This afternoon, community members across Georgia gathered in protest of Elon Musk, and his efforts with DOGE in the United States Government.
Many posted up at this Tesla dealership, located in Fayetteville, to exercise their First Amendment Rights while shoppers roamed the lot of inventory. According to local resources, the demonstrators had been on the front lawn of the dealership since 1:00pm and left, on their own, at 3:00pm.
When asked about the demonstration, Tesla employees declined comment and referred us to media@tesla.com for further questioning.
Photo Credit: Tracy K.
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Paschal’s was founded in 1947 by James and Robert Paschal. Originally located on West Hunter Street in Atlanta, Georgia, the restaurant quickly became a popular spot, offering a menu full of Southern comfort food, including fried chicken, cornbread, and collard greens.
Paschal’s became particularly notable for being a family-owned business during a time of segregation and racial tensions, which contributed to the restaurant’s significance in the Civil Rights Movement, ultimately making it a historical landmark.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Paschal’s became one of the most important meeting places for civil rights leaders. Martin Luther King Jr. and other influential figures such as Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young were frequent visitors, using the restaurant to strategize and plan key actions during the Civil Rights Movement. The restaurant’s discreet and welcoming environment provided a safe space for these leaders to discuss strategies for combating segregation, racial inequality, and injustice. A key moment in history occurred when Paschal’s served as the venue for the planning of the Atlanta sit-ins, part of the broader movement to desegregate public spaces. During this period, Paschal’s was not just a restaurant, but a pivotal site of activism.
While Paschal’s was well-known for its involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, the restaurant also gained recognition for popularizing soul food—a style of cooking that reflects the culinary traditions of African Americans in the South. The restaurant became a beloved cultural institution, especially within the Black community of Atlanta. Paschal’s menu reflected the rich Southern heritage of its owners and patrons, and the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere made it a place of unity and cultural exchange. It became the heart of a community, bringing Black people together in countless ways, especially during trying times.
Martin Luther King Jr., his wife and sister, Coretta Scott King, Christine King Farris and prominent civil rights leader, Ralph Abernathy join together with guests for a southern meal at Paschals.
Paschal’s paved the way for Black businesses today. It provided a significant economic boost to the local community, particularly for African Americans, during a time when Black businesses were often marginalized by segregation.
Paschal’s also contributed to tourism in Atlanta. Tourists interested in the history of the Civil Rights Movement were drawn to Paschal’s for both its food and historic significance. The restaurant was recognized as a must-visit location for those exploring the rich heritage of Atlanta’s Black community.
Paschal’s embodied the essence of the Black experience in the South, offering not just food, but a place for community, conversation, and leadership. From civil rights sit-ins and meetings to trailblazing soul food and creating a path for Black businesses, the restaurant’s influence continues to be felt today.
Paschal’s stands as a testament to the power of community, resistance, and the role of food in bringing people together.
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Just one block south of the Martin Luther King Jr. historical site, two new art galleries, One Contemporary and The Sun ATL, celebrated their openings on the same mid-January Friday night. In the midst of a bustling Edgewood Avenue, both drew the arts community out for an evening of appreciation.
Although both galleries hosted their openings at the same time, the two are completely dissociated, yet structurally conjoined. That’s right, both businesses share a wall and the same purpose; aiding Atlanta’s robust art culture.
“Atlanta is considered a bubbling art hub and contemporary art destination, but we’re dead last for legislative funding for the arts. It’s a paradox,” said Faron Manuel, Director and Principal Curator at One Contemporary. There’s a lot of creativity and interest here, but we just need shows like this to get people inquiring and involved to help us grow here in Atlanta,” he added.
From observation, One Contemporary is passionate about art’s future reality. The inaugural exhibition, titled “The Start of Something”, means just that. It leads with young, Gen-Y/Z work that spawned from an energetic era of existence. These artists have a unique understanding of life, blending it with their specialized medium, then producing pieces that reflect their current sense of self and cultural affairs.
“I needed to tell this story about Atlanta in a very particular way. I think highly of these ten artists and they are a great example of what can be done, as a young artist in Atlanta making an impact,” said Manuel.
Cozy, yet spicy, and lively, this gallery has potential to house pieces of the 21st century new Atlanta renaissance period.
Both galleries, conjoined at the hip, offer an alternative energy to a bustling Edgewood Ave. (The Sun ATL, yellow building and One Contemporary, white building) Photo credit: JannahB, The Bold Opinion
Its neighbor, The Sun ATL, is owned and curated by Shawn Vinson, a four-time gallery co-founder himself. The gallery is housed in a space that was previously an architecture firm, so its structural components immediately set an exploratory mood. The exhibition, “First Light”, features artists from around the globe, touching European, American, and Congolese art.
This gallery, for sure, is a mixing bowl of international art, but still shows respect for the city in which it breathes. “We are in the heart of Atlanta and I wanted to celebrate where we are, so we have Jim Alexander as a permanent artist here,” said Vinson. “Jim is a legend who’s been in Atlanta since the 1970s photographing Black culture, music, and civil rights. He was the first person I called to ask if I could show his work here,” he added.
At the end of the day, both businesses compliment each other well, but juxtapose just the right amount to separate their narratives. Nestled next to a college campus and in the middle of a pedestrian-friendly social district, these two galleries provide alternativity to the bass and booze filled streets of Edgewood Ave. This is just another testament to the strength of Atlanta art.
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