Arden’s Garden Extends a Healthy Hand in Atlanta’s Black Communities
Arden’s Garden, Atlanta’s popular health food retailer, also known as the city’s first juice bar, is expanding its presence and high nutrition offerings into an economically diverse range of communities throughout metropolitan Atlanta. The 30-year-old company which began in founder Arden Zinn’s kitchen opened its 18th and 19th locations in Atlanta recently in the Cascade Heights area and in the heart of the Benteen Park neighborhood—right off Boulevard. Leslie Zinn, Arden’s Garden CEO and president said the company’s approach offsetting health and nutrition deficits in less affluent and
The Power of Yes: Turning Opportunity into a Lifetime of Leadership
Photo by Paul Williams III By Loan C. Lake When opportunity knocks, Gracie Pendergrass Coleman says yes. That fearless approach — paired with confidence in her own expertise — opened doors throughout her decades-long career in executive leadership. Born in Chester, SC, and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Coleman describes her success as a mixture of serendipity and a strong belief in herself — one that was reinforced by her upbringing. “My parents were teenagers [when they had me], and I’m astounded at how wise they were. My father and
Art as Legacy: From Charlotte Walls to Museum Halls
Photo By Tyrus Ortega Gaines By Loán C. Lake Renowned artist Tommie Robinson has been drawing and painting for most of his life. His unassuming nature belies the fact that his work is seen all around Charlotte, including a commissioned portrait that hangs in the Mecklenburg County Courthouse today. Robinson has called Charlotte home since relocating from Lumberton, North Carolina at age seven or eight, around the time that he discovered his love for art. After the death of his father, his mother gave him permission to sketch and paint
Power of Mentoring: Carl D. West on Mentorship, Community, and Guiding the Next Generation
Carl West, a publisher, editor, CEO, father, and mentor. His story shows what’s possible when a young person has guidance, accountability, and a community that refuses to give up. His experiences are central to his book, The Power of Mentoring, and drive his ongoing efforts to help the next generation avoid the challenges he once faced. Carl West shares a personal reflection on coming of age in the Southside Growing up on the Southside of Chicago and graduating from CVS High School, West saw early on how a young life
Clarinda Barnett-Harrison Becomes First Woman CEO of Detroit Wayne Joint Building Authority
Detroit Wayne Joint Building Authority has a new leader — and a first. Board commissioners have appointed Clarinda Barnett-Harrison as chief executive officer, making her the first woman to hold the top job at the Detroit Wayne Joint Building Authority, the public body responsible for stewardship of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. In the role, Barnett-Harrison will work with the Authority’s Board of Commissioners and oversee facilities management and capital improvement programs tied to the municipal center. The building houses major public functions for Detroiters and Wayne County
The Ke’nekt Founder Kiyomi Rollins Shares Insights on Southwest Atlanta’s Entrepreneurial Scene
New Partnership With Pittsburgh Yards Built on Aligned Missions Atlanta is widely regarded as fertile ground for business start-ups, supported by a robust ecosystem that actively champions minority- and women-owned enterprises. The region has become a destination for aspiring entrepreneurs and established small businesses seeking access to resources and innovative programs designed to combat financial inequities, build capacity, invest capital, and revitalize underserved communities. In an exclusive interview with Atlanta Daily World, Kiyomi Rollins, founder and CEO of The Ke’nekt Cooperative, shared insights into Atlanta’s entrepreneurial
Black Dean’s Demise at Harvard is Tied to Trump’s War on Equity
Harvard University now finds itself standing where politics, power, and punishment meet, as the removal of a Black dean unfolds alongside a renewed White House campaign aimed squarely at race, history, and who is allowed to speak plainly about both. Gregory Davis, a resident dean and African American studies scholar, was removed from his position after years-old social media posts were revived by far-right outlets and amplified during Donald Trump’s second presidency. Harvard confirmed Davis was no longer serving in the role and moved quickly to close the
Black Women Begin 2026 Making History As Mayors In Major U.S. Cities
Thursday, Jan. 1, marked a historic milestone for local governance as three Black women were sworn in as mayors of major cities. The five individuals in the image are Mary Sheffield, Joi Washington, Christal Watson, Dorcey Applyrs, and Sharon Owens, all of whom recently made history by being elected as mayors of their respective cities. In Detroit, Mary Sheffield, 38, took the oath of office in a private ceremony at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, becoming the city’s first woman and first Black woman mayor in its 324-year history. Sheffield, the daughter of civil rights activist and
From Jail to Judge, From Screen to Stage: Judge Greg Mathis Brings His Life Story Home to Detroit
When famed and critically acclaimed judge Greg Mathis steps onto the stage at Detroit’s historic Music Hall on January 16 and 17, it will represent the culmination of a life journey that many once believed would end behind prison walls. For more than 26 years, Mathis has been a familiar face to millions through his groundbreaking television courtroom show, becoming the longest-running African American host in television history. Yet the man Detroit knows as “Judge Mathis” says the upcoming stage production, Don’t Judge Me, reveals layers of his story that audiences have never fully
Civil Rights Legend Claudette Colvin, First to Sit for Bus Desgregation Inspired Generations
Claudette Colvin, the civil rights pioneer whose quiet act of defiance helped dismantle segregation on Montgomery buses, has died of natural causes. She was 86. On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation confirmed that the civil rights activist died in Texas. Long before Rosa Parks became the public face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Colvin who at the time was a 15-year-old high school student in an act of justified defiance refused to give up her seat on a segregated city bus. On March 2, 1955, a Montgomery