Austin is a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and HBCU advocate who owns five highly successful Nouveau restaurants with a Dallas location opening soon. She also launched a line of stone-ground grits available nationwide in 160 Publix grocery stores where all the proceeds go back to HBCU student scholarships. Overall, Austin has given back more than $100K in cash scholarships to HBCU students. And she’s created more than 100 job opportunities for her community while holding an extensive real estate portfolio. Austin recently announced the donation of $20,000 to metro Atlanta’s

The Gathering Spot in Atlanta's burgeoning center for innovation and free-thinking cottage industries recently hosted The Economic Freedom Talks, a Harris-Walz campaign initiative to address and resolve pressing issues facing Black entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Economic Freedom Talks are designated to uplift small business owners and entrepreneurs across the nation, featuring a dynamic series of discussions that spotlighted former presidential candidate Kamala Haris' plans for small businesses. Nationally recognized advocates and experts for minority business development gathered to discuss issues hindering Black businesses  including: A ten-fold expansion of the

Just a few weeks ahead of the 2024 presidential showdown, as political and celebrity heavyweights make clear their support for a Harris administration, Ryan Wilson of the Gathering Spot, Lakeysha Hallmon, founder and CEO of the Village Market and Atlanta community organizer Scotty Smart spoke exclusively with the Atlanta Daily World regarding their involvement in a dynamic series of discussions spearheaded by the Harris-Walz ticket to focus on their plans for small and minority businesses. Wilson and Hallmon, co-organizers of the Economic Freedom Talks series provided Atlantans an

Two Georgia district attorneys who promised criminal justice reforms are facing reelection races that will test whether progressive prosecutors in liberal pockets of the swing state can survive intense blowback from state Republicans and some prominent local Democrats. Shalena Cook Jones of Chatham County and Deborah Gonzalez of Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties were elected in 2020 in the wake of nationwide protests against racial injustice. They, like dozens of other progressive prosecutors elected to office over the past decade, promised a holistic approach to prosecuting that offers diversion

In 14 years of working at Invest Atlanta, the organization's CEO Dr. Eloisa Klementich has led tremendous gains. Klementich and the Invest Atlanta team has produced the creation of 11,383 affordable housing units, 66,900 jobs created or retained, and supported $7.1 million of small business funding and $8 billion dollars of new capital investment in the city. Klementich recently spoke with with ADW to share insight on her journey with Invest Atlanta and its overall impact. How were you originally introduced to Invest Atlanta? It has been an amazing, almost 14

Gocha Hawkins is somewhat of an anomaly; she is both enigmatic and relatively guarded at the same time. The gourmet restaurateur and winner of the 2024 Golden Spatula Award wasn’t born with a silver spoon. Her refined tastes for high-end, but down-home culinary dishes however, is attracting Atlanta foodies in droves. The accomplished beautician and reality show star is now a thriving restaurant owner, making a mark in Atlanta's highly competitive dining space. The plain-spoken star of WE tv's “Bold and the Bougie” makes it clear that a

Estate planning is a concept that many people, particularly in communities of color, tend to overlook. However, as Attorney Amber C. Saunders explains, the implications of not planning for the future can be devastating.  In an exclusive interview with ADW, Saunders shared her personal story of how she transitioned into estate planning and the significant role it plays in preserving wealth for future generations. "I thought I was going to do criminal law, but when my grandmother got diagnosed with dementia and she was the only person who did

In a historic move, Benedict College has announced the extension of Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis’s contract, ensuring her tenure as the first female president of the institution through June 2031. This decision not only underscores the impact Dr. Artis has had since assuming the role in 2017 but also marks a significant moment in the college’s storied history as an HBCU in South Carolina. Dr. Artis’s tenure has been marked by remarkable achievements, including the completion of Benedict College’s The B.E.S.T. five-year strategic plan in just three years, a