Truth Seekers Journal

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

By Milton Kirby | St. Louis, MO | June 5, 2026

Series: Lungs, Lives, and Lessons — Part I

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in America, yet many people still struggle to talk about it openly.

For decades, public understanding of lung cancer has been shaped by silence, stigma, and a persistent misconception: that only smokers get the disease. Physicians, survivors, and community health advocates preparing for a St. Louis symposium say that belief has delayed diagnoses and prevented too many people from recognizing their own risk.

As the HEAL Collaborative prepares for the June 27 community symposium, “Lung Cancer Screening to Treatment 2.0,” local partners Five Star Center, Inc. and Southside Wellness Center are helping connect residents to the conversation. The event will be held at the International Institute of St. Louis and is supported by Amgen. Together, those efforts are focused on one message above all others:

“Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.”

It is a simple statement, but one that challenges decades of misunderstanding surrounding one of America’s most lethal diseases.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, claiming more lives each year than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined. Yet despite its impact, awareness surrounding lung cancer risk, symptoms, and screening remains dangerously uneven, particularly in underserved communities.

Many people still believe they are not at risk.

Others delay seeking care because they fear what a diagnosis might mean.

And some never discuss symptoms at all until the disease has already advanced.

For those involved in the St. Louis symposium, changing that reality begins with changing the conversation itself.

More Than One Cause

Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, accounting for approximately 90 percent of cases. But medical experts stress that smoking is not the only risk factor, and not the only story.

Exposure to radon gas, secondhand smoke, air pollution, asbestos, uranium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, and certain petroleum products can all increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer. Genetic history can also play a role, even for individuals who have never smoked a cigarette.

In many cases, exposure may have occurred decades earlier through industrial work environments, household conditions, or long-term environmental exposure.

For some families, the danger was never fully understood at the time.

That complexity is one reason health advocates say public education remains critical.

“Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer” is not simply a slogan for the symposium. It is a direct challenge to the misconception that only one type of person develops the disease.

The reality, health advocates say, is far broader and far more personal.

The Disease That Often Hides

One of the greatest dangers of lung cancer is that symptoms frequently appear late.

By the time warning signs become impossible to ignore, the disease may already have spread beyond the lungs, making treatment more difficult and survival rates lower.

Early symptoms can also resemble ordinary health problems people routinely dismiss:

• a lingering cough
• shortness of breath
• chest tightness
• chronic mucus production
• wheezing
• unexplained chest pain
• coughing up blood

Sometimes people assume breathing difficulties are simply part of aging. Others attribute persistent coughing to allergies, smoking history, or seasonal illness.

But health advocates warn that ignoring those symptoms can carry serious consequences.

That is one reason the St. Louis symposium will focus heavily on education, awareness, and screening eligibility conversations designed to help residents better understand when medical evaluation may be necessary.

While low-dose CT screenings themselves will not be conducted onsite, health professionals will be available to help attendees understand screening eligibility and connect attendees with additional healthcare resources and follow-up pathways.

“The goal is not to frighten people,” said Rachael Jones, Regional Director of Community Outreach and Advocacy Engagement for the HEAL Collaborative. “The goal is to make people aware of the resources available to help them access screening, understand their risk, and seek treatment early if needed.”

It is to encourage earlier conversations before symptoms become life threatening.

The Weight of Stigma

Early detection results in better outcomes.

Lung cancer carries a unique stigma that many survivors and families say separates it from other major diseases.

Patients are often asked one question almost immediately after revealing their diagnosis:

“Did you smoke?”

For some families, that question can feel less like concern and more like blame.

Advocates say that stigma has real consequences. It can discourage people from seeking screening, delay medical appointments, and isolate patients emotionally during treatment.

Some individuals avoid discussing symptoms because they fear judgment.

Others incorrectly assume that if they never smoked, they are automatically safe.

The result is that misinformation and silence continue to shape public understanding of the disease.

Health advocates behind the St. Louis symposium hope to confront those misconceptions directly by creating a space where residents can ask questions openly, hear from survivors, and receive information without shame or fear.

The event is expected to bring together physicians, advocates, survivors, and approximately 150 community members for discussions focused on screening awareness, navigation support, treatment conversations, and the future of lung cancer care.

Two to three survivor speakers are also expected to participate, helping personalize a disease that statistics alone often fail to fully explain.

Why St. Louis Matters

According to the HEAL Collaborative, St. Louis was selected intentionally.

St Louis faces significant healthcare disparities

The June 27 symposium marks the collaborative’s second visit to St. Louis. At the previous event, 87 community members attended and seven were identified as eligible for lung cancer screening. Health advocates say those figures demonstrate both the value and the challenge of community outreach: every person connected to potentially life-saving information matters, yet many residents who could benefit from screening information and healthcare navigation services may still remain unreached.

Like many American cities, St. Louis continues to face significant healthcare disparities tied to access, economics, environmental exposure, and long-standing inequities in medical outcomes.

Black and Brown communities in particular often experience lower screening rates and poorer lung cancer survival outcomes.

Those disparities are part of the reason health advocates believe community-based education efforts remain so important.

Events like “Lung Cancer Screening to Treatment 2.0” are designed not only to raise awareness, but also to help close gaps in information and access before diagnoses become more severe.

The symposium will include conversations on pulmonology care, navigation support, medical debt, the role of artificial intelligence in future lung cancer treatment, and the impact stigma can have on care and outcomes.

Lunch will be provided, and organizers say the free event is intended to be welcoming, accessible, and community centered.

At its core, the symposium is built around a belief that education itself can become a form of prevention.

A Conversation That Cannot Wait

For many Americans, lung cancer remains something that happens to “other people.”

But advocates say that perception continues to cost lives.

Part I of this three-part series begins with the misconceptions because health advocates believe understanding risk is the first step toward improving outcomes.

In Part II, we will look deeper inside the lungs themselves, exploring how lung cancer develops, how symptoms are often overlooked, and why early detection can dramatically improve survival chances.

For now, the message symposium leaders hope residents carry with them is straightforward:

Lung cancer is not simply a smoker’s disease.

It is a human disease.

And it is one communities can no longer afford to ignore.

For more information HEAL Collaborative

To Register

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

Global Grub Alley to Turn Walton Street Into a World Cup Food Haven

Atlanta’s Global Grub Alley turns Walton Street into a vibrant food truck corridor for FIFA World Cup 2026™, spotlighting local flavors and small business culture.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 31, 2026

When the FIFA World Cup 2026™ arrives in Atlanta, the city’s streets will serve up more than soccer fever. They’ll serve food — and plenty of it.

Showcase Atlanta and the Food Truck Association of Georgia (FTAG) have announced Global Grub Alley, a pedestrian‑only food truck corridor that will transform Walton Street into a culinary destination for every match day and the day before each game. The activation will feature 20 to 30 Atlanta‑area food trucks operating daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., stretching a quarter‑mile between Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Broad Street.

The corridor, just steps from the official FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park, will be free and open to the public — no ticket required. Fans walking between the park and Mercedes‑Benz Stadium will pass directly through the food truck zone, creating a seamless connection between the city’s global celebration and its local flavor.

“Atlanta food trucks have been asking for this kind of moment for years,” said Kelsey Maynor, Director of Small Business Engagement for Showcase Atlanta. “Global Grub Alley puts our small business owners and our food culture on the street, next to the biggest stage in the world. You will not need a ticket to be a part of it. You will just need to be hungry.”

Atlanta will host eight World Cup matches, meaning sixteen days of Global Grub Alley activity spread across the tournament. The initiative is part of Showcase Atlanta’s broader strategy to ensure that major global events — including the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Super Bowl — leave lasting opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

FTAG will manage vendor selection and compliance through Street Food Finder, the industry‑standard scheduling platform.

“Our members are some of the most resilient small business owners in this state,” said Montrella Rhodes, FTAG Administrator. “A truck on Walton Street in front of a global audience is a truck whose phone keeps ringing in 2027 and 2028.”

Among the early participants is Wing Kingh Food Truck, whose owner Sherman Gartrell sees the event as more than a business opportunity.

“For us, this is about bringing people together through great flavors, culture, and hospitality,” Gartrell said. “Global Grub Alley helps food truck businesses gain valuable exposure and build lasting relationships.”

Vendor applications are now open, with priority given to FTAG members. Trucks must meet Georgia permitting and compliance requirements. A full lineup will be released closer to match dates at streetfoodfinder.com/global-grub-alley.

If You Go

Location: Walton Street between Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Broad Street
Hours: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., all match days and the day before each match
Cost: Free entry; pay per item at each truck
Accessibility: Street‑level access, portable restrooms on site
Transit: MARTA’s GWCC/CNN Center and Five Points stations within walking distance

Global Grub Alley promises to be more than a food event — it’s a statement of Atlanta’s identity: a city where global celebration meets local flavor, and where small businesses stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the world’s biggest stage.

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Black Women Nannies and White Babies: Loving, Nurturing, and Caring for the Children Who May One Day Grow Up to Hate You Simply Because of the Color of Your Skin

By Lola Renegade | Atlanta, GA | May 30, 2026 |

A couple of days ago, while visiting the Atlanta History Center with my great niece and nephew – my proxy grandchildren – I noticed something that stayed with me long after I left.

Everywhere I turned, I saw several Black women caring for little white children.

Some carried babies on their hips. Others pushed strollers through the museum corridors and gardens. Some held tiny white hands as curious toddlers wandered through exhibits laughing, pointing, and exploring the world with complete innocence and trust.

At first, seeing one Black nanny seemed unremarkable.

But after witnessing it again and again, I felt history pressing against and piercing my spirit. I found myself thinking, “I know this story personally.”

I recall my mother, along with several of my aunts, and countless other Black women, worked as domestics in Mississippi during the brutal decades of Jim and Jane Crow throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. They cared for white children whose parents were often half their age or younger, and eventually the children themselves, called them by their first names, as though these grown Black women were perpetual children themselves, undeserving of the dignity and respect automatically granted to white adults.

In the South of that era, Black women and men were rarely addressed with basic respect. White children were taught early that Black adults – even elderly Black adults – did not deserve titles such as “Miss,” “Mrs.,” or “Mr.”

Imagine the psychological violence and trauma of that. Imagine helping to raise a child, pouring love, patience, and tenderness into their life, only to see many grow into adults who embraced the same prejudices, racial hatred, and moral corrosion that had been passed down to them for generations by grandparents, parents, institutions, and an America determined to preserve racial hierarchy.

What greater tragedy is there than witnessing a child’s humanity slowly poisoned by the very parents entrusted to nurture it?

We have Child Protective Services (CPS) to rescue children from physical abuse, neglect, and dangerous homes. But who rescues children from inherited hatred? Who intervenes when racism, bigotry, and dehumanization become family heirlooms passed from one generation to the next?

Where is CPS when a child’s conscience is being corrupted, their empathy diminished, and their humanity stolen by the very parents, grandparents, and trusted adults charged with shaping their moral character?

Shouldn’t society be equally concerned and ready to remove children from their homes when they are taught to hate, fear, and to devalue the humanity of others?

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of racism is not only the damage it inflicts upon its victims, but the moral injury it inflicts upon the children taught to carry it forward. Teaching a child to hate another human being, not only diminishes the humanity of the hated, but also the humanity of the hater.

It was witnessing my mother and other Black women navigate those humiliations that shaped me in ways I did not fully understand at the time. Even as a child, I made a vow to myself: no matter how poor, hungry, or desperate I might ever become, I would never become a domestic worker for white America. In the words of singer Lou Rawls, “I’d rather drink muddy water and sleep out in a hollow log.”

The relationship between Black women and white children in America did not begin with modern-day nannies or domestic workers. Its roots stretch back into slavery itself, when kidnapped, enslaved Black women were often forced to nurse white babies from their breasts while their own children waited nearby, sometimes hungry, neglected, or handed off to others. Few images capture the emotional and moral contradictions of America more painfully than a Black mother coerced to using her body to nourish the child of those who claimed ownership over her body, her humanity.

That contradiction has echoed through generations of Black women in America. What struck me most at the museum was not simply the presence of Black nannies caring for white children. It was the realization that, despite all America’s claims about progress, its incestuous kinship to slavery still exists in painfully familiar ways.

At The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, I have met several young Black women – brilliant, highly educated, accomplished women with advanced degrees – who lost professional opportunities during the chaos, instability, and cruelty unleashed within the early months of President Donald Trump’s attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In fact, it is stated that more than 300,000 Black women lost their jobs within the first few months under this racist, tyrannical administration. One can safely bet that if America stated that number, double it. This nation has long suffered from a pathology of lies – sanitizing and erasing its history, minimizing its crimes, and demanding the oppressed to forget what these modern-day robber barons would rather not remember.

Some of these young women now work as nannies for affluent white families, not because they lack intelligence, ambition, or qualifications, but because survival leaves little room for pride. Mortgages and rents still have to be paid, car notes still arrive, and student loans still demand payment.

I understand that for many survival does not and cannot wait for justice. It never has and it never will. Especially, if you are waiting for justice to live in America with any chance of longevity. And so these women, extraordinarily gifted beyond measure, have found themselves stepping into one of the oldest labor roles historically assigned to Black women in America: caring for white children.

That reality forced me to think differently about one of Trump’s most infamous statements during the presidential campaign when he warned Black Americans about immigrants “taking your Black jobs.” At the time, many dismissed the statement as ignorance, racism, or political theater from the man who would soon become one of America’s most corrupt, greedy, heartless, stupid, ignorant, morally and intellectually bankrupt presidents. But perhaps there was an uncomfortable historical truth buried inside that language. Because throughout American history, some of the “Black jobs” this country has consistently reserved for Black women have involved caregiving, domestic labor, emotional labor, and service to white families.

America’s and Trump’s replacements for our best and brightest have been mediocre to less-than mediocre white men and women. Amazingly, it took Trump less than ten years to turn America into a truly “shithole country” – the very name he has given to countries of color who refuse to be exploited by him and will not bribe him, his family, colleagues, and administration.

Black women have long been expected to nurture America while America simultaneously withholds full dignity from us. And what makes this history even more painful is the emotional intimacy involved. These are not distant transactions. These women rock white babies to sleep, celebrate first words, first steps, prepare meals, read bedtime stories, soothe nightmares, wipe tears, snot, and asses.

They become trusted figures in the emotional development of children who oftentimes grow up absorbing the same racial animus and systemic biases that diminishes the very women caring for them. How do Black women continue loving the soon to be unlovable under those conditions? How do you pour tenderness into children who may, more than likely, eventually inherit a worldview that sees you as inferior, threatening, or invisible?

Perhaps the answer lies in something both heartbreaking and extraordinary about Black women in America: despite centuries of degradation, exploitation, exclusion, and disrespect, many have refused to surrender their humanity and capacity to love unconditionally.

We all know that babies are not born racist. No infant instinctively hates Black people. Hatred is learned carefully and intentionally over time. It comes through family attitudes, political rhetoric, segregated systems, coded language, media imagery, fear, silence, and societal conditioning.

For a brief and innocent season of life, many white children experience unconditional safety, affection, and nurturing through Black hands before the world begins teaching them racial hierarchy and hate.

That truth sat heavily with me as I walked through the museum with my late sister’s grandchildren, thinking about her boundless capacity to love. She was a hospital executive and registered nurse. She, too, belonged to a long line of Black women who gave of themselves freely to family, work, community, and often to a nation that rarely returned the favor. Her capacity to love the unlovable was so much greater than mine. I can count on one hand, with fingers remaining, the number of white people I can or have called “friend” in my sixty-nine years on the planet.

In the movie, The Help, I am constantly reminded of a nation that never grows tired of exploiting the labor of Black women who are still carrying America’s children and America itself on our hips and our backs.

And if this America truly is the greatest country in the world – the very best the planet has to offer – then Lord knows the world is in desperate need of a better alternative.

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Obama Foundation Names New Presidential Center Spaces Honoring Civic and Social Change Leaders

The Obama Foundation has announced new named spaces at the Obama Presidential Center honoring Jane Addams, John Gardner, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Paul Farmer.

By Milton Kirby | Chicago, IL | May 29, 2026

As the opening of the Obama Presidential Center approaches, the Obama Foundation has announced a new group of named spaces honoring historic figures whose lives and work inspired generations of Americans to pursue civic engagement, social justice, and public service.

The announcement adds four new tributes to a growing list of exhibits, galleries, courtyards, and public gathering spaces throughout the campus, which opens to the public on June 19.

Foundation leaders say the named spaces reflect a central theme of the Obama Presidential Center: that meaningful change is driven not by a single individual, but by countless people who choose to participate in shaping their communities and the nation.

“President and Mrs. Obama’s story is only possible through the collective action and contributions of people who made their voices heard,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation. “These honorees each inspired the next generation to see what’s possible and become the newest authors in an ongoing story of progress.”

The latest spaces recognize leaders whose influence stretched across social reform, public health, disability rights, civic participation, and grassroots activism.

Among the newly announced spaces is the Toward A More Perfect Union Exhibit, named in honor of social reformer and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jane Addams. Located on the museum’s second level, the exhibit will explore the nation’s ongoing pursuit of democratic progress through stories and artifacts from historic labor, civil rights, and social justice movements. The exhibit also highlights Addams’ work advancing labor protections, advocating for immigrants, and improving conditions for vulnerable children through Chicago’s famed Hull House settlement.

Another museum feature, the Yes We Can Exhibit, honors John W. Gardner, the former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare whose advocacy for citizen engagement and lifelong learning influenced generations of public servants. The exhibit will capture the grassroots energy of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign through film, campaign memorabilia, and displays recognizing the volunteers who helped build the movement.

The Obama Foundation also announced the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Lobby at Home Court, the Center’s athletic and youth programming facility. The space honors the founder of the Special Olympics, whose work expanded opportunities and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities around the world. Visitors entering the facility will encounter a welcoming public space designed to support youth engagement, recreation, and community programming.

A fourth newly named space, the Paul Farmer Special Exhibitions Gallery, recognizes the late physician and global health advocate whose work transformed health care delivery in underserved communities worldwide. Farmer, co-founder of Partners In Health, spent decades championing the idea that quality health care is a fundamental human right. The gallery will host rotating exhibitions designed to deepen visitor engagement with contemporary issues and social challenges.

The new announcements join an extensive roster of previously revealed spaces honoring influential figures from American history, civil rights, politics, science, and public service.

Among them are the John Lewis Plaza, Harriet Tubman Courtyard, Ida B. Wells Program Room, Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, Sojourner Truth Program Room, Hadiya Pendleton Atrium, Harold Washington Overlook, and the Nancy Pelosi Garden Pavilion. Other spaces recognize trailblazers including Mae Jemison, Timuel Black, Marian Robinson, Herman Petty, Reginald F. Lewis, and Elie Wiesel.

Together, the names create a tapestry of individuals whose work reflects many of the themes central to the Obamas’ public lives: civic participation, community leadership, inclusion, education, health equity, and democratic engagement.

The Obama Presidential Center is being developed on Chicago’s South Side, where Barack Obama began his career as a community organizer. Beyond serving as a presidential library and museum destination, Foundation leaders have emphasized that the Center is intended to function as a civic campus focused on leadership development, public engagement, and community connection.

The naming of these spaces reinforces that vision by linking visitors to stories of people who challenged injustice, expanded opportunity, and encouraged others to become active participants in public life.

When the Center opens June 19, visitors will encounter more than exhibits documenting a presidency. They will also encounter a broader story about the individuals and movements that helped shape modern America and continue to inspire future generations to make a difference.

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Atlanta Hypertension Initiative Launches Coordinated Push to Reduce Heart Attacks and Strokes Across Metro Region

The Atlanta Hypertension Initiative is bringing health systems, churches, and community groups together to improve blood pressure control for more than 500,000 adults.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 29, 2026

High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because millions of people live with the condition without knowing it. Left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and other serious health complications.

In metro Atlanta, a growing coalition of health care providers, community organizations, faith leaders, public agencies, and national health organizations is working to change that reality through the Atlanta Hypertension Initiative (AHI), an ambitious effort designed to improve blood pressure control for more than 500,000 adults by 2030.

Built on a mission “to advance cardiovascular health for all and reduce related health inequities by building a lasting collaborative effort for Atlanta,” the initiative represents one of the region’s most comprehensive approaches to tackling cardiovascular disease.

Unlike traditional awareness campaigns, AHI combines community outreach, clinical improvement, education, training, and collaboration into a long-term strategy aimed at creating lasting change.

A Region Facing a Serious Health Challenge

The need is substantial.

Nationally, nearly half of U.S. adults have hypertension. Yet only about one in four has the condition under control. The consequences are severe. High blood pressure remains one of the leading causes of heart attacks, strokes, and preventable deaths across the country.

The burden is especially significant in metro Atlanta.

According to AHI data, approximately one-third of adults across the region report having high blood pressure. In some communities, the numbers are even higher. Clayton County reports a self-reported hypertension prevalence of 40.3 percent, while DeKalb County stands at 35.5 percent, Fulton County at 33.7 percent, and Gwinnett County at 32.4 percent.

Health leaders note that the actual burden is likely even greater because many people remain unaware they have hypertension until serious complications develop.

The initiative has identified Fulton, DeKalb, Douglas, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties as priority areas for concentrated engagement and support while continuing to welcome participation from organizations and residents throughout the broader 11-county metropolitan region.

A Collective Effort

The Atlanta Hypertension Initiative is grounded in a simple belief: no single organization can solve the region’s hypertension crisis alone.

The initiative brings together partners from public health, health care, academia, government, faith communities, and community-based organizations to advance equitable hypertension control through collaboration, capacity building, and clinical quality improvement.

AHI is co-led by the CDC Foundation, the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI), the American Medical Association, and the Metro Atlanta American Heart Association, with foundational support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Together, these organizations are working to improve awareness, treatment, and blood pressure control while addressing many of the barriers that contribute to health disparities throughout metro Atlanta.

More Than Awareness

One of the initiative’s distinguishing features is its emphasis on providing practical tools and resources that residents can use to improve their health.

Through community outreach programs, AHI supports blood pressure screenings, patient education programs, health fairs, and community events designed to help residents better understand hypertension and the steps they can take to manage it.

The initiative also promotes innovative programs such as “Low Pressure Parties,” community-based events that make learning about blood pressure, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy living engaging and accessible.

Residents can also benefit from educational materials, connections to care, and resources that help them navigate the health care system and better manage chronic conditions.

For organizations and health care providers, AHI offers technical assistance, training opportunities, quality improvement resources, peer-learning collaboratives, and implementation support.

Expanding Access to Home Monitoring

A major focus of the initiative is increasing access to self-measured blood pressure monitoring.

Research has shown that individuals who regularly monitor their blood pressure at home are often better able to manage hypertension and work with their health care providers to improve outcomes.

To support that effort, AHI helps distribute validated home blood pressure monitors and provides education on how to use them correctly. The initiative also offers training and technical assistance to organizations interested in implementing self-monitoring programs.

Community health workers play an important role in this strategy by helping residents understand their readings, connect with care, and stay engaged in treatment plans.

Reaching Communities Where They Are

AHI places particular emphasis on reaching populations disproportionately affected by hypertension, especially Black adults.

One of the initiative’s key outreach tools is the Live to the Beat campaign, a national effort designed to encourage Black adults ages 35 to 54 to take small, manageable steps to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.

By partnering with trusted community leaders, churches, neighborhood organizations, and local events, AHI seeks to bring health education directly into the communities where people live, work, worship, and gather.

Three Strategic Pillars

The initiative’s work is organized around three strategic pillars.

The first pillar, Community Capacity-Building, focuses on strengthening partnerships, infrastructure, and resources that support hypertension prevention and control.

The second pillar, Community Outreach and Campaigns, seeks to increase awareness and understanding of hypertension through culturally relevant education and engagement.

The third pillar, Clinical Quality Improvement Support, helps health systems and providers implement evidence-based practices that improve diagnosis, treatment, and blood pressure control.

Together, these pillars create a coordinated approach that spans both community and clinical settings.

Building a Network of Champions

Organizations can engage with the initiative as Participants or as Champions.

Participants stay informed, attend trainings, and access resources. Champions take a more active role by making measurable commitments to improve hypertension control through education, screenings, outreach, quality improvement efforts, and other evidence-based strategies.

Those commitments form the foundation of the initiative’s collective impact model, allowing organizations to contribute in ways that match their mission, resources, and capacity.

Early Results Show Momentum

Although still in its early years, the initiative has already demonstrated significant progress.

According to AHI, more than 300 individual members and champions have joined the effort, representing more than 90 organizations throughout metro Atlanta.

The initiative has conducted more than 5,700 community blood pressure screenings, distributed nearly 300 home blood pressure monitors, secured 229 hypertension-control commitments, hosted dozens of trainings and learning events, and awarded clinic stipends to support self-measured blood pressure programs.

Several participating clinics have also achieved hypertension control rates of 70 percent or higher.

Looking Ahead

The Atlanta Hypertension Initiative’s long-term vision is straightforward but ambitious: a heart-healthy metro Atlanta where every resident has the knowledge, resources, and support needed to achieve and maintain healthy blood pressure.

As the initiative moves forward, leaders plan to expand the number of active champions, strengthen community and clinical interventions, increase public awareness efforts, improve data collection, and deepen collaboration across sectors.

The challenge remains significant. Hypertension often develops without symptoms and can go undetected for years.

Yet AHI leaders believe meaningful progress is possible when health systems, community organizations, churches, employers, and residents work together.

Through education, screenings, home monitoring, quality improvement, and community engagement, the Atlanta Hypertension Initiative is pursuing a simple but ambitious goal: reducing heart attacks and strokes while helping hundreds of thousands of metro Atlantans live longer, healthier lives.

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DeKalb Leaders Highlight Public Safety Gains, Housing Initiatives, and Infrastructure Investments During Quarterly Town Hall

DeKalb County leaders outlined major public safety, housing, infrastructure, and redevelopment initiatives during a wide-ranging quarterly town hall led by CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.

By Milton Kirby | Decatur, GA | May 28, 2026

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and members of her executive leadership team presented an expansive vision and report on progress for modernization, redevelopment, public safety, infrastructure repair, and housing investment during the county’s first-quarter town hall Wednesday evening at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center.

The nearly two-hour meeting combined department updates, resident questions, and long-term planning discussions as county officials outlined efforts aimed at addressing aging infrastructure, blight, housing affordability, crime reduction, and economic development across DeKalb County.

“This evening, you will hear a report directly from all of the individuals that we have here on this stage,” Cochran-Johnson told attendees. “With 34 different divisions, there are a lot of people who are responsible for the work that you experience each and every day.”

Throughout the evening, county leaders repeatedly emphasized what Cochran-Johnson described as a broader effort to “move with purpose” while modernizing county government systems that, in some cases, officials said had been neglected for years.

Public Safety and Crime Reduction

Public safety emerged as one of the town hall’s central themes.

County officials highlighted increased police recruitment, improved retention, investments in technology, and the continued rollout of DeKalb’s Real Time Crime Center.

According to Tony Hughes, Assistant Chief, DeKalb County Police Department, police recruitment has increased by more than 300 percent since Cochran-Johnson took office, while retention rates now stand at approximately 98 percent.

“When I came into office, for over a four-year period, we lost 385 police officers,” Cochran-Johnson said. “We were at a critical level.”

Assistant Chief Tony Hughes said property crimes are down approximately 25 percent while crimes against persons have also declined.

Officials credited part of that reduction to increased officer presence, new compensation packages, surveillance technology, and the county’s growing use of real-time policing tools.

The county formally opened its Real Time Crime Center in December 2025. Officials said the system integrates traffic cameras, Flock safety cameras, business surveillance systems, and drone technology to improve emergency response and investigations.

“We have been intentional in strategically placing drones and technology,” Cochran-Johnson said. “I would like us to get to the point where we’re never more than three minutes away.”

County leaders also discussed the ongoing crackdown on illegal street racing and intersection takeovers.

Officials said the county’s street takeover initiative has resulted in more than 200 citations, 41 arrests, and the impoundment of multiple vehicles connected to illegal racing activity.

“We cannot continue to allow people to be lawless in our communities,” Cochran-Johnson said. “Crime will show up at your front door.”

The county also highlighted upgrades to its E-911 system, including investments in artificial intelligence tools designed to improve call management during high-volume emergencies.

Infrastructure, Roads, and Aging Systems

Road resurfacing, storm water infrastructure, and aging county systems generated some of the evening’s most detailed discussions.

Public Works Deputy Director Peggy Allen explained that DeKalb now uses a pavement condition index system to evaluate more than 7,200 road segments annually. Roads are graded using a “worst first” philosophy to prioritize resurfacing projects.

County officials said DeKalb resurfaced approximately 120 miles of roadway annually through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax program, commonly known as SPLOST.

However, officials acknowledged that rising costs continue to create challenges.

According to Allen, resurfacing costs that averaged approximately $450,000 per mile in 2018 have now increased to as much as $900,000 to $1 million per mile in some cases.

“We can do no more than we have expendable income to do,” Cochran-Johnson said.

Officials also discussed DeKalb’s aging storm water infrastructure, including failing culverts, damaged drainage systems, and deteriorating pipes.

Allen said the county maintains more than 500 miles of storm water pipe, 22,000 catch basins, nearly 1,000 detention ponds, and more than 200 bridges.

“Our inventory is huge, and our inventory is aging,” Allen said.

Recent heavy rainfall has intensified concerns about flooding and infrastructure failures in several areas of the county.

County officials said storm water upgrades and sewer rehabilitation efforts remain ongoing under federally mandated infrastructure improvement programs.

Housing, Redevelopment, and Economic Growth

DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson & Chief Housing Officer Dr. Alan Ferguson greet unidentified residents.

Housing affordability and redevelopment were also major priorities discussed during the town hall.

Chief Housing Officer Dr. Alan Ferguson outlined several new county initiatives aimed at increasing homeownership opportunities and preserving existing housing stock.

Among the initiatives announced:

a new down payment assistance program offering up to $20,000 for eligible homebuyers,
employee homeownership incentives for DeKalb workers,
and home preservation grants providing up to $30,000 in repair assistance for qualifying homeowners.

“We want them to live and enjoy the fruits and benefits within DeKalb County,” Ferguson said regarding county employees.

County officials also announced faith-based housing partnership initiatives designed to help churches and religious institutions develop underutilized property for housing projects.

South DeKalb redevelopment efforts generated strong audience interest throughout the evening.

Chief Development Officer Jacob Vallo confirmed that discussions continue regarding the future redevelopment of South DeKalb Mall, which officials described as a key catalyst project for the area.

“Simply put, it’s mixed use,” Vallo said of the redevelopment vision. “Think restaurants, retail, housing, and green space.”

Officials also discussed ongoing transit-oriented development planning near MARTA stations, including Kensington and Indian Creek, along with major trail and greenway projects connected to the South River corridor.

Cochran-Johnson urged residents to remain open to strategic redevelopment and increased density in some areas if they want to attract additional retail investment and higher-income residential growth.

“Do not always say no,” she said. “Learn when to say yes and be specific on what you want.”

Residents Weigh In on Community Engagement

For some residents attending the town hall, the evening represented more than a government update. It reflected what they described as a more visible and accessible style of leadership.

Beverly Dabney, a retired JP Morgan Chase employee and longtime DeKalb resident, said she was encouraged by the administration’s focus on historically underserved areas of South DeKalb.

“Those are the really hard areas to develop,” Dabney said. “You have to get people on your staff that truly understand and are willing to work in those low-income areas.”

Dabney said she believes Cochran-Johnson’s administration has distinguished itself through communication and direct engagement with residents.

“Communication is key,” Dabney said. “The CEO makes her executive staff available so citizens can get immediate answers right away.”

She also praised the administration for holding regular public meetings that bring residents from multiple districts together in one location.

“This is an opportunity,” Dabney said. “A lot of times people think they have to call the CEO all the time, but she makes her leadership team present so people can address concerns directly.”

Dabney described Cochran-Johnson as “a people CEO,” adding that she believes the administration has shown a strong understanding of both county operations and neighborhood-level concerns.

When asked about the CEO’s command of the facts, Dabney said. “She studies the market, she studies the communities, and she understands what needs to happen in these areas.”

Her comments reflected one of the broader themes that surfaced repeatedly throughout the evening: residents want visible progress, but they also want consistent communication and accountability from county leadership.

Sanitation, Sustainability, and Illegal Dumping

One of the evening’s more animated presentations came from sanitation leadership, which outlined plans to modernize operations and expand sustainability efforts.

Director of Sanitation, Eugene McKinnie announced that the department is preparing a rebranding initiative intended to reflect broader environmental and resource recovery goals.

“Trash is cash,” Cochran-Johnson said while discussing sustainability initiatives.

Officials highlighted efforts to improve recycling education, composting programs, route efficiency, and waste diversion strategies.

The county also detailed its aggressive efforts to combat illegal tire dumping, which continues to affect portions of South DeKalb.

According to officials, DeKalb removed more than 37,000 illegally dumped tires during recent cleanup initiatives.

“These people have become so brazen that they will dump tires in front of a fully operational business in the middle of the night,” Cochran-Johnson said.

County officials said new drone surveillance, camera systems, and enforcement partnerships have helped identify repeat offenders.

The county is also exploring private-sector partnerships aimed at improving tire recycling and reducing long-term cleanup costs.

Residents Raise Concerns

While officials highlighted progress across multiple departments, residents also voiced ongoing frustrations involving potholes, blighted properties, flooding, illegal dumping, sidewalks, crime, and neglected developments.

Several questions focused on long-abandoned apartment and condominium complexes, including Brandon Hills, Walden Pond, and Whitehall Forest.

Cochran-Johnson acknowledged the severity of those issues and said legal action and code enforcement efforts remain ongoing.

“Brandon Hills, Walden Pond, and Whitehall Forest will not exist when I leave,” she said.

Residents also pressed officials on South DeKalb redevelopment, Memorial Drive revitalization, and concerns regarding abandoned commercial properties.

County leaders repeatedly emphasized that revitalization efforts require cooperation between government, residents, and private investment partners.

“We are doing fine in DeKalb County,” Cochran-Johnson told attendees near the conclusion of the meeting. “But we are going to have to work together.”

The town hall closed with county leaders encouraging residents to stay engaged through newsletters, community meetings, and county websites as DeKalb continues implementing long-term infrastructure, housing, and redevelopment initiatives.

Officials said additional public meetings and project updates are expected throughout the year as major initiatives continue moving forward.

SHADOW BALL: Learning More About Negro League History

May 26, 2026

This column exists for only one purpose; that is to answer your questions on Negro League baseball history. To that end, I need your help … if you are reading this column and enjoy it and want it to continue and you do not already know everything about Negro League history … then please submit a question on any aspect of Negro League history. Your questions are the lifeblood of Shadow Ball—they shape where we go next … players, teams, events, and more – and, in so doing, you will direct where this column goes moving forward. Your participation is important and appreciated. The very existence of this column depends on you. Submit your questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com.

Last week’s Shadow ball Significa Question of the Week: What Negro League pitcher, who participated in the Negro National League playoff in 1935, had a son who won two World Series games several decades later. Name this father/son pair. With no correct answer submitted; I am going to let this question ride for another week. Who is this father/son duo? Send your answer and any comments on the Negro Leagues to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

Ted Knorr is a respected Negro League baseball historian, a longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and the founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference as well as several Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania.

Beyond his research and organizing work, Ted is frequently invited to speak 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 cultural impact of Black baseball has made him a trusted voice for audiences who want to understand the legacy and significance of the Negro Leagues.

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It’s Time for Cooperstown to Catch Up

Data and history confirm Negro League teams matched Major League talent. Ted Knorr urges Cooperstown to honor their rightful place in baseball’s Hall of Fame legacy.

By Ted Knorr | Harrisburg, PA | May 26, 2026

“In small cities and small towns across the country, there were other teams and other stars that may have been the greatest of the century, but whose deeds would live only in the memory of those who saw them play. Over the years, Black baseball stars played against White Major League stars at least 438 times in off-season exhibition games. The Whites won 129 of those postseason games. The Blacks won 309 (70.5%).” – Baseball, 5th Inning, Shadow Ball, Ken Burns, 1994

Appendix II of “The Negro Leagues were Major Leagues,” edited by Todd Peterson, pp. 214-226, lists 503 games, dates, and opponents, depicting games between Negro League teams and Major League teams. Negro League teams won 268 (54.6%), while losing 222, with 13 ties.

In addition to Burns and Peterson, I have seen compilations by historians William McNeil (69.8% in the California Winter League) and John Holway (57.1%), and researchers Scott Simkus (52.7%) and bench5 (54.5%). Every one of them finds the “so-called” Negro League teams holding their own (winning as often as losing) against “so-called” Major League teams. Comparable results are reported from both my interpretation of Seamheads Negro League Database (where 67 Negro League pitchers won 54.1% of their decisions against teams made up of Major League players) and Retrosheet’s Database (58.0%), with both showing an edge to the Negro League teams.

I have never seen a compilation showing the Negro League teams losing more than they win. While each of these compilations have their own circumstances (such as, the California Winter League usually featuring one Black team and three or four White teams meaning the White talent was diluted; and Ken Burns compilation is admittedly culled from oral history with few if any box scores.), my claim is unquestionably supported by these compilations and that is the record shows “so called” Negro League teams held their own against “so called” Major League teams.

Further factual evidence supporting my claim is provided with the following data:

Major League and Negro League Regular Season Slash Lines 1920-1948

AVG OBP SLG OPS

Major League .275 .340 .388 .728

Negro League .270 .331 .372 .703

The 29-season slash lines on both sides of the color line are virtually identical.

Source: “The Negro Leagues were Major Leagues,” p. 19, edited by Todd Peterson, McFarland & Company, 2020. Major League data is from baseball-reference.com. Negro League data is from Seamheads.com, NL/RAG, and the Center for Negro League Baseball Research.

In concert with the compilations of games between Negro League and Major League and the regular season data over 29 years being identical, the argument – accepted by Major League Baseball on December 16, 2020 – that the Negro Leagues were (indeed) Major Leagues has now been accepted by those who matter and by a growing number of informed baseball writers, researchers, and fans.

This editorial celebrates that December 2020 decision and advocates for a positive, logical, and similar decision by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, a 501 (c) (3) educational institution with the responsibility of educating the populace on the history of the National Pastime. In the next issue of Shadow Ball, I hope to be more specific in my “advice” for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Here are some points for your pondering over the next couple of weeks:

The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum has done spectacular work in telling the history (and quality) of the Negro Leagues in a compelling fashion (as noticed, in my view, by most everyone but themselves).

— In 2021, they reinstalled a procedure, flawed but at least it is an improvement, once again providing the possibility by which Negro League players, executives, managers, and umpires could be elected and, in 2022, for the first time since 2006, successfully inducted two “executives,” Buck O’Neill and Bud Fowler

— In 2022, the Museum launched a Black Baseball Initiative, which involved partnering with Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, Negro League Baseball Museum, Jackie Robinson Foundation, and others. This new initiative bore fruit in 2024 with

— in 2024, the Hall erected a new Hank Aaron statue entitled “Keep Swinging”, the new exhibit “The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball”, the integration of Black baseball accomplishments into existing exhibits throughout the museum was instituted, established an interactive youth activity “We Play” involving K-4 students in baseball history, celebrated the Negro Leagues East-West Classic, in collaboration with Dr. Gerald Early the Hall jointly published a book on, and inviting the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee to convene its annual research conference in the Hall.

— This litany tells us that the Hall’s heart is in the right place.

In the right place in every corner of the museum except for its “namesake” Hall of Fame plaque gallery which honored 29 Negro League players twenty years ago and now includes only 28 – Frank Grant’s role having been inexplicably reassigned from player to executive … with no new Negro League players even eligible until the December 2027 election … only 17% of all Hall of Fame players debuting under segregation in that gallery are Negro Leaguers … this contrasts starkly with the parallel fact that just over 45% are players of color (i.e. Negro Leaguers) among players debuting since April 15, 1947. It is time for the Hall of Fame to match achievements with the rest of the museum.
My recommendation to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is to induct additional Negro League players to the Hall of Fame. I recommend that we once again be focused on the 20 remaining Negro League players, executives, and managers on the 2006 ballot, plus Vic Harris. There is no need to wait until December 2027 … an election should be held in December 2026 with a qualified expert panel – as was done in 2006, a segregated Negro Leaguers only ballot (as in 1971-1977, 1995-2001 and in 2006), with a 75% affirmative vote requirement, but like in 2006 with an up/down vote on all 21 personages and no limit on the number of affirmative votes case by each voter.

If enacted, I can guarantee a great step will have been taken by the Hall and its mission will have been furthered immensely in keeping with the Black Baseball initiative begun in 2022.

Dear Readers, if you agree with my recommendation, please let the Hall of Fame know. It has been long demonstrated that they will not advance without a gentle nudge every now and then. Let them know 28 Negro League players is not enough. They can be reached at:

National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum * 25 Main Street * Cooperstown, New York 13326

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Congressional Black Caucus Presses U.S. Companies To Oppose Republican Redistricting Push

The Congressional Black Caucus urges corporate America to oppose Republican redistricting that threatens Black representation, calling it a defining test of democracy and corporate integrity.

By Matt Brown | Washington, DC | May 26, 2026

Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Black Caucus, described the letter as “putting corporate America on notice.”

The Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday called on major corporations across the U.S., including those that previously expressed support for voting rights and racial justice, to oppose redistricting efforts by Republican-led states that seek to eliminate majority-Black U.S. House districts.

In a letter sent to more than 250 companies, members of the Black Caucus urge them to condemn the redistricting efforts, which the lawmakers describe as “coordinated efforts to silence Black voices at the ballot box.” Some of the companies had co-signed their own message to Congress five years ago urging lawmakers to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a Democratic proposal to restore and update the Voting Rights Act.

That 2021 coalition, Business for Voting Rights, was backed by many of the country’s most valuable and influential companies, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla, Salesforce, Target, PayPal, Intel and Starbucks.

Tuesday’s letter is the latest effort by the Congressional Black Caucus and its allies to gather support for preventing more Republican-led states from redrawing their legislative maps in ways that would dilute Black political representation. Several states have moved to eliminate congressional districts represented by Black Democratic lawmakers after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month that severely weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

“Corporations that have profited from Black consumers, relied on Black workers, and amassed wealth in part from Black communities cannot look away while Black political power is dismantled in plain sight,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Black Caucus, said in an interview.

Clarke described the letter as “putting corporate America on notice,” but she said the caucus was not seeking an adversarial relationship with corporations. Among those receiving Tuesday’s letter were companies based overseas that have a significant presence in the U.S.

The caucus last week called for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that are gerrymandering their congressional maps to eliminate districts held by Black lawmakers. The 59-member Congressional Black Caucus consists entirely of Democrats, including more than a third from Southern states.

Some lawmakers have said mass protests and federal legislation might be necessary to undo the efforts underway in Republican-led states. Any new federal voting rights law would almost certainly require Democrats to secure majorities in both chambers of Congress and win the presidency.

It is unclear how companies will respond to the demands. The Associated Press was making efforts to contact them.

“Many companies that previously issued statements after the murder of George Floyd, pledged billions toward racial equity initiatives, and spoke forcefully in defense of democracy following January 6 now face a defining test of whether those commitments were rooted in principle or convenience,” the caucus’ letter states.

It also represents the latest instance of the caucus expressing frustrations with corporate America. A 2024 Black Caucus report noted that lawmakers were “troubled that some corporations that made pledges in 2020 have taken several steps in the opposite direction,” such as rolling back or failing to follow through on pledges to diversify their workforces.

“We understand who the occupant in the White House is and the reality of Republicans being in charge,” Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada said of the caucus’ message. “But what corporate America also understands is that there will be a shift at some point.”

The letter calls on companies to publicly condemn the redistricting plans, meet with Black Caucus members to discuss corporate America’s role in protecting voting rights and disclose their political donations to Republican politicians in states that are redistricting their congressional maps.

President Donald Trump last year kicked off the unusual mid-decade round of congressional redistricting when he pushed Texas lawmakers to redraw their maps in a way that would add Republican seats. Democratic-led California responded, but it has been mostly Republican states redrawing their lines since as the party tries to maintain its majority in the U.S. House during this year’s midterm elections.

The effort was supercharged by the Supreme Court decision, which allowed even more Republican states to redraw congressional maps that previously had protected minority communities.

Horsford, who chaired the Black Caucus during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration, said the caucus is demanding that companies “stand on the side of democracy, fairness and equal representation.”

“This is about power, who holds it and what it’s used for,” he said. “And when you’re diluting Black economic and political power, we need to know where these companies stand in this moment, and what side of history they’re on.”

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Beyond the Hype: What AI Is Really Changing in Everyday Life

Artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping work, education, communication, trust, and decision-making as AI tools become increasingly embedded in everyday life across America.

By Florita Bell Griffin | Houston, TX | May 26, 2026

Artificial intelligence has entered daily life with a force that many people felt before they fully understood it. For years, AI lived in public imagination as a distant technology connected to laboratories, robots, and giant technology companies. Today, it sits inside search results, customer service systems, online shopping, banking alerts, writing platforms, medical software, recommendation engines, school tools, hiring systems, maps, and social media feeds. People encounter it while paying bills, reading the news, applying for work, helping children with homework, and trying to decide which information deserves trust. That shift matters because AI has moved from the edge of public awareness to the center of ordinary experience.

Much of the public conversation around AI has been driven by spectacle. Headlines often focus on dramatic predictions, extreme excitement, or sweeping warnings about the future. That language draws attention, yet it can also blur what is already happening around people every day. The more useful question is simpler and more immediate. What is AI actually changing in ordinary life right now? When that question comes into view, the answer becomes far more concrete. AI is changing how people receive information, how they are evaluated, how services respond to them, how quickly decisions move, and how much effort it takes to separate truth from appearance.

One of the clearest changes appears in the way people search for information. Search once meant typing a question and sorting through links, articles, and sources. Increasingly, AI delivers direct responses, summaries, and polished answers that seem to save time. For a busy person, that convenience can feel like progress. Yet the deeper change lies in the shape of understanding itself. When AI gives people a neat response, many will accept the answer without tracing its source, weighing its limits, or examining its confidence. That influences how knowledge is formed. The change reaches beyond speed. It touches the habits of judgment.

Communication is changing as well. AI can draft emails, revise sentences, summarize meetings, write captions, suggest replies, and help people sound more polished than they might feel on their own. That can support workers, students, business owners, and families trying to keep up with a fast-moving digital world. At the same time, AI changes the meaning of communication when language becomes easier to produce than to think through. Words can arrive faster than reflection. Tone can appear stronger than substance. Fluency can begin to outrun wisdom. In everyday life, that matters because people increasingly meet language that sounds confident even when the thinking beneath it remains thin or uncertain.

Workplaces are also shifting under the influence of AI. Many jobs now involve software that can summarize reports, screen applications, analyze trends, monitor patterns, generate first drafts, or assist with customer interaction. For some people, these systems reduce drudgery and free time for more valuable work. For others, they raise the pressure to produce faster, adapt quicker, and compete with tools that operate at machine speed. Everyday workers may find that the role itself has changed before the title changes. A person who once earned value through organization, drafting, basic analysis, or process management may now be expected to supervise or refine AI outputs instead. This creates a new kind of pressure inside ordinary employment, where success depends less on raw effort alone and more on the ability to direct, evaluate, and improve machine-generated work.

Family life and home life are changing too. Parents now face a world where children can use AI to answer questions, generate essays, solve math problems, summarize books, and imitate understanding. This creates both opportunity and tension. On one side, AI can help explain ideas, support practice, and make learning feel more accessible. On the other side, it can quietly weaken patience, struggle, memory, and original thought if it becomes a shortcut around the very work that builds a mind. For families, the issue is larger than homework. It concerns what kind of habits children are forming. A generation raised with instant machine assistance will still need curiosity, discipline, discernment, and the capacity to think beyond the first answer.

Consumer life is also being reshaped. AI influences what people see, what they buy, what gets recommended, and which choices appear most reasonable. Streaming platforms suggest what to watch. Shopping platforms suggest what to purchase. News feeds suggest what to believe is important. Navigation tools suggest where to go. In each case, the system feels helpful because it reduces friction. Yet each recommendation also carries quiet power. It nudges attention. It organizes options. It frames the path of least resistance. Over time, small guided choices can become a larger pattern of influence. Everyday life begins to feel natural while much of its flow has already been arranged by invisible computational preferences.

Trust has become one of the most important issues in this new environment. AI can generate text, images, voice, and video with a level of fluency that can persuade ordinary people in seconds. A polished article, a lifelike image, or a convincing voice clip can travel quickly through homes, churches, workplaces, and communities before anyone pauses long enough to test its truth. This changes the burden placed on the public. People once relied on visual proof or smooth language as signals of credibility. Those signals carry less safety now. The new everyday skill is discernment. People need stronger instincts around source quality, corroboration, motive, and context because appearances have become easier to manufacture.

Healthcare and public services are feeling this shift as well. AI helps process records, flag patterns, route requests, estimate risk, and support administrative flow. That can increase speed and improve coordination. Yet human beings still live inside the consequences of those systems. A patient cares about fairness, clarity, and whether someone can hear their case. A citizen cares about whether a public-facing system can be challenged when it goes astray. An insurance customer cares about whether a decision came from a meaningful review or from a fast automated process shaped by rigid assumptions. When AI enters systems that affect housing, health, transportation, credit, or access to services, everyday life becomes more dependent on processes that people rarely see and often struggle to question.

Another major change concerns the emotional atmosphere of daily life. AI creates a world that feels faster, denser, and more responsive. Messages arrive quicker. Content multiplies faster. Expectations rise. People may feel pressure to keep pace with systems that always have something ready to say. This can create a subtle exhaustion. Human beings still need time to think, rest, read deeply, and make sense of experience. When daily life becomes shaped by machine speed, many people begin to feel that slowness is a weakness. Yet slowness is often where judgment forms. Reflection remains part of wisdom. A society that loses room for reflection becomes easier to move and harder to ground.

So, what is AI really changing in everyday life? It is changing the texture of ordinary decision-making. It is changing the way information reaches people, the way language is produced, the way children learn, the way workers are judged, the way institutions process human cases, and the way trust must be earned. It is changing how influence operates in homes, offices, classrooms, stores, hospitals, and public systems. These changes may appear small in isolation, yet together they form a major shift in how daily life is organized.

This is why public understanding matters so much. People do not need advanced technical credentials to recognize what is at stake. They need clarity, steadiness, and the willingness to ask good questions. Who designed the system? What does it reward? What does it overlook? Where does human review enter? How does error get corrected? What happens when convenience begins to override care? Those questions belong to ordinary people because the effects of AI belong to ordinary life.

Beyond the headlines, beyond the spectacle, and beyond the marketing language, the real story is close at hand. AI is changing everyday life by shaping the conditions under which people search, speak, work, choose, trust, and move through the world. The future of AI will matter, of course, yet the present already matters more than many realize. Everyday people are living inside the change now. The wisest response is clear-eyed attention, grounded judgment, and a public culture strong enough to keep human life at the center of technological power.

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ARTIST PROFILE: M. V. Despenza

New Orleans author M.V. Despenza transforms Hurricane Katrina survival, faith, and resilience into powerful storytelling through Little Miracles of Katrina and her growing literary journey.

By Milton Kirby | Truth Seekers Journal | Artist Profiles Series

For some writers, storytelling begins with publishing contracts, writing workshops, or literary ambition. For M.V. Despenza, it began much earlier, in the music-filled rooms, among singers, artists, dreamers, and everyday people whose stories carried both pain and joy.

Now, decades later, Despenza has transformed those early influences, along with the trauma and resilience born of Hurricane Katrina, into a deeply personal literary voice resonating with readers across the country.

Her breakout work, Little Miracles of Katrina, is more than a disaster memoir. It is a meditation on survival, faith, memory, and the invisible moments of grace that emerge during catastrophe.

“In the aftermath of one of America’s most devastating natural disasters, Little Miracles of Katrina tells the untold stories of survival, compassion, and the small acts of grace that carried people through the storm,” Despenza writes in the book’s description.

But the road to becoming an author was not straightforward.

“I’ve always wanted to write,” Despenza explained during a recent interview. “I wanted to be a journalist when I was young. I didn’t get much encouragement from my family. They wanted me to go into nursing.” Instead, life carried her through unexpected chapters.

She moved to California at age 21 and eventually found work in the music industry, writing artist biographies, press releases, and promotional materials. Later, after returning to Louisiana, she built a career in the legal and corporate sectors, working as a legal secretary and paralegal, and eventually in human resources.

Yet writing remained the thread connecting every phase of her life. “What I learned from being a paralegal was the power of the written word,” she said. “When something is in writing, it has power.” That lesson would eventually shape her approach to storytelling.

For years, Despenza compressed her writing style to fit the demands of corporate America, concise memos, factual emails, streamlined communication. When she finally sat down to write Little Miracles of Katrina, she discovered she had to relearn the art of emotional description and immersive storytelling.

“I had to go back the other way,” she said. “My writing had become ‘She walked in the door. Period.’ I had to learn to make people see it again.”

The result is a book that readers say feels intensely cinematic and emotionally immediate.

One early reader wrote: “I loved the storytelling, so compelling I finished it in two days, even waking up at 5:30 a.m. to keep reading! M.V. Despenza understands the craft.”

Another described the work as capturing “the true spirit of New Orleans, heartbreaking and hopeful all at once.”

Those reactions reflect the emotional terrain Despenza navigates throughout the book.

During the interview, she spoke candidly about the psychological scars left behind by Hurricane Katrina, even for those fortunate enough to survive.

“Any and everybody that went through Katrina suffered some form of PTSD,” she said. She recalled the agony of not knowing whether family members were alive after communication systems collapsed. “I didn’t know where my sister nor my brother were because the cell phones were down,” she said. “That was agony.”

Eventually, she discovered her brother was alive after spotting him briefly in television footage helping rescue elderly residents near Baptist Hospital. “That was how we knew about him,” she said.

Those deeply personal memories became the emotional backbone of Little Miracles of Katrina, which chronicles both physical survival and spiritual endurance during the storm and its aftermath.

But Despenza resists defining the book solely in terms of tragedy.

Again and again, she returns to the theme of “little miracles,” seemingly small moments of intervention, intuition, survival, and grace that altered the course of events during those terrifying days.

“There were five events that happened that let me know I was not alone during those days and weeks,” she explained. Despenza does not frame those moments as religious doctrine as much as lived spiritual experience.

“Whatever you believe, whether it’s God, karma, the universe, or something else, people are not on this earth alone,” she said. “Tomorrow can take your house away. But tomorrow can also give you something really, really good.”

That blend of realism and hope appears to be resonating with readers.

One reader commented: “The little miracles shine as God’s messages of hope, making this a moving and powerful read. Many of us have faced a ‘Katrina’ in our lives, and this book speaks to that universal struggle with faith and survival.”

For Despenza, storytelling is also becoming a form of service.

Recently, she donated signed copies of Little Miracles of Katrina to Big House Books, a nonprofit organization in Jackson, Mississippi, that provides books to incarcerated individuals. She volunteered alongside staff members, helping match books to inmate requests.

“It was a meaningful reminder that books are more than stories,” she wrote afterward. “Sometimes they are connection, encouragement, escape, reflection… and even healing.”

That same spirit carries into her children’s books, including Miracle of the Meow, and From Storm to Scout, both inspired by rescue animals and the emotional connection between pets and people.

One especially emotional section of the interview centered around a black cat left behind during the Katrina evacuation, a story that eventually inspired Miracle of the Meow. Despenza described the guilt, heartbreak, and eventual reunion connected to the animal, underscoring how deeply animals became intertwined with her understanding of survival and healing.

“Animals know things,” she said softly. “They’re so smart.”

In many ways, Despenza’s emergence as an author reflects the same themes that shape her work, survival, reinvention, and finding meaning after devastation.

She notes that she did indeed rescue a cat after Katrina and later rescued a dog after Hurricane Ida, experiences that further deepened the emotional connection between loss, compassion, and healing reflected throughout her writing.

Today, Despenza describes herself not only as an author but also as someone who continues to rediscover purpose later in life.

She speaks openly about balancing creativity, caregiving, stress, reinvention, and delayed dreams.

And perhaps that is part of why her work feels so authentic.

There is no polished literary distance in Despenza’s storytelling. No attempt to sanitize fear, grief, or uncertainty. Instead, her writing embraces the messy emotional truths many people carry silently after surviving hardship.

In many ways, Little Miracles of Katrina is not simply a book about a hurricane. It is a book about what remains after the storm passes. And for M.V. Despenza, that may be the greatest miracle of all.

Despenza’s books can be found:

M. V. Depenza

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Chit Chat Atlanta Tours Launches Southside Remix Restaurant Experience Highlighting Black-Owned Culinary Culture

Chit Chat Atlanta Tours launches the Southside Remix Restaurant Tour Experience, spotlighting Black-owned restaurants, culture, and community across South Fulton and College Park.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 24, 2026

Chit Chat Atlanta Tours is expanding its cultural tourism footprint with the launch of the “Southside Remix Restaurant Tour Experience,” a new culinary and community-centered tour designed to spotlight Black-owned businesses across metro Atlanta’s Southside communities.

Curated by founder Carla Morrison, the immersive experience officially debuts Saturday, May 30, at 12 p.m., taking guests through portions of South Fulton’s Red Oak District and College Park’s Main Street corridor.

According to organizers, the experience blends food, culture, history, and economic empowerment while introducing participants to several Black-owned restaurants that have become staples within the Southside dining scene.

Featured stops on the inaugural tour include The Real Milk & Honey, Zubi’s Taco Kitchen, Gocha’s Tapas Bar, The Standard Kitchen, Grown & Sexy Tavern, and Sasha Sweets.

Morrison said the tour was intentionally created to celebrate both the culinary creativity and economic impact of Black entrepreneurs operating on Atlanta’s Southside.

“With this tour, we’re intentionally spotlighting the culture, the flavor, and the economic power of Black-owned businesses on the Southside,” Morrison said in a statement.

The tour targets food enthusiasts, cultural travelers, tourists, and metro Atlanta residents seeking a more immersive experience beyond traditional dining outings.

The launch reflects a growing trend in Atlanta tourism that centers cultural storytelling and neighborhood-based experiences, particularly in historically Black communities where food, music, entrepreneurship, and local history intersect.

Atlanta’s Southside has increasingly emerged as a destination for both culinary innovation and Black business development, with communities such as South Fulton and College Park attracting new restaurants, entertainment venues, and cultural attractions in recent years.

Organizers say space for the inaugural tour is limited and tickets are currently available online through Chit Chat Communications.
An extended promotional video previewing the Southside Remix Restaurant Tour Experience is also available on YouTube.

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Keisha Lance Bottoms Wins Georgia Democratic Primary Outright, Avoiding Runoff in Major Show of Strength

Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia’s Democratic gubernatorial primary outright, avoiding a runoff and positioning herself for a high-stakes November general election battle.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 20, 2026

Keisha Lance Bottoms captured the Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia Tuesday night without a runoff, delivering a decisive victory in a crowded seven-candidate field and positioning herself as Democrats’ standard-bearer in one of the nation’s most closely watched governor’s races.

With the race called by the Associated Press, Bottoms secured 598,173 votes, or 56.2 percent, easily surpassing the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Jason Esteves finished second with 198,186 votes, or 18.6 percent, while Michael Thurmond received 137,857 votes, or 13.0 percent.

The outright victory represents a significant political achievement for Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor and former senior advisor to President Joe Biden, as Democrats now look toward a contentious general election battle against the Republican Party closely aligned with Donald Trump.

Speaking before supporters after the race was called, Bottoms framed the election as both personal and historic, repeatedly returning to themes of faith, resilience, civil rights, and economic fairness.

“Georgia sent a clear message tonight that they want a fighter,” Bottoms said during her victory speech. “Someone who will stand up to Donald Trump and all of the chaos that’s raising costs, hurting our economy, and threatening rights generations before us fought and died for.”

Bottoms entered the race with statewide name recognition, national fundraising connections, and deep ties to Georgia Democratic politics. But despite those advantages, avoiding a runoff was viewed by many political observers as far from guaranteed in a field that included multiple established Democratic figures.

Instead, Bottoms consolidated support early and built momentum through strong turnout operations and broad support among Black voters, urban Democrats, and many suburban communities.

In a pre-election interview with the Roland Martin Unfiltered team, Bottoms pointed to record Democratic early voting participation as an encouraging sign.

“It’s been very encouraging to see that we’ve already passed early voting record numbers for turnout,” Bottoms said before Election Day. “What I feel on the ground is that people are realizing the power of their votes.”

She also emphasized that avoiding a runoff was critical to Democratic unity heading into November.

“The earlier we consolidate, the better for all of us on the Democratic side,” she said.

Throughout both her campaign and election-night speech, Bottoms presented herself as a candidate focused on affordability, healthcare access, education, voting rights, and economic opportunity.

Her policy priorities included expanding Medicaid, increasing access to affordable housing, cracking down on corporate landlords, strengthening voting protections, and raising teacher pay.

“It means we must expand Medicaid in this state, making sure everybody has access to healthcare,” Bottoms told supporters. “It means we’ve got to fight to lower costs and ensure families can afford to buy a home or rent a home.”

Bottoms also repeatedly connected her candidacy to Georgia’s civil rights history and her own family legacy.

During her remarks, she referenced her aunt, Ruby Doris Smith Robinson, a prominent student activist in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, as well as Georgia leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmy Carter, Raphael Warnock, and Jon Ossoff.

“I am the composition of their dreams and the ones they pushed me to dream for myself,” Bottoms said.

One of the most emotional moments of the speech came as Bottoms reflected on her family’s history in Georgia, tracing her ancestry to enslaved relatives connected to a plantation in Crawfordville once associated with former Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens.

“And here I stand before you,” Bottoms said, “as the Democratic nominee to be the 84th governor of this state.”

The speech also underscored Bottoms’ intention to nationalize the general election around opposition to Trump-aligned Republican policies and what she described as rising economic pressures facing Georgia families.

Without naming a preference in the Republican runoff, Bottoms sharply criticized Republican contenders Bert Jones and Rick Jackson.

“The only people Bert Jones and Rick Jackson have fought for are themselves,” Bottoms said. “Their campaigns are not about Georgians.”

Bottoms’ campaign also leaned heavily into voting rights protections throughout the primary season.

In her Roland Martin interview, she discussed a proposed voting rights agenda named after late Congressman John Lewis that included support for same-day voter registration and opposition to maps she said dilute minority voting power.

She also delivered one of the interview’s most memorable lines while discussing Republicans who have recently attempted to align themselves with Democrats nationally.

“We say that we are the big tent party,” Bottoms said. “But it doesn’t mean that you now need to come up and lead us.”

Then, with a smile, she added:
“Welcome to the cookout, but I don’t need you to man the grill right now.”

Bottoms now heads into the general election as Democrats hope to maintain the momentum that has transformed Georgia into one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states over the past decade.

Her victory Tuesday night signals not only strong consolidation inside the Democratic Party, but also the growing influence of a coalition powered by Black voters, suburban organizing, and turnout-focused grassroots operations that have reshaped Georgia politics in recent election cycles.

As supporters celebrated Tuesday night, Bottoms made clear she views the primary as only the beginning.

“So tonight, let’s celebrate,” she told the crowd. “And tomorrow, let’s get back to work.”

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Mayor Andre Dickens Unveils Sweeping Neighborhood Reinvestment Act Focused on Anti-Displacement and Equity

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens unveiled the Neighborhood Reinvestment Act, a sweeping anti-displacement and redevelopment package targeting equity, housing stability, and economic opportunity

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 20, 2026

Mayor Andre Dickens has introduced what his administration calls the most comprehensive neighborhood investment and anti-displacement legislative package in Atlanta history, a sweeping proposal aimed at reshaping how the city measures redevelopment success in historically underserved communities.

The proposal, titled “Opportunity for All: The Neighborhood Reinvestment Act,” seeks to shift Atlanta’s redevelopment model away from simply measuring construction activity and rising property values and instead focus on whether residents’ quality of life measurably improves.

The legislative package includes six interconnected components: a new Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI) Impact Framework, extensions of six existing Tax Allocation Districts (TADs), creation of a City Council-controlled NRI Trust Fund, reforms to TAD Advisory Committees, reauthorization of the Invest Atlanta intergovernmental agreement, and a broad Anti-Displacement Playbook containing more than 20 ordinances and resolutions.

The administration said the legislation is designed to address long-standing disparities across South and West Atlanta neighborhoods, where housing instability, lower educational attainment, food insecurity, public safety concerns, health inequities, and economic barriers have persisted for decades.

“This is about whether the people who stayed through decades of disinvestment get to stay long enough to benefit from the prosperity that is finally arriving,” Dickens said in announcing the legislation. “The first generation of TADs helped transform Atlanta physically, but this legislation recognizes that growth alone is not enough.”

Under the proposal, all future public investments in NRI communities would be evaluated through three primary goals: displacement prevention, neighborhood stabilization, and wealth creation. City officials say future TAD investments, redevelopment projects, and Trust Fund awards would be required to demonstrate measurable alignment with those outcomes.

The legislation also comes amid increased public scrutiny of Atlanta’s redevelopment financing structures and incorporates reforms tied to the City Auditor’s forthcoming review of Atlanta’s Tax Allocation Districts. Proposed reforms include third-party performance reviews, public accountability dashboards, strengthened redevelopment planning requirements, and expanded transparency measures.

“This legislation fundamentally changes how Atlanta measures success,” said Courtney English. “For too long, cities across America have measured progress by cranes, ribbon cuttings and rising property values while failing to ask whether residents themselves were better off.”

Among the most significant financial provisions is the proposed 30-year extension of six existing TADs: Campbellton, Metropolitan, Stadium, Hollowell/MLK, Westside, and Eastside. City officials say those extensions could unlock major long-term bonding capacity for affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, economic development, transit projects, and neighborhood stabilization efforts.

The legislation also proposes creation of a new NRI Trust Fund targeted toward Atlanta’s most economically distressed neighborhoods using Invest Atlanta’s Economic Mobility Index. Projects funded through the Trust Fund would be subject to independent review and public reporting requirements.

Faith and civil rights leader Bernice A. King praised the proposal’s emphasis on intentional investment and accountability.

“Talking isn’t enough if we don’t have policies, practices and infrastructure,” King said. “NRI becomes that first step to putting something in place that reflects intentionality and manifest the beloved community.”

Several Atlanta City Council members also voiced support for the package, emphasizing both the need for investment and protections against displacement.

Marci Collier Overstreet said the package recognizes that investment must include accountability and protections for longtime residents.

Michael Julian Bond described the proposal as a mechanism to ensure investment produces measurable improvements in housing stability, educational opportunity, economic mobility, and community wealth creation.

Andrea L. Boone pointed specifically to neighborhoods like Adamsville, which she said have experienced decades of watching resources bypass their communities.

Antonio Lewis said the legislation is deeply personal as a lifelong South Atlanta resident and Atlanta Public Schools graduate.

“This legislation is about making sure young people growing up in communities like the ones that raised me have access to safe neighborhoods, stable housing, quality schools, and real economic opportunity without being pushed out of the city they call home,” Lewis said.

The package’s Anti-Displacement Playbook includes proposals addressing tenant protections, affordable housing preservation, heirs property assistance, home repair funding, commercial stabilization efforts, community ownership opportunities, and support for legacy businesses and institutions.

Byron Amos said communities on Atlanta’s Westside deserve a comprehensive strategy rather than fragmented investment efforts.

Meanwhile, Wayne Martin said the legislation represents an opportunity to finally align sustained investment with the long-term resilience residents along the Campbellton Road corridor have demonstrated for generations.

The legislative package was formally introduced before the Atlanta City Council on May 18 and is expected to move through committee hearings and public engagement sessions before final consideration later this year.

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MARTA Opens New Pedestrian Bridge at Indian Creek Station, Marking Major Milestone in Systemwide Rehabilitation Effort

MARTA opened a new pedestrian bridge and renovated Indian Creek Station, improving transit access, safety, lighting, and infrastructure for thousands of DeKalb riders daily.

By Milton Kirby | Stone Mountain, GA. | May 19, 2026

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) officially opened a new pedestrian bridge and renovated west plaza at Indian Creek Station on Monday, unveiling what agency leaders described as a transformational investment for eastern DeKalb County and a major milestone in MARTA’s long-term station rehabilitation program.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the completion of the pedestrian bridge connecting Durham Park Road to the station, providing residents in nearby Manor at Indian Creek and other neighborhoods with a safer and more direct route into the transit system. The project is part of MARTA’s multi-decade Station Rehabilitation Program, which aims to modernize all 38 rail stations across the system.

“This bridge is transformational,” Interim MARTA General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt said during the ceremony. “It provides a safe, accessible route that significantly reduces travel time to the station and removes barriers that once made transit near to their home less convenient to use.”

For residents of Manor at Indian Creek, the new bridge represents more than infrastructure. Terry Ross, Jerry Johnson, and Al Mitchell — all regular MARTA riders — said the bridge will shorten their daily trips to the station by 15 to 20 minutes while also making the journey significantly safer.

Indian Creek Station serves as the easternmost terminus of MARTA’s Blue Line and handles approximately 3,000 passengers each weekday, according to MARTA officials.

Hunt described the station as “one of our major stations within MARTA and into DeKalb County,” emphasizing the role public transportation plays in connecting residents to work, schools, medical appointments, and daily necessities.

Manor at Indian Creek Residents – L to R Jerry Johnson, Terry Ross & Al Mitchell

The improvements extend well beyond the new bridge.

The project included resurfacing the station’s bus loop, installing upgraded lighting throughout the station, adding new benches and trash receptacles, enhancing landscaping, modernizing fare gates, and performing deep cleaning and restoration work inside the facility. MARTA also installed new wall panels and architectural concrete features designed to improve long-term durability and reduce maintenance costs.

One of the most visible upgrades inside the station involved restoration of the station’s natural wood ceiling through dry ice cleaning.

“We’ve modernized our customer touch points,” Hunt said, noting the installation of MARTA’s new Better Breeze fare gates and updated ticket vending technology.

The west-side fare gates remain under construction and are expected to open within the next several weeks.

Pedestrian bridge to Indian Creek MARTA Station – Photo by Milton Kirby

The station rehabilitation also included improvements to the traction power substation, which powers MARTA’s third rail system. Hunt said the new exterior wall paneling was designed to be more durable, easier to maintain, and visually appealing.

DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson praised the project as an important investment in mobility and quality of life for county residents.

“As commissioner of this district, I understand how important public transportation is to the residents I serve,” Davis Johnson said during the ceremony.

“MARTA is more than just a transit system. It is a vital connection to jobs, schools, medical appointments, shopping, and countless opportunities that improve the quality of life for our citizens.”

She called Indian Creek Station “a critical transportation hub” for eastern DeKalb County and said the pedestrian bridge would provide “safer and more convenient access” for residents living near Durham Park Road.

“This project represents a significant investment in infrastructure and community,” she said. “When we invest in transportation, we are investing in our people.”

Construction leaders also emphasized the local significance of the project.

Representatives from Carroll Daniel Construction Company and C.D. Moody Construction Company highlighted the collaborative effort behind the renovation and the importance of reinvesting in communities connected to MARTA’s transit system.

Charles Moody from C.D. Moody Construction noted the company’s long relationship with MARTA and reflected on growing up in DeKalb County and using Indian Creek Station throughout childhood and adulthood.

“I remember when the station was new,” he said. “I remember the ups and downs. And I love to see when we are revitalizing and putting back in our community because it means so much to someone like me who grew up here.”

The Indian Creek project represents one of MARTA’s earliest major station rehabilitation efforts under a broader modernization strategy that includes station upgrades, new rail cars, improved lighting, upgraded fare technology, and preparations for increased regional activity leading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The ceremony concluded with a ribbon cutting in front of the new bridge as MARTA officials, construction partners, elected leaders, and community members gathered to celebrate the reopening.

“Thank you for staying focused on the vision for this station and taking a moment to take this station from good to great,” Hunt told MARTA employees and project partners.

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Obama Foundation Announces Free South Side Watch Party for Presidential Center Grand Opening

The Obama Foundation announced a free June 18 watch party on Chicago’s Midway Plaisance for the Obama Presidential Center grand opening ceremony.

By Milton Kirby | Chicago, IL | May 19, 2026

The Obama Foundation announced Tuesday that a free public watch party for the grand opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center will be held June 18 on Chicago’s historic Midway Plaisance, inviting residents and visitors to celebrate what organizers describe as a landmark moment for the city’s South Side.

The official watch party will feature a livestream of the Center’s Grand Opening Ceremony in a “picnic-style atmosphere,” along with an art market showcasing local vendors and community organizations.

“This is an historic day for Chicago’s South Side as we welcome the world into our neighborhood,” said Valerie Jarrett in a statement released Tuesday. “We are excited to share this celebration with our extraordinary community and city, who are such an integral part of President and Mrs. Obama’s story, and where they will always call home.”

According to the Foundation, attendees interested in joining the free event must submit a ticket request form through the Foundation’s website by May 26. Requests may include up to 4 tickets, though organizers emphasized that submitting a form does not guarantee admission due to limited space.

The watch party will open at 9 a.m. with a live DJ and pre-ceremony activities ahead of the 11 a.m. Grand Opening Ceremony. Organizers said the event will include accessible viewing areas and ADA-compliant restroom facilities.

The Foundation encourages attendees to use public transportation through the Chicago Transit Authority and Metra systems, as parking will not be available on site.

The June 18 ceremony will officially dedicate the Obama Presidential Center campus through performances, storytelling, and presentations centered on civic engagement and community leadership. The Foundation said the event will feature “global icons” and highlight its broader mission to inspire and connect communities worldwide.

The Center itself officially opens to the public on June 19. While museum tickets for opening weekend have already sold out, the remainder of the campus will remain free and open to visitors.

Located on Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Presidential Center has been envisioned as more than a traditional presidential library. Foundation leaders have described it as a civic and cultural hub designed to encourage community engagement, leadership development, and public participation.

The Foundation also announced that celebratory programming surrounding the opening will continue throughout the weekend.

Sponsors supporting the Grand Opening Ceremony and weekend events include GCM Grosvenor, Abbott, ITW, and Northern Trust.

Additional information and ticket request forms are available on the Obama Foundation website.

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