That afternoon, Rose -- a friend of my late parents -- called to thank me saying “that was so sweet!” and “I didn’t know you were going to add all those pictures!” She also, calmly, told me that she had had another stroke and that she was “... not going to be here much longer.”

On Mon., Aug. 10, Mrs. Palmer passed.

***************

BAD launched our oral history initiative in March to do just want we were able to in Rose Martin Palmer’s case: tell our history by interviewing people who lived it.

There are so many stories to tell of people in our community who made a difference, particularly in the face of overt oppression and legalized segregation, realities that some people now want erased.

Indeed, it is our mission to seek funding so that we can produce more content but, for now, we are making our way as a team of community journalists, historians, and activists just dedicating free time to monthly interviews and profiles.

If you haven’t already, please watch and share a wonderful conversation with our Queen Rose, here (and, check out our four other outstanding episodes!).

To honor Rose’s memory, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Hope Leadership Academy: https://hla.org/donate/

Rest peacefully, Rose. Thank you for paving the way.

ATLANTA — More than 30 years ago, André 3000 stood before the music industry and delivered a message that still resonates across Atlanta. At the 1995 Source Awards in New York, the OutKast rapper famously declared, “The South got something to say.”

He was talking about music. But in Atlanta, that declaration has always been bigger than music. Black Atlanta has something to say — and Black Atlanta media has been saying it for generations.

This week, Black Atlanta Documented (BAD) is at the National Association of Black Journalists conference at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, talking with reporters, editors educators and other conference attendees about the extraordinary history and continuing importance of Black media in Atlanta.

Our conversations are part of BAD’s upcoming Episode #6: which will examine the Black media landscape in Atlanta — its history, its influence and the journalists and institutions that helped make Atlanta one of the nation’s most important centers of Black journalism.

Leading those conversations is BAD Correspondent Michelle Taylor Willis, publisher of South Fulton Lifestyle Magazine. Willis is interviewing NABJ attendees about what Atlanta’s Black press has meant to the city and why it remains important today.

Atlanta: A City Where Black Media Matters

Atlanta’s significance in Black America is often told through the story of the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, this city produced Martin Luther King Jr, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Atlanta Student Movement.

But Atlanta’s Black history doesn’t end with the movement.

For generations, Black Atlantans built institutions that helped shape the city’s political, cultural and economic life. Among the most important were its newspapers, magazines, radio stations and other Black-owned media organizations.

The Atlanta Daily World, founded in 1928, became one of the nation’s most influential Black newspapers. It chronicled Atlanta’s Black community while advocating for civil rights, education, economic opportunity and political representation. (See BAD Episode #5 with former Daily World publisher Alexis Scott interviewed by BAD veteran Atlanta journalist Shelia Poole here).

The Black press in Atlanta -- as in many other cities before the Civil Rights Movement -- didn’t simply report what was happening. It helped make things happen.

It provided a platform when mainstream newspapers often ignored Black communities or portrayed them through a distorted lens. It celebrated Black achievement. It challenged injustice. It connected communities. And it created a record of Black Atlanta that might otherwise have been lost.

That tradition is part of what BAD is documenting today.

From the Black Press to Black Power in Radio, Television and Media Relations

Atlanta’s Black media story expanded well beyond newspapers. Black radio personalities became trusted voices in the community. Black television journalists broke through barriers at a time when television newsrooms remained overwhelmingly white.

Atlanta produced groundbreaking journalists such as Monica Kaufman Pearson, who became the first Black woman to anchor a daily evening television news program in the South when she joined WSB-TV.

And Atlanta would go on to become a launching pad for nationally known Black journalists, including Don Lemon, who is speaking on a panel hosted by Chandra Thomas-Whitfield, one of our interviewees, this afternoon.

The story is not simply about individuals who “made it” into mainstream media. It is about the people who built a media ecosystem that allowed Black voices to be heard — and the generations that followed.

This is why BAD is at NABJ this week. Because the story of Black Atlanta cannot be told without telling the story of Black Atlanta media.

And just as André 3000 reminded the world more than three decades ago: The South’s got something to say.

Today, Black Atlanta media has something to say, too.

And BAD is here to document it!

#NABJ26

#BlackPress

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

Join Black Atlanta Documented at 10 a.m. Monday on YouTube as we premiere Episode 5 “Alexis Scott: AJC Journalist, Georgia Gang Commentator and Atlanta Daily World Icon.”

In this episode, veteran Atlanta journalist Shelia Poole talks to Scott about her childhood in Mozley Park, her career and her family’s legacy as publishers of the nation’s first sustained African American daily newspaper, the Atlanta Daily World.

The interview comes just two days before the anniversary of the first published edition of the newspaper on August 5, 1928. The ADW was founded by Scott’s grandfather, Morehouse College graduate William A. Scott, then just 26 years old. The newspaper became a daily on March 13, 1932. It was sold to Real Times Media, owner of the Chicago Defender and several former Black-owned newspapers, in 2012.

Save the date and the link: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackAtlantaDocumented

Don’t forget: We’re BAD!

#AtlantaDailyWorld

#Fox5Atlanta

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#BlackAtlanta

#AtlantaHistory

The story of the Black Press stretches back to 1827 when New York City’s Freedom’s Journal became the nation’s first Black-owned newspaper. During the Civil War, The New Orleans Tribune became the first Black daily newspaper in the United States when it began publishing daily in 1864. And in 1905, the weekly Chicago Defender emerged as one of the most influential Black newspapers in American history.

The Black Press existed because it had to. For generations, Black journalists were shut out of white-owned newspapers, and the mainstream press frequently ignored Black communities or portrayed African Americans through stereotypes.

Black-owned newspapers filled that void by reporting on issues that mattered to Black readers, documenting triumphs as well as injustices, championing civil rights, supporting Black-owned businesses and ensuring that Black communities could tell their own stories in their own voices.

Long before social media gave people the ability to publish instantly, the Black Press served as the trusted voice, conscience and historical record of Black America.

Few people understand that legacy better than Alexis Scott, granddaughter of Atlanta Daily World founder William Alexander Scott II. Before returning to her family’s newspaper, Scott built an accomplished career at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent more than a decade beginning in 1974 as a reporter and editor.

She later served as the newspaper’s vice president of community affairs from 1986 to 1993, helping strengthen relationships between one of the South’s largest news organizations and the communities it served. Scott -- a regular commentator for almost two decades on Fox 5’s The Georgia Gang -- eventually returned to the Atlanta Daily World, where she became publisher and continued her family’s remarkable journalistic legacy until her retirement in 2014. Two years before, Scott sold the newspaper to Detroit-based Real Times Media which operates it as an online newspaper.

Fellow former AJC reporter Shelia Poole’s Black Atlanta Documented interview with Scott offers a rare, firsthand look at growing up in one of America’s most influential newspaper families, navigating two landmark news organizations and witnessing firsthand the evolution of Black journalism over the past half-century. Her experiences remind us that the fight to tell complete, accurate and inclusive stories continues—and that the institutions built by earlier generations remain deeply relevant today.

The timing couldn’t be better. Atlanta is host this year to thousands of journalists who will attend the National Association of Black Journalists Convention & Career Fair, Aug. 12–16 at the Marriott Marquis.

Before the convention begins, we invite you to watch our exclusive conversation with Alexis Scott when it premieres at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 3, on the Black Atlanta Documented YouTube channel, just two days before the Atlanta Daily World’s 98th anniversary.

BAD believes it is a fitting tribute to the enduring power of the Black Press—and to the people who ensured that Black history would never go untold.

#AtlantaDailyWorld

#BlackPress

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#AtlantaHistory

#BlackHistory

After a short stint in media relations, Janita says she couldn’t be happier to return to the classroom and invest in the next generation of storytellers, communicators, and leaders.

“It is an honor to be affiliated with an institution that is globally significant for its pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement and its legacy of producing pioneering Black leaders who have changed our nation and the world,” said Poe, a five-time award-winning journalist who has worked as a staff reporter, editor, bureau chief and columnist for several major metropolitan newspapers including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Chicago Tribune.

This new chapter is also wonderful news for Black Atlanta Documented (BAD), the oral history podcast and digital archive launched in March 2026. Morehouse provides a dynamic platform—and perhaps even a future home—for our growing collection of stories preserving Black Atlanta’s rich history.

Together, we are documenting the voices, memories, and experiences that have shaped our city so they will never be forgotten or erased. BAD is looking forward to what lies ahead!

#MorehouseCollege

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#HBCUs

#Atlanta History

#Black History

He is the grandfather of Black Atlanta Documented‘s interviewee in Episode 5, which premieres 10 a.m., Monday, Aug. 3, on BAD’s YouTube channel.

This picture and many others like it, are in the granddaughter’s family home in historic Mozley Park in Southwest Atlanta.

On Aug. 5, 1928, this man (we’ll let the history fans name him) published what became one of the nation’s most influential Black-owned newspapers (we’ll let them name that, too!)

Before the Civil Rights Movement, Black journalists and editors were, essentially, barred from the mainstream press. So, dynamic people like this man established Black news sources to give voice to our people and communities, which were excluded from or misrepresented in mainstream news.

For generations, the publication this man founded remained under the stewardship of his family, making it one of the nation’s longest-running family-owned Black newspapers. The family newspaper essentially provided a historical record of Black Atlanta’s political, cultural, business, educational, and social development across nearly a century.

That commitment to preserving authentic Black history continues today through Black Atlanta Documented. At BAD, we believe history is most powerful when it is told by those who lived it, inherited it, and continue to shape it. We will share more on the granddaughter soon! Her story is inspiring! Right now, though, we are shining a light on the man who paved the way.

Save the date! 10 a.m., Monday, Aug. 3, the premiere of BAD Episode #5. You don’t want to miss the segment’s premiere on our YouTube channel because, you know, we’re BAD!

#BlackPress

#BlackAtlanta

#AtlantaHistory

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

At the home of the subject of Black Atlanta Documented (BAD) “Episode #4: Rose Martin Palmer, 98: A Living Bridge to Black Atlanta’s Past ,” framed freedom papers hang on the wall to remind family and friends of this truth, one that BAD exists to preserve in the face of growing efforts to erase it.

The papers -- which had to be regularly registered with the county and carried at ALL times -- belonged to the late Dr. James Palmer’s forefather, Andrew Dibble in South Carolina.

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., free Blacks lived in fear of losing these documents because they had to have them “to avoid being mistaken as a fugitive and risk being enslaved. (https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/joseph-trammells-freedom-papers)

In our interview with Palmer’s widow, Rose, we learn, firsthand, what life was like just a couple of generations removed from slavery.

We hear of the achievements made by those who straddled Jim Crow oppression and “Talented 10th” affluence in Atlanta’s segregated Black community.

And we preserve our true history in the face of growing movement to deny and downplay it all.

“Everything was so totally segregated at that time,” Palmer shares in the interview. “… it was the time when the Ku Klux Klan controlled almost everything and there was no real justice.”

Let’s learn from our legends. Let’s document our truth.

Save the date to sit down with Sister Rose at 10 a.m. Mon., July 6, on BAD’s YouTube channel.

See you there!

Previous Substack articles on Palmer:

BlackAtlantaDocumented

Rose Martin Palmer, 98: A Living Bridge to Black Atlanta's Past

Atlanta is, arguably, now the global capital of Black Excellence. It is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace, the center of everything from rap music to Black hair care, and home to the world’s largest consortium of historically Black colleges…

Read more

2 months ago · BlackAtlantaDocumented

BlackAtlantaDocumented

Hey Black History Buffs: Recognize this man?

Hey Black History/Atlanta History buffs: Recognize this man…

Read more

3 months ago · 3 likes · BlackAtlantaDocumented

#BlackHistory

#AtlantaHistory

#NAACP

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

But why? What brought people here in the first place?

Well, this question is what drives institutions and platforms like:

* The African American Panoramic Experience (APEX) Museum

* Skip Mason’s “Vanishing Black History”

* Dr. Georgianne Thomas’ “Who Lived Here and Where Did they Go?”

* The Atlanta History Center’s “Explore Black Atlanta”

* The AU Center Woodruff Library “Black Neighborhoods & the Creation of Black Atlanta”

* The Auburn Avenue Research Library

and, now,

* Black Atlanta Documented!

Which leads us to the tell you a bit about the woman behind BAD Episode #4: Rose Martin Palmer, 98: A Living Bridge to Black Atlanta’s Past.

Palmer is a native Atlantan and the niece of Walter White, leader of the NAACP from 1929 to 1955. Recently featured in a PBS American Experience documentary about his life, “Forgotten Hero,” Palmer grew up on Sunset Avenue in Vine City and her contemporaries included Martin Luther King, Joseph Lowery, Herman Russell and several of Maynard Jackson’s older sisters. While they all have gone on, we are so blessed to have Rose -- a lifelong family friend -- to tell us about life in Atlanta for people of Black African descent before many of us were born.

Earlier this year, her nephew and Black Atlanta Documented founder/executive director Janita Poe went to Palmer’s home in Niskey Lake to gather some photos for the episode (see gallery image).

What they found was a trove of not just Black Atlanta History but U.S. History. Included on the wall was a descendant’s “certificate of freedom” which free people of color were required to carry at all times in the South to provide that they were, indeed, free.

Our interview -- conducted virtually since Rose was in Houston with her son at the time -- is compelling, like going back in time. Though her voice is soft and raspy Rose Palmer remembers it all.

So, “stay tuned” to Black Atlanta Documented. You will not want to miss the premiere of Episode #4: Rose Martin Palmer with host Dr. Janita Poe at 10 a.m. Mon., July 6 on BAD’s YouTube channel.

#BlackHistory

#AtlantaHistory

#NAACP

#PBS

#AmericanExperience

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

It’s a portrait that hangs in the Southwest Atlanta home of Rose Martin Palmer, 98, #BlackAtlantaDocumented‘s guest in Episode 4, which premieres 10 a.m. Mon., July 6 on

BAD’s YouTube channel.

This man (we’ll let the history fans name him!) is her uncle and he was one of the nation’s top civil rights leaders from the late 1920s into the 1950s. Although he looked white and, like most African Americans, had white heritage, he was raised in segregated Black Atlanta and was among the first wave of Blacks to set the stage for the “Black Mecca” reputation Atlanta has today.

In Episode 4, Palmer, talks about him, life during Jim Crow and her childhood in what was the affluent street of the Vine City area where her contemporaries included Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Wesley Dobbs’ daughters. She also is seen and interviewed in the PBS special “Forgotten Hero” which was screened last fall at the APEX Museum and tells her uncle’s story.

Save the date! You don’t want to miss the segment’s premiere on our YouTube channel because, you know, we’re BAD!

#NAACP

#BlackAtlanta

#AtlantaHistory

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

Drawing extensively from archival research, Carr’s book chronicles the long and often painful struggle of Black American and Caribbean students seeking medical education and professional opportunities within systems designed to exclude them. Through meticulous reporting and historical analysis, she documents how generations of aspiring physicians navigated racism, segregation, and institutional barriers in pursuit of careers dedicated to healing others.

The timing of the book’s release could not be more significant. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice expanded discrimination investigations involving 15 medical schools, alleging that some institutions illegally consider race in admissions decisions. Yet many of the investigations’ claims rely heavily on narrow test-score data while often overlooking the broader historical realities that have shaped access to medical education in America. Carr’s work provides essential context for understanding why diversity in medicine remains a matter not simply of policy, but of history, equity, and public health.

The discussion also carried special resonance for Black Atlanta Documented (BAD) founder and executive producer Janita Poe, Ph.D, whose father, Booker Poe, M.D., was among Atlanta’s first Black pediatricians. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and beyond, he fought for greater equality in healthcare and medicine, advocating for patients and physicians alike in hospitals, professional organizations, and at the Georgia State Capitol. Carr’s exploration of the barriers faced by Black medical professionals echoes many of the struggles endured by pioneers like him who worked to open doors for future generations.

The event itself reflected the power of community-centered storytelling. Guests engaged in thoughtful dialogue about journalism, healthcare, history, and the importance of preserving narratives that are too often marginalized or forgotten. The program was expertly coordinated and marketed by Brandelyn Anderson of The Joy Builder, whose work helped create an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.

Published by HarperCollins’ Dey St. imprint, The Price of Exclusion: The Pursuit of Healthcare in a Segregated Nation will be officially released on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. At a moment when debates over educational access, healthcare equity, and historical truth are once again at the center of public discourse, the book by Carr — an assistant professor in the Department of Sports, Journalism and Social Justice at Morehouse College — arrives not merely as a historical account, but as an urgent contribution to a national conversation that is far from over.

Editor's Note: This article was developed with the assistance of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Black Atlanta Documented author Janita Poe, Ph.D., provided the source materials, reporting context, hyperlinks and all photos. Poe also reviewed, edited, and approved the final content. The Joy Builder’s flyer was retrieved from Carr’s Substack pages and .

Held at WSB Television’s Midtown Atlanta headquarters, the panel featured veteran music and entertainment journalist Sonia Murray, Richard Dunn, chief operating officer of The Atlanta Voice, Ernie Suggs, race and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Deasia Paige, the AJC’s music and culture reporter.

What emerged was more than a discussion about journalism. It was a conversation about preserving culture, adapting to technological change, and documenting Atlanta’s ongoing influence on Black music, entertainment, and identity.

From Notebooks to Notifications

For journalists who covered Atlanta’s entertainment scene in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, the work looked dramatically different.

Stories were often built through face-to-face interviews, lengthy phone calls, and deep relationships with artists, publicists, and community insiders. News cycles unfolded over days rather than minutes. Reporters had more time to develop sources, verify facts, and craft stories that provided context rather than simply chasing clicks.

Today’s music journalists, panel members said, operate in an entirely different ecosystem.

Artists announce projects directly to millions of followers on social media. A viral video can create a national story within hours. Fans become content creators. News breaks on TikTok before it reaches traditional media outlets. Artificial intelligence, livestreaming, and mobile-first storytelling have transformed how audiences consume information.

The panel explored how these changes have altered the profession while emphasizing that one thing remains constant: great journalism still depends on strong reporting, compelling storytelling, and credibility.

Technology may have changed the tools, but it has not replaced the fundamentals.

Atlanta: More Than a Music City

Few cities have shaped Black music and culture like Atlanta.

Over the past four decades, Atlanta has become a creative epicenter where music, politics, entrepreneurship, sports, and social movements intersect. The city helped launch and sustain the careers of artists whose influence extends far beyond entertainment.

During the discussion, panelists reflected on covering artists including Usher, Outkast, and TLC, performers whose careers helped define Atlanta’s rise as a cultural powerhouse.

Yet the panel also highlighted a broader reality: journalism about music is rarely just about music.

The best cultural reporting explores how artists influence communities, shape conversations about race and identity, create economic opportunities, and leave lasting impacts on the city itself.

Atlanta’s story cannot be told without its musicians. And the story of its musicians cannot be told without journalists willing to document the triumphs, struggles, and cultural shifts unfolding around them.

Why Black Journalists Matter

The discussion underscored the critical role Black journalists play in documenting Black culture.

Too often, cultural movements are misunderstood, oversimplified, or framed through an outsider’s lens. Journalists who understand the communities they cover bring nuance, historical perspective, and context that can be difficult to replicate.

Organizations such as AABJ have long worked to ensure that Black voices are represented in newsrooms and that stories affecting Black communities are told accurately and authentically.

As the media industry continues to evolve, that mission remains as important as ever.

The conversation served as a reminder that journalists covering culture are not simply reporting on trends. They are creating a historical record.

Years from now, researchers, students, and future generations will look back at today’s stories to understand how Atlanta became the cultural force it is today.

Preparing the Next Generation

One of the strongest themes emerging from the panel was the need for journalists to develop a broad skill set.

Writing remains essential. Reporting remains essential. Interviewing remains essential.

But today’s journalists must also understand video production, social media strategy, audience engagement, podcasting, digital analytics, and emerging technologies. The modern storyteller is expected to move seamlessly across platforms while maintaining journalistic standards.

For students and early-career journalists in attendance, the message was clear: adaptability is no longer optional.

The future belongs to journalists who can combine traditional reporting skills with digital fluency.

Preserving the Culture

At its heart, “Covering Black Music & Culture in the ATL” was about stewardship.

Atlanta’s music scene continues to shape global culture. New artists emerge every year. New platforms appear every year. The technology changes. The distribution methods change.

But the need for thoughtful storytelling remains.

As the panelists reflected on decades of coverage and looked ahead to the future, they offered a powerful reminder: culture doesn’t preserve itself.

Someone has to document the stories.

Someone has to ask the questions.

Someone has to write the first draft of history.

And in Atlanta, a city whose soundtrack has changed the world, that work remains as important as ever.

The Atlanta Association of Black Journalists hosted “Covering Black Music & Culture in the ATL” on June 13, 2026, at WSB Television in Atlanta. The panel featured Sonia Murray, Richard Dunn, Ernie Suggs, and Deasia Paige discussing the evolution of entertainment journalism, cultural reporting, and the future of storytelling in one of America’s most influential music cities.

Editor's Note: This article was developed with the assistance of OpenAI's ChatGPT. The author provided the source materials, reporting context, and editorial direction, and reviewed, edited, and approved the final content.

******************************************************

Join us soon for an exciting countdown, premiere and live chat on Black Atlanta Documented’s third episode, featuring James “Mr. V” Virgil, founder of the legendary Mr. V’s Figure 8 nightclub, in a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, perseverance, and the cultural impact of what was once one of Atlanta’s most celebrated nightlife destinations.

Hosted by leadership coach and speaker Simone Webster, the interview was filmed outside the former Westgate Shopping Center, where Mr. V’s once stood as a beacon of Black entertainment and social life. The episode was produced by Atlanta media consultant and video producer Vince Bailey.

Now 85, Virgil reflects on building a nightclub empire that attracted an impressive cross-section of Atlanta society. During its heyday, Mr. V’s became a gathering place for prominent figures ranging from boxing champion Muhammad Ali and music superstar Lionel Richie to Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson.

For many Atlantans, Mr. V’s was more than a nightclub. It was a cultural institution that showcased Black excellence, entrepreneurship, and community pride during a transformative period in the city’s history.

“I was 18 or 19 years old when I first came to Mr. V’s because I remember they had just lowered the legal drinking age,” Webster recalled. “Everyone came to Mr. V’s.”

For more on this premiere, James Virgil and Black Atlanta Documented please see today’s BAD news release under the BAD website “news and events” section or in the images here.

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#BlackHistory

#AtlantaHistory

#Disco

Black Atlanta Documented(BAD) host Simone Webster and James “Mr. V” Virgil himself reminisce about the club’s heyday right in front of its former location!

Don’t miss the full interview — Episode #3: James Virgil with host Simone Webster — which premieres 10 a.m. Mon., June 1, on Black Atlanta Documented’s YouTube channel!

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#blackhistory

#atlantahistory

#disco

Many did not know there really was a Mr. V.

Well, there is and Black Atlanta Documented (BAD) is telling his story right in the parking lot where the fabulous disco thrived back in the late 1970s.

In Episode #3, host Simone Webster -- herself a once a patron of Mr. V's with souvenir pictures to remember -- sits down with James "Mr. V" Virgil as he shares his journey from the rural south to proprietor of popular clubs in Chicago and Atlanta.

To prepare for this exciting rollout, BAD is asking people to share any framed Mr. V's souvenir photos they have here and on the YouTube episode, once it airs. We are going to go back in time with Mr. V!

Save the date and be there! The show premieres 10 a.m. Mon., June 1, on the BAD YouTube channel.

(Photo courtesy of Mr. V’s social media manager Mike Stewart).

#mrvs
#BlackAtlantaDocumented
#disco

Established in 1978 by the late Dan Moore, Sr., the APEX, 135 Auburn Ave., stands alongside other vital Black-owned museums such as the Hammonds House Museum here in Atlanta as well as the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture in Natchez, MS; the Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida in Miami; the Baton Rouge African American Museum in Louisiana and others as preservers of the African American experience. These institutions are more than museums—they are community anchors documenting stories often excluded from mainstream narratives.

At 10 a.m. Mon., May 4, Black Atlanta Documented will premiere Episode #2: An Interview with APEX CEO Dan Moore, Jr., with BAD Contributor and Host Araba Dowell of Seven Sages Global marketing and public relations firm.

In preparing for her dialogue with Moore, Dowell stated that she wanted not only to tell the APEX story but also make a call to action to encourage Atlantans to visit the museum, promote its offerings on social media and donate to the institution.

“Supporting them helps ensure that Black history is preserved and told by those rooted in the culture itself—for future generations,” said Dowell, a marketing executive and civic leader in the South Fulton community.

So Black Atlanta Documented is asking you to tune in to the Monday premiere or watch the episode afterwards to meet Dan Moore, Jr., learn the APEX story and commit to visiting, supporting and promoting our history and our valued community institutions!

Learn more about ways to support the APEX here.

To understand University Homes it helps to situate it squarely within the realities of 1930s America. This was the era of the New Deal, when the federal government began experimenting with large-scale public housing as a response to the Great Depression. But it was also the height of legalized segregation.

In that context, University Homes was both progressive and constrained. Progressive because it offered Black families access to safe, modern housing—something systematically denied in the private market. Constrained because it existed within a segregated system that built separate developments for Black and white residents.

According to the Atlanta Housing History page , at a time when many Black Atlantans lived in overcrowded, substandard conditions without indoor plumbing, University Homes offered:

• Running water

• Electricity

• Proper sanitation

• Green space and community planning

Located near what is now the Atlanta University Center, the development was surrounded by institutions like Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark. Over the decades, University Homes became more than a collection of buildings. It was a community—one where generations were raised, where neighbors knew each other, and where stability, however fragile, took root.

In 2009, University Homes was demolished as part of Atlanta’s sweeping transformation of public housing under initiatives like HOPE VI. Indeed, the city that once led the nation in building public housing also became the first major U.S. city to eliminate it entirely.

#BlackAtlanta

#AtlantaHousingAuthority

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

What is Black Atlanta Documented? BAD is a YouTube-based channel of compelling monthly interviews with Atlantans from all walks of life who have made our city what it is today. Follow us on YouTube as well as Instagram and Facebook.

#apexmuseum

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#BlackAtlanta

#atlantahistory

The Walden Building at 28 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, pictured here right next to the old Butler Street YMCA, is Judge Walden's namesake. He had an office in the building until he passed in 1965.

##CivilRightsMovement
#GeorgiaHistory
#AtlantaHistory
#BlackAtlantaDocumented

His BAD episode — Episode #1 — premieres 10 a.m. Mon., April 6 on the Black Atlanta Documented (BAD) YouTube channel.

This interview features an insightful and deeply engaging conversation with Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason, one of Atlanta’s most respected historians and cultural preservationists. Interviewed by fellow historian and archivist Erika Brayboy Collier, the episode sets the tone for a powerful oral history series dedicated to documenting the people, places, and stories that define Black Atlanta.

Dr. Mason -- president of the Interdenominational Theological Center and author of more than a dozen books including the Atlanta history classic "Going Against the Wind: A History of African Americans in Atlanta" -- reflects on his decades of work preserving African American history, sharing personal experiences, pivotal moments, and the urgency of safeguarding community narratives before they are lost. Collier’s thoughtful questions draw out rich perspectives on legacy, memory, and the responsibility of historians to tell the full story.

This episode is both a tribute and a call to action—inviting viewers to value, protect, and participate in the ongoing documentation of Black life in Atlanta.

Join us at 10 a.m. Mon., April 6th for the countdown, premiere and live chat here:

#BlackAtlantaDocumented

#BlackAtlanta

#Atlantahistory

and amplify the voices shaping the city’s legacy with the premiere of its first full

interview episode, featuring renowned Atlanta historian Dr. Skip Mason, president of

the Interdenominational Theological Center.

The episode, hosted by Atlanta archivist and historian Erika Brayboy Collier, will

premiere at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 6, 2026, on YouTube as part of BAD’s

growing digital archive of oral histories documenting Black Atlanta’s past and present.

In this insightful conversation, Collier sits down with Dr. Mason to explore Atlanta’s

rich historical landscape, the enduring role of Black institutions, and the importance

of preserving community memory through intentional documentation. As a respected

historian and academic leader, Mason - whose AI-animated endorsement of BAD has

already become a social media hit -- offers a unique perspective on the city’s evolution

and the cultural forces that continue to shape it. BAD is profiling people from all

walks of life who have made Atlanta the great city it is today, Mason says in the

endorsement.

Collier, whose work as an archivist center on safeguarding Black history, guides the

conversation with depth and clarity, highlighting the urgency of documenting

narratives that have too often been overlooked or underrepresented.

“Oral history offers a powerful return to our roots, an affirmation of our stories, our

methods of preservation and our inherent human dignity,” Collier said. “It stands as a

singular and authoritative record, one that does not require validation from written

traditions to be true.”

The episode marks a major milestone for Black Atlanta Documented as it expands

from introductory content into long-form interviews with the scholars, leaders, and

changemakers who define the city’s legacy. It also reflects BAD’s broader commitment

to building a living, digital archive that blends journalism, scholarship, and

multimedia storytelling.

Viewers are encouraged to tune in early and join the YouTube Premiere

countdown, where they can engage in real time as the episode debuts.

Connect with BAD:

• Website: blackatlantadocumented.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/blackatlantadocumented

• Substack: substack.com/@blackatlantadocumented

• Facebook: facebook.com/BlackAtlantaDocumented

Sponsorship Inquiries: poecommunications@gmail.com

Media Interviews: Dr. Janita Poe, Erika Brayboy Collier, and select contributors are

available for interviews.

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About Black Atlanta Documented (BAD)

Founded by Dr. Janita Poe, Black Atlanta Documented is a multimedia storytelling

initiative dedicated to documenting the people, institutions, and communities that

define Black Atlanta. Through digital media, oral histories, and in-depth interviews,

BAD aims to become the premier online destination for stories that capture the city’s

enduring influence.