As Trump Recasts History, a Civil Rights Museum Sticks to a Messy Past
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is expanding its exploration of the country’s racial dynamics despite a surge of government resistance. It is not lost on the center’s leaders that a museum devoted to the push and pull of the country’s fitful civil rights history is reopening at a moment when President Trump has used the force of the federal government to dismantle diversity programs and promote a sunnier version of America’s story.
Atlanta’s civil rights museum reopens, reimagined for the next generation
With new wings, redesigned exhibits, and a focus on children, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is back as both memorial and classroom. After being closed since January for renovations, the center will feature four new spaces with exhibits changing twice a year, offering visitors a deeper dive into civil and human rights stories.
On Eve of SNAP Crisis, St. Paul’s Reopens Food Pantry with Emmaus House Help
The last day of the month is usually when food is scarcest for people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aka food stamps. However, a new collaborative effort to open a mobile food pantry between St. Paul’s and Emmaus House served 205 families on Oct. 31st, representing 525 people receiving fresh and packaged produce, protein, and canned goods. Their first distribution together became even timelier because the federal government stopped SNAP payments on Nov. 1.
Legacy is Alive
In the week leading up to Halloween and Día de los Muertos, members of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta (CVC) gathered at the Historic Oakland Cemetery to learn about significant change makers laid to rest there. "RIP (Rest in Philanthropy)” as the annual event is called, guides attendees through stories of leadership shaped by volunteers, mentors, advocates, philanthropists and elected officials who answered the call when their city and neighbors needed them most.
The Clarkston Greenway Feasibility Study
The American Planning Association has awarded a 2025 Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff Award to The Clarkston Greenway Feasibility Study which explored different path locations to better connect residents to different parts of town and create a more walkable and livable community. The study centers the voices of at-risk and historically overlooked residents in one of the nation's most diverse cities to prioritize access to nature, health, and mobility. The thoughtful placement of the greenway enhances access and connectivity to schools, transit stops, retail, and health clinics.
First part of Georgia Tech’s ambitious ‘Creative Quarter’ project revealed
A temporary hub for contemporary arts will soon rise on the western edge of Georgia Tech’s campus, a prelude of sorts for an expansion of the campus dedicated to creative arts and industry.
“Loop,” as the space has been named, will bring art installations, performances and immersive events to the 7-acre former Randall Brothers manufacturing site in west Midtown. It will be operated by the Goat Farm Arts Center in conjunction with GT.
Georgia Tech envisions building a hub where new technologies for producing art are developed, shared and experimented with, akin to the innovation districts it has built for life sciences and technology.
Announcing the winners of the 30th ULI Atlanta Awards for Excellence
The annual ULI Awards honor development projects across the state for their exceptional vision, leadership, and lasting impact on Georgia’s built environment. Atlanta Land Trust won the Affordable and Workforce Housing Award for The Avenue at Oakland City. The Avenue is a 36-townhome development providing affordable for-sale housing within walking distance of the Oakland City MARTA Station and the BeltLine Westside Trail. The Historic District-approved design features five, two-story, multifamily buildings with front porches and alternating principal roof forms of front-facing gables and shed roofs. Significant infrastructure upgrades eliminate flooding on the site from combined sewer overflows. Developers also installed new water and sewer infrastructure under Tucker Avenue and repaved the street.
Minneapolis nominates 3 sites at the center of city's Black community to National Register of Historic Places
The city of Minneapolis is nominating the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center and the former home of civil rights advocate Harry Davis, Sr. to the National Register of Historic Places. The Phyllis Wheatley Community Center has been providing community programs and services for 100 years in north Minneapolis. It opened in 1924 when young Black women who were barred from the dorms at the University of Minnesota raised funds to open a settlement house.
Running on Empty
Annually, the September issue of Atlanta Magazine centers on The Arts. This feature story details the day-to-day challenges arts organizations are facing in the wake of ongoing funding cuts. Hear from Mack Headrick, managing director of 7 Stages; Laura Flusche, executive director of Museum of Design Atlanta; and Christopher Escobar, Atlanta Film Festival. Plus learn more about how they’re banding together through Arts Capital | Atlanta.
Civil Rights center beats fundraising goal, sets date to reopen
With two new wings, the 24,000-square-foot expansion of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will re-open November 8 after being closed to visitors since January.
Dragon Con raises record-breaking $320K for NAMI Georgia
Dragon Con organizers say they intentionally chose mental health as this year’s focus for their massive annual fundraising campaign. In 2024, Mental Health America ranked Georgia 47th out of 50 states for access to mental health care. In response, NAMI Georgia has been working to close the gap.
The Atlanta Bar Association has recognized PBPA’s Executive Director
Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta’s Executive Director, Rachel Spears, was selected to receive a Distinguished Service Award form the Atlanta Bar Association, one of the bar’s highest honors.
The State of Arts Funding in Georgia with Laura Hennighausen
Laura Hennighausen, Director of Strategic Philanthropy at Purpose Possible and CEO of Arts Capital | Atlanta (AC|A) speaks with the Good2Give Podcast form the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia (CFNEG) about why the collaborative started and how its addressing the urgent need for arts funding in the region.
The Giving Gap
The Giving Gap from WSB-TV Channel 2 highlights the work of local non-profits and the recent challenges they face in the wake of Federal funding cuts. Midtown Assistance Center shares their mission and how they’re concerned about the future of food assistance programs.
Atlanta’s lifeline for re-entry and homelessness prevention faces federal funding cuts
Charles Walsh (pictured) plays the bass guitar inside his room at CaringWorks Hope House, a 70-bed residential facility that supports adult men who have experienced homelessness and are in recovery from substance abuse. CaringWorks seeks to meet each individuals’ specific needs through their successful recovery program, however the program is facing a difficult path forward with the federal funding cuts.
Can This Baltimore Academy Continue to Train Urban Farmers?
At Black Butterfly Teaching Farm, run by the Farm Alliance of Baltimore (FAB), locals learn to build a climate-resilient food system with economic potential in the midst of an industrial city. The farm was designed to turn food-curious people into urban farmers, especially those who live or work in the “Black Butterfly”—the regions of the city to the east and west of the center, shaped like a pair of butterfly wings, where the city’s majority Black population lives. The Trump administration has cut many farming initiatives, including those addressing climate change and environmental injustice. That leaves programs like Black Butterfly—which aim to instill sustainable agriculture knowledge in residents who have long been blocked from land access—in limbo.
With 2026 FIFA World Cup, Atlanta aims to celebrate the city
As the world counts down to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Atlanta is working tirelessly to not only host the event, but also to tell the city’s story. In conjunction with the World Cup, the host committee announced multiple partnerships to help celebrate and support Atlanta’s youth. A new StationSoccer field will be built at the Hamilton E. Holmes MARTA station in partnership with Soccer in the Streets, and a Boys & Girls Club of Georgia partnership will help promote soccer programming throughout the entire state.
Building Generational Wealth: How the BeltLine is Making Homeownership Dreams Reality
The Atlanta BeltLine supports permanent affordability through strategic partnerships, particularly with Atlanta Land Trust. Together, they secured a $3 million Georgia Investments in Housing Grant to advance this work. Grant funding helped Atlanta Land Trust develop The Avenue at Oakland City, creating 29 permanently affordable townhomes through the community land trust model. This approach ensures these homeownership opportunities remain affordable in perpetuity, with prices starting at $186,000 and qualifying buyers eligible for down payment assistance.
Georgia organizations brace for food assistance demand due to SNAP cuts
According to the latest data from Feeding America, nearly 40% of the food-insecure population in the United States is white. Yet, in most counties, food insecurity rates among Black, Hispanic and Latino households exceed those of white households. 1 in 7 people in Georgia are facing hunger. Now, amid federal funding cuts to assistance programs and inflation impacting food prices, Rose Scot talks with local leaders, including Jon McMurdo, the development manager at Second Helpings Atlanta, about their efforts to combat summer hunger across metro Atlanta.
Second Helpings Atlanta – Fighting Hunger Through Food Rescue
At the intersection of hunger relief and sustainability sits Second Helpings Atlanta, a logistics nonprofit working to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity. In their 20 years of operation, Second Helpings Atlanta has rescued over 32 million pounds of food – enough to provide 27 million meals to neighbors in metro Atlanta facing food-insecurity. Operating out of 970 Jefferson Street NW, the organization plays a vital role in feeding communities across metro Atlanta — including the historic Westside — by empowering volunteers to rescue surplus food and deliver it to agencies that serve those in need.