plus-14 rating, the only positive plus-minus performances for Atlanta.

Although the comeback ultimately fell short, it showcased the resilience that has become a trademark of this Dream team.

Okot Continues to Grow

Center Madina Okot continued her impressive stretch of play, leading Atlanta with 16 points while adding five rebounds and one assist. It marked her second consecutive double-digit scoring performance.

“It’s just staying ready and being ready whenever my team needs me,” Okot said. “Bringing whatever I have to help my team win.”

Her play helped Atlanta dominate several key statistical categories despite the loss.

The Dream outscored Golden State 42-22 in the paint, won the rebounding battle 34-32, and held an 18-2 advantage in fast-break points. Those efforts were not enough to overcome the Dream’s cold shooting and the Valkyries’ hot hand from long distance.

Reese Extends Double-Double Streak

Atlanta Dream Jordin Canada defended by Golden State Valkyries Gabby Willians – Courtesy photo

Angel Reese continued another remarkable chapter in her rookie season by recording her 11th double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

Rhyne Howard added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block while playing a team-high 31 minutes.

Canada finished with eight points, four rebounds, and two assists before the final horn.

The loss leaves Atlanta 2-2 all-time against Golden State, including a 1-1 record on the road.

Quick Opportunity to Respond

The Dream will not have to wait long for another opportunity.

Atlanta returns to Chase Center on Friday night for an immediate rematch with the Valkyries, giving the Dream a chance to split the two-game road series and regain the momentum that fueled its recent four-game winning streak.

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The Unfinished Journey: Why We Commemorate Juneteenth—NOT THE FOURTH OF JULY

Dr. Marilyn Barnett Waters | Atlanta, GA | June 25, 2026 |

To truly understand why we must speak directly to our truth today, we have to look back to July 4, 1776. While the founders of this nation penned grand words about unalienable rights and liberty, those words rang hollow for the hundreds of thousands of African Americans held in brutal, systemic bondage. We were enslaved people.  (Listen to Frederick Douglas’ Speech on the Fourth of July)

The American Revolution was not a war for black liberation; in fact, the promise of freedom often wore a British uniform. Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation of 1775 and the Philipsburg Proclamation of 1779 offered liberty to any enslaved person who fled their rebel masters to fight for the Crown. Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of African Americans risked everything to escape behind British lines, seeking the freedom America denied them. For our ancestors, the Fourth of July was a day that marked the birth of a nation built on their unrequited labor.

True freedom did not arrive with a single declaration, nor did it end when the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their emancipation on June 19, 1865—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Because of this long, painful delay, Juneteenth is not a holiday for simple celebration; it is a sacred day of commemoration. It is a time to remember that freedom was delayed then, just as justice is delayed now.

From the broken promises of Reconstruction and the terror of Jim Crow lynchings, to the systemic barriers we still confront in 2026, our struggle for true equality has never ceased. Today, we are witnessing a profound cultural and political pushback—an intentional effort to rewrite our history, ban our books, stop us from voting, and silence our truths. By choosing to commemorate Juneteenth, we honor the resilient spirits of those who fought before us, we acknowledge the chains that were broken, and we fiercely confront the modern struggles we still face as America works even now to celebrate its 250-year Anniversary.  We speak directly to this truth because a community that remembers its past cannot be stripped of its future.  We must wake up to this truth.

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