Silver Streak, February 2023

Silver Streak

A Publication

“We’re honored that both Sterling Estates Communities have been recognized as ‘Best of Cobb’ for Retirement Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care again in 2022. I’m proud to say that it’s the 4th year in a row we’ve won these awards and an awesome tribute to our staff members. We’ve been serving seniors in greater Atlanta for over 25+ years now...we invite you to come and experience what sets us apart.” Marshall Gill, COO &

Come See What Sets us Apart

“What I’ve learned is that all communities talk about wellness and socialization... but they don't have the that Sterling Estates has. No one can match what Sterling provides for their residents. My parents are thriving at Sterling Estates... Bet yours will too." ~ Susan S.

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This month’s issue of Silver Streak marks an exciting new beginning for our paper and our company. In early January, we updated our logos (they are called “flags” in the newspaper world) as we rebranded the company under the Rough Draft Atlanta name. Silver Streak is the new name of our publication for Atlanta’s active seniors.

newsletters by visiting RoughDraftAtlanta. com/newsletters or scanning this QR Code.

There is a lot of bad news in the world, and that’s part of the reason that people have become frustrated with the media. But, we know how important it is to be engaged in your local community, and that’s why we are focused on the communities where we live.

My goal is summarized on a Post-It Note that’s on my monitor: “Meaningful, Not Massive.” If we continue to give readers the news they need, as well as the news they crave, and deliver it in ways that they want to consume it, we believe we have a very bright future.

Macroeconomic trends

The news business continues to be challenged with fears of a recession, changing reader habits, and, dare I say, corporate greed, wreaking havoc on large media companies. At the same time, the brutal economics of digitalonly publishing make survival for even the most engaging small players extremely difficult.

How you can help

An engaged audience is our most valuable asset.

If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends. Subscribe to a newsletter, share a story on social media, and support our advertisers.

It is said that journalism is the “first draft of history,” and by embracing Rough Draft as a company, we can honor this sentiment. We are committed to giving readers reliable, non-sensational local news, and providing our marketing partners with the best advertising products in the market. I

How we do that, though, is changing. While we are committed to continuing to print monthly papers on the highest quality newsprint we can, in 2022, we transitioned to a digital-first newsroom.

Through this transition, the morning Rough Draft newsletter has become our daily touchpoint with our audience, and a flexible way to give advertisers engaging ways that stand out in the marketplace for creativity and effectiveness.

I encourage you to subscribe to our

National polls report that Americans’ trust in news is near all-time lows, and while my friends and I read and discussed “Newsweek” in high school civics classes, today’s teens are more likely to get their news from TikTok than the daily paper. Elected leaders seem more interested in auditioning for a cable TV show than engaging on the most important issues. Whether it’s low information, disinformation, or no information, media literacy is a real issue we must handle as a society.

Meaningful, not massive

Despite these challenges, Rough Draft Atlanta is uniquely positioned to continue to grow. In 2022, our overall business grew by 17%, with digital revenue more than doubling, and print growing a more modest 11%.

We have also launched a membership program that allows you to contribute to our work and get special benefits in return. Rough Draft Atlanta looks sharp on tote bags, stickers, and hats, and those are some of the perks of membership. Plus, later this year we will introduce exclusive in-person events.

To learn more about this program, visit RoughDraftAtlanta.com/membership.

Thank you for your continued support of local journalism.

About this issue

The paper you’re holding includes the first issue of a fledgling, local alternative newspaper from Carlton Hargro, the former editor of Creative Loafing. We are proud to be able to help Carlton and his team launch this paper, as we all benefit from a more robust local media landscape.

Keith Pepper

Naborforce acts as ‘backup sons and daughters’ for elderly parents

WORTH

KNOWING

According to Human Rights Watch, referring to a report on ageism and age discrimination by the UN Independent Expert on the rights of older people worldwide, “ageism is so pervasion that discrimination, marginalization and exclusion of older people is the norm.”

It’s no secret that elderly people can be cranky, forgetful and sometimes even annoying. They can be physically challenging too. The list of deteriorating physical and mental conditions is almost endless.

Since we’re all going to be old someday, we often treat aging with humor. Birthday cards outright ridicule old people, and you can’t find many comedians who don’t have at least a few unflattering jokes about them.

The days when we revered the elderly are long gone. Being old is not cool. Looking old is even worse. The market is full of costly anti-aging products. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Americans spent nearly $16.7 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2020.

So, what happens when you have an elderly parent who needs a little extra attention that you can’t provide because of career or other family obligations? Whether your loved one is aging in place or at an assisted living facility, you may need help to ensure their needs are being met. How do you find a caretaker you can trust to treat your loved one compassionately and respectfully? How do you find someone who actually likes old people?

At a recent Christmas party in an upscale Sandy Springs neighborhood, I met that someone. Her name is Eva Walston, and she beamed as she told me of her new job as a companion to the elderly. Her employer is Naborforce, which entered the Atlanta market last April and calls itself “backup sons and daughters.” Its concept is neighbors helping neighbors, paired by vicinity and mutual interests.

Nabors are companions, not caregivers. They have no medical training, don’t wear uniforms and don’t administer meds, bathe, dress, feed or houseclean. They provide short periods of quality time, with activities ranging from light meal prep to

running errands, taking walks, watching TV and listening to memories from the past. Mainly, they simply like older adults.

“It’s like what used to happen in the old days,” said Paige Vohs, the Atlanta Naborhood lead. “The neighbor down the street would help.”

Naborforce is an app-based service based. Once a client, usually an adult child, and the older adult have met and chosen their Nabor, clients book their Nabors online using the app. The cost is $30-35 per hour with a one-hour minimum with monthly discounts for ongoing bookings.

Nabor Eva Walston is married, has two adult children, lives in a beautiful home, and has a master’s degree in counseling. Obviously, she didn’t join Naborforce for the money.

According to Vohs, she’s the ideal Nabor.

“She has the time, wants to give back and loves the connections,” said Vohs. “The clients love her, and she loves them.”

Naborforce attracts its Nabors and clients mainly through word of mouth. Walston learned about Naborforce from a friend who owns a home healthcare company.

“He knew I was looking for something with purpose,” she said. “When he explained Naborforce to me, I got it.”

Like the company founder and Vohs, Eva had had personal experience dealing with an aging parent with no backup. During the pandemic, she cared for her own mother for three months, taking her for dialysis three days a week until she came to live with her in hospice and

passed away 25 days later.

“Naborforce is a way for me to honor my mom,” she said. “For me, it comes from a place of wanting to bring a little joy to someone.”

Eva’s average client is a man or a woman in their late 80s, the ages her parents would be if they were still alive. Some have mobility or short-term memory issues. One is the mother of Angela Owens, a college friend. Angela’s mother has dementia and lives in assisted living. Angela visits her every day. Eva gives her a break a couple of times a week.

Owens is an only child and worries about her mother: “Are people kind to her? Is anything falling through the cracks?”

Eva takes her for walks, makes sure she stays hydrated, is wearing fresh clothes and engages her in conversation “so Mom isn’t sitting in her room getting depressed.”

Another client is 93-year-old Trudy, who was upset that her assisted living facility wouldn’t let her have an iron. Eva got permission for her to have her iron under supervision. When Eva visits, they iron.

“She was thrilled to have ironed clothes again,” said Eva.

Sometimes it’s the senior who books Eva. One such client is Hilda, age 77, who has lived with lung cancer for two years and whose husband has Parkinson’s. Her kids live locally but are busy with careers. She needed help decorating her home for Christmas.

“I spent three hours decorating her house,” said Eva. “We laughed and talked. I’ll probably go back to undecorate and help her clean out her closets.”

The job is sometimes not joyful. Marge, of whom she was very fond, passed away recently at age 89.

“Eva was a ray of sunshine,” said Cathy Pennington, Marge’s daughter-inlaw. “They talked about Florida and the University of Florida [the school attended by both Marge and Eva’s own son]. Eva wore a University of Florida t-shirt. No two visits were the same.”

Naborforce is now available throughout the Atlanta metro area. Anyone interested in becoming a Nabor or booking one should go to naborforce. com.

To would-be Nabors, Eva offers this advice: “You just have to like old people. If you don’t, this is not the job for you. If you do and want a flexible work situation, it might be a great fit.”

Carol Niemi

Carol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the Dunwoody-Sandy Springs line and writes about people whose lives inspire others. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com.

Carol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the DunwoodySandy Springs line and writes about people whose lives inspire others. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com.

Linda Owens, left, and Naborforce companion Eva Walston. (Photo by Isadora Pennington)

Intergenerational living offers benefits for seniors and students

conversational topics the younger people brought. They also picked up skills in computer literacy and other areas. The seniors gave back as well, one of them tutoring a student in Spanish.

On the reverse side, she said while the program ran smoothly for its first two years, the third year saw some problems develop with orientation, which needed to be “more robust” and communication between the senior center and the students in the program was sometimes disjointed.

While the Mercer program and its aims were planned well in advance, the beginning of a similar program in Atlanta arose more spontaneously.

“We encountered an elderly

50 years). Closer to home, another study showed the number of multigenerational homes in Georgia rose 8% between 2014 and 2018.

“There’s an increasing awareness of I guess the scholarly term would be 'interdependence,'” said Dr. Heidi Ewen, a gerontologist and associate professor at the University of Indianapolis who focuses on housing and environment. “The focus of our society and western society has been on independence, which is a fallacy.”

In another iteration, Ewen says she saw an increasing house-sharing trend beginning in the late 1990s around college campuses.

“There was a woman who tried to start this in Athens. She had a huge home, the kids were gone, and it was expensive to heat a big house. She also wanted to find someone who could run errands and whatnot,” Ewen said.

By Mark Woolsey

Think about the term “intergenerational living” and what comes up is likely this: grandma and grandpa are in a small apartment over the garage. Mom and dad have their master bedroom on the main floor. The kids sleep upstairs.

While that model is still around and in fact is making a comeback after years of emphasis on independent living some more adventurous methods of putting the generations together under one roof are showing results in Georgia and elsewhere.

One of the most notable is FILE or the Flint Intergenerational Living Experience coordinated by officials at the University of Michigan at Flint. Under the program, four graduate studentstwo in physical therapy and two in occupational therapy-moved into a senior housing complex. The students lived rentfree in return for performing service hours.

The program achieved several goals, said Jennifer Blackwood, associate professor and head of the occupational therapy department. Among them was creating a food pantry project and developing a program where grief counselors came in to help those who had lost a neighbor.

Some hitches also developed, including COVID, making it tough for the students to complete their service hours.

For graduate student Elizabeth Mansfield, the experience became very personal.

“I’ll spot a group of (seniors) in the TV room and stop to chat. Sometimes I’ll hang out and talk for hours,” she said. “I’ll talk about my school day and what’s going on in my life.”

The aim of the program: to expose

students to experiences with older adults that would steer them toward a career in geriatrics.

Closer to home, a program at Mercer University in Macon is structured similarly but has had broader goals.

Two 2019 graduates worked out the approach as part of a Service Scholar project. They moved into a senior center. The aim was to ease loneliness among older adults at the complex, reconnecting them with the larger world and helping them feel less isolated by planning activities and helping them with tasks. In return, the students paid no rent.

The benefits turned out to be substantial.

“The seniors loved being with young people who are interesting, and the seniors feel a little supportive, protective even,” said Dr. Mary Alice Morgan, an English professor and co-chair of the English Department who supervised the program for a time.

She says the older adults fed off the energy of the students and liked the

woman on the Westside who was living in a shed on her property, her home having been demolished recently,” said Kathy Colbenson, President and CEO of CHRIS 180, an agency dedicated to working with children and families experiencing trauma.

The idea arose: why not build a home for Deborah Glover, the elderly woman, as part of an experiment where she’d live beside young moms with babies and toddlers needing a place to stay? Glover would provide guidance and advice to the moms and they would provide her with company and daily living support.

It's worked out well, said Colbenson. While donations paid for the home, the non-profit is unsure whether the program will continue. Funding is an issue.

Demographers say the overall trend of increasing intergenerational living is backed up by the numbers.

The Pew Research Center did a study showing multigenerational living of all forms (three or more generations under the same roof has quadrupled in the past

A more formalized matching strategy has developed in some areas where older adults share a home with students who might get a break on what they pay in return for running errands and doing chores. While some students might just want “a place to study and sleep,” says Ewen, more of an exchange can sometimes develop.

Such give-and-take is what Washington DC-based Generations United is aiming for. The non-profit promotes a variety of intergenerational programs.

Intergenerational home sharing is one of those efforts, says Executive Director Donna Butts, and it can take one of several forms, from an older adult renting out space to a student to mixed housing as opposed to senior-only communities.

She says such approaches give seniors purpose and a sense of optimism “and hope to know that life goes on.”

She says that in senior-only spaces conversation tends to center around the three Ps “pain, pills and passing” and a multigenerational approach improves conversations and relationships.

Katie Perumbeti, the Lifelong Communities Coordinator at the Atlanta Regional Commission, also senses a move away from senior-only communities.

She says past data-gathering on where people want to be or move to “when you break it out by age, older age brackets want to stay where they are.”

“People want their community,” she says.

This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations, and The Silver Century Foundation.

Deborah Glover thanks nonprofit CHRIS 180 and city officials for creating a new home for her on the Westside where she also provides guidance to young moms with babies. (Courtesy CHRIS 180)

Leasing to begin at PCM active adult community

A rendering of the skyline view from Signa House.

By Collin Kelley

Real estate investment firm Jamestown will begin leasing its new Ponce City Marketadjacent apartment building designed for active adults aged 55+ in the first quarter of 2023.

The 21-story building, Signal House, sandwiched between the PCM building at the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, is expected to be ready for move-in in the third quarter of the year, according to a press release.

The 162-unit building will provide a “digitally integrated living experience,” including an app that will allow residents to book services like housekeeping, plant watering, dry cleaning, food delivery, dining reservations, massage and personal trainer appointments.

Along with a daytime concierge and onsite lifestyle director, amenities will include a pool terrace with a shaded grotto lounge and outdoor shower, a multipurpose fitness room with connected outdoor fitness space for group classes and private instruction, wellness rooms for personal treatments, an intimate clubhouse lounge and a dining room complete with a full commercial chef’s kitchen and connected outdoor seating.

A rendering of Signal House.

Common spaces in the building will also include a rooftop terrace with outdoor grilling, dining and lounging spaces, and community garden plots. The building will feature direct access to the BeltLine, bicycle storage, a pet washroom with grooming tubs, tenant storage spaces, and a flex workspace with conferencing and presentation capabilities.

Signal House will also feature 3,300 square feet of BeltLine-fronting retail space and is part of Ponce City Market’s next phase.

A SLO*MO MEDIA PRODUCTION

Editor’s Note

It’s been a hot minute since Atlanta had a great alternative weekly newspaper.

You know: those free publications that report on local news, food, culture and more — from a fun, frank and raw perspective. Over the years, Atlanta has been home to several alt-weeklies like that.

Hell, I even used to work for one. I served as the first Black editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing both here in Atlanta and in Charlotte, N.C. Working for the Loaf was a dream come true, but the glory days of alt-weeklies in the ATL are pretty much over … until now, that is, with the publication of the paper you’re currently reading: Mo AYE-TEE-EL

A production of locally based Slo*Mo Media, Mo AYE-TEE-EL is designed to — for one special issue — capture the voice, flavor and energy of our favorite alt-weeklies from back in the day, while breaking new ground by providing robust representation of the Black and Brown people that fuel Atlanta. To that end, we assembled some of the city’s best-known editors, writers, photographers, graphic designers and more, along with newer editorial voices, to craft some super-dope content. And, thanks to Keith Pepper and the good folks at Atlanta Intown who graciously let us appear in their pages, we’re able to give readers all over the metro area a small taste of what we can do with this format.

All that said, keep in mind this is just a one-time publication … sort of a preview/pilot issue. But if you dig Mo AYE-TEE-EL, share your thoughts on our IG page (@slomomedia).

Oh, and a big thank you to the folks who’ve generously donated to this project’s crowdfunding campaign. If you’d like help us raise funds to publish more issues, donate to our GoFundMe page: www.gofundme.com/f/the-new-atlanta-altweekly-project.

OK, that’s enough from me. Here’s hoping you enjoy what we’ve cooked up. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

— Carlton Hargro Co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Contributors

Terra Coles is a multifaceted creator who’s first love is being behind the lens.

Author of the newsletter Holy Sip, Shannon S. Evans covers the intersection of food, beverage and well-being.

Chad Radford is an Atlanta-based music journalist with 20 years of experience in writing, editing, and podcasting.

Juliana Ramirez is a parent, political scientist, interpreter, and nature-loving Latinx feminist living in the diaspora and navigating its joys and challenges one day at a time.

Born in China and raised in the American South, Feifei Sun is a writer and editor now based in Atlanta.

Paula M. White is an Atlanta-based writer whose work has appeared in Essence, Black Enterprise and Atlanta Magazine

Mo AYE-TEE-EL is a publication of Slo*Mo Media. And the folks behind Slo*Mo Media include: Carlton Hargro, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher Larmarrous Shirley, Creative Director and Co-Publisher Chante LaGon, Content Director

Cover photo by Terra Coles

Follow us online at: www.slomoatl.com facebook.com/slomomedia www.instagram.com/slomomedia

Places, Things and ATLiens to Watch in 2023

For the debut edition of Mo AYE-TEE-EL, we decided to devote the entire issue to highlighting notables that (we predict) will make an impact on Atlanta this year. To that end, we hit up a bunch of our favorite writers and thought leaders, and they offered up their picks for some of the city’s most significant artists, organizations, events, trends and more. So, flip through, and dive in to see who and what you need to keep your eyes, ears and other senses peeled for in 2023.

Oronike Odeleye

By Paula M. White

The making of an art revival is underway — and it’s going to be a big one if Oronike Odeleye has anything to say about it. (Spoiler alert: She does.) As the newly appointed artistic director of the National Black Arts Festival, Odeleye’s vision is to return the festival to its heyday; she’s boldly frank about what it’s going to take to make that happen.

NABF entered Atlanta’s cultural landscape in July 1988 and will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. It was conceived as a biennial summertime event to celebrate the best and brightest Black artists in visual art, literature, theater, dance, music and beyond. In its early years, it hosted esteemed talent like Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte and Wynton Marsalis, among many others. For more than a decade, hundreds of artists and attendees from across the globe converged on Atlanta for this nine-day celebration of Black excellence that took place in venues all over the city.

When it started out, the event was largely funded by local and state government, as well as foundations and corporate donors. The organization’s budget was not as reliant upon community/individual donors. Then, economic turbulence hit. Funding shifted and/ or disappeared, and NABF organizers had to get creative. The bigger, broader nine-day festival was shortened to just a few days. Ultimately, it was transitioned to its current schedule of programming spread through the year, a model that Odeleye plans to modify to bring more visibility and impact as she and the NBAF team work to build out the funding.

“NBAF has gotten a lot of flak over the years for not doing the festival, but my response to people who always bring that up is: ‘When was the last time you donated to do a festival?’” says Odeleye, the former festival director for ONE Musicfest who has more

than 20 years of experience as an arts and entertainment administrator. “They didn’t stop doing the festival because they wanted to stop doing it. It’s just a huge undertaking. We really have to build toward having a funding base that supports it, an audience base that supports it, a city and a state that support it in order to get it back up. … I’m very excited about the challenge of it.”

Creatively, one of her top priorities will be stabilizing NBAF’s programming schedule. “Right now, we do a lot of programming to speak to a lot of the different artistic disciplines, but all of the programs are one-off, happening randomly throughout the year,” she notes. “It makes it hard for our audience to know what to look to NBAF for. They don’t know exactly what it is that we’re doing, when we’re doing it and things like that.”

Odeleye and her team have selected Black History Month and Black Music Month as starting points for an annual cadence of programming with hopes to gain traction toward a bigger festival; these will be immersive, interactive and interdisciplinary oneday events that Odeleye will build upon as NBAF works to grow its loyalty and capacity back. But she’s candid about the fact that her initiatives need support. “I tell everyone that I feel really blessed to be in this position, and I’m excited about this job,” she says, “But, I didn’t just get a new job, we all just got a new job. It’s going to take all of us as a community to help with this task.

“And, we’re accepting all resources, help, money, funding — all the things — so that we can build this back. It’s a big lift, and we need to absolutely know our community is behind us.”

PHOTO BY TERRA COLES

Atlanta’s diverse indie art scene |

On an unseasonably warm Sunday in December, at the exhibition opening of Being Ourselves held at The 3120, I watched six Asian-American artists sharing the same stage as they talked about identity and their work: how the two things are intertwined … and how they’re not.

It was an astonishing sight for me — a Chinese-American woman, part of the 1.5 generation — not least because of how rare it is to see this kind of representation in metro Atlanta or elsewhere. And I wasn’t alone. “It was special to be on stage with so many Asian-American artists, and to see so many people from the community come out,” says Aineki Traverso, whose work explores memory, movement and materiality (“the act of painting itself,” as she describes it). “It’s not an everyday experience, and it’s a community I haven’t had a lot of access to in the past.”

That these artists were in a conversation moderated by Crystal Jin Kim — an Atlantaborn, Korean-American artist, filmmaker, and curator who helped make Being Ourselves (which was sponsored by the Asian Cultural Empowerment organization) a reality — made it an even rarer happening. A few miles up I-85 at Gallery the J, Kim’s own two-part group show, Traversing Home, was also on display. The exhibition examines the many ways Asian-Americans traverse: across cultures, identities, physical locations.

It also reflects her own experience and that of the many Asian-American artists she’s met since returning to Atlanta after attending college in Chicago. “The community felt disjointed at first, but as I started meeting more and more artists with experiences like mine who were making amazing work, I simply felt more people should get to see it,” Kim says.

The gathering that Sunday was just one scene in the larger portrait of the city’s diverse independent art community, which is having a moment. And momentum.

In the past year, the city saw Guardian Studios open as an artist community in an old factory building and the exhibition space Echo Contemporary Art open within it. Elsewhere, Jess Bernhart and Tareq Al Salaita launched Volatile House two hours south of the city as a creative retreat, with ongoing programming and rooms for artist residencies. Traverso participated in a residency in December.

Volatile House is an expansion of Bernhart’s project, Volatile Parts, an artist residency and publishing project she ran out of her Capitol View home from 2019-2020. “Both are experiments in hospitality and the overlaying of public and private. And both, most notably, have taken place in my own home,” Bernhart says. “I think we’re in a moment

Upchuck

Upchuck came out of the gate strong in 2018, bringing chaos to the stage with whiplash punk, hip-hop, hardcore, and psychedelic indie rock fury. The hard-charging energy the group delivers is amplified by Atlanta’s young and rambunctious crowds, desperately in need of an outlet to transform their modern-world anxieties into an ecstatic, communal celebration. Singer Kaila “KT” Thompson, guitarists Mikey “Spuzz Dangus” and Hoffdog, drummer Chris Salado, and bass player Armando Arrieta deliver a full-throttle blow out at every show. With the arrival of 2022’s debut album, Sense Yourself (Famous Class Records), Upchuck is primed to spread its Southern punk riffs and riotous shows to the world.

— Chad Radford

By Feifei Sun

when we have to reimagine what an ‘art space’ is or can be. As artists and organizations get priced out of more traditional venues, the scrappy, homemade, DIY scene is essential. For us, that means turning our actual home into an artist residency.”

Watching the local art movement thrive in this way is always meaningful. But it feels especially poignant that it’s happening at a time when this kind of success feels increasingly out of reach.

To Bernhart’s point, not a single county of the 13 that comprise metro Atlanta qualified as an affordable housing market in 2021, according to the Federal Reserve. Beloved neighborhood small businesses continue to close, including Highland Row Antiques, which shuttered in December after nearly two decades in business as owners faced a 450 percent rent increase. All the while, high-rises continue to populate the skyline and big-box brands continue to anchor mixed-use developments.

All of this underscores the importance of Kim’s work and those like her. “None of the work is something I’m being compensated for,” she says. “I do it for the work to be seen — and for others to connect.”

Ruwa Romman

Ruwa Romman still remembers her classmates laughing at her and calling her home a “bomb lab” when she was 8. Today, she may very well represent some of those classmates as state representative for District 97, which includes residents in Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Norcross, and Peachtree Corners. Romman, along with State Senator Nabilah Islam, make history this year as the first Muslim women to represent their respective chambers in Georgia. Romman is also the first Palestinian-American to hold public office in the state. Ever. Representation—a term so frequently tossed around of late that it has practically been rendered useless—can feel hard to celebrate when the victories feel overdue for 2003, much less 2023. Romman and Islam remind us of why we should anyway.

— Feifei Sun

The Abolitionist Teaching Network

One does not need to be an educator or an expert in the field of education to notice some of the vicious practices of racism that continue to infiltrate schools in Atlanta and across the South. The harmful disciplinary approaches to keep Black and Brown students “on track”, the decline of funding in redlined districts, and the imposing of ineffective sanctions to underperforming schools cannot and should not be dismissed or overlooked. The Abolitionist Teaching Network was born with this reality in mind and with the goal of “developing and supporting those in the struggle for educational liberation.” The work they do — centered around healing, advocacy and affirmation of children and communities of color — is powerful, radical and necessary. — Juliana Ramírez

Artist Crystal Jin Kim

PHOTO BY MARLON GARCIA

PHOTO BY THIEN VUONG

The bar at OK Yaki |

By Shannon S. Evans

It took me awhile to make it over to OK Yaki. I was familiar with the restaurant concept from their pop-up that started in 2016, but I hadn’t heard much about the cocktails.

Then, one by one, I kept hearing about different women who I knew in the industry flocking to OK Yaki’s bar team. These are women that I respect and believe will be the next generation of great bartenders in Atlanta.

Over the summer of 2022, I made the trek over to East Atlanta to check out the restaurant. I went with a couple of friends, and we took up three of the eight bar seats tucked in the back. While intrinsically linked to the rest of the space, it felt like we were in a different world. I’ve always heard that stepping into OK Yaki is like discovering an authentic corner in Japan. And it is. Additionally, stepping to the back bar feels like you’ve stumbled onto Shinjuku, Tokyo’s famed street with alley bars. It’s energetic, laid-back and playful with technical cocktail making. Pure magic.

Bartender Yesenia De La Paz, one of the women that I mentioned earlier, greeted us when we sat down, and she said: “Everything on the menu is great. Tanner [Pierce, the bar manager and cocktail wizard at OK Yaki] is a genius.” I was excited by her excitement.

The first cocktail that I ordered was the Colada. After the first sip, I was struck by its elegance and simplicity. This was a great cocktail. It was rich, but delicate. Every flavor came through with each sip. No ingredient overpowered the other.

By the time I stumbled out, we’d tried every cocktail on the menu. This probably wasn’t the wisest of decisions, but it allowed me to have a very holistic view of their offerings. The only comparison that seems apt is that it felt like listening to a really great album: Each track built on the next, and when it was finished, it told a beautiful story — a complete story. In the cocktail world, we always talk about the mark of a good cocktail being one that is balanced. These went beyond that. They were complex but effortlessly controlled.

On subsequent visits, I’m always surprised at which industry veteran will walk in while I’m at the bar. When talking to my friends, everyone agrees that the team at OK Yaki is currently making some of the best cocktails in the city. But, while industry folks

Ladrones

Since 2017, singer Valeria Sanchez and guitarist José Rivera have called Georgia home, after Hurricane Maria left their hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a state of disaster. Over the years, the two — as the band Ladrones — have continuously fleshed out a body of wailing and high-energy garage punk and rock ‘n’ roll, tearing up stages from The Star Bar to The Earl and Boggs Social & Supply. Backed by a current lineup featuring guitarist Warren Bailey, bass player Paul Hernandez, and drummer Sam Adams, the group is heading into the new year with plans to unleash a brand-new 7-inch via longstanding Atlanta garage-punk dealer Die Slaughterhaus Records. — Chad Radford

Latino LinQ

agree that the cocktails are top notch, it doesn’t seem like the rest of the city knows enough about it.

What it leads to nationally is Atlanta being disregarded when great cocktail cities are discussed. And that’s a pity because some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had and my favorite bar seats are in this city.

Tanner helms from Kimball House, another one of our great cocktail establishments. If this were any other city, people would be flocking to OK Yaki for this fact alone. In 2023, I believe this will change. In addition to this being the year that they shine, I hope that this is the year that all of our great Atlanta bar programs shine — especially those programs that are able to mentor women and people of color and make them feel welcome and excited.

The frustration of seeing and experiencing a lack of legal, educational, and health services for Latinx LGBTQ folks prompted a group of Latinx activists to found the nonprofit Latino LinQ in 2015. Since then, the organization has provided hundreds of events, including HIV testing, participation in health fairs and radio shows, know-your-rights trainings, mental health discussions, and workshops and conferences on sexual and reproductive rights and justice. Despite the challenges that the organization has faced throughout the years, including a reduction of funding and services during the pandemic, Latino LinQ remains strong. And with the steady support of the community, the organization will be able to continue developing trainings, workshops and testing; and consolidating key partnerships with other social justice organizations this year and beyond. — Juliana Ramirez (Full disclosure: Juliana has been affiliated with Latino LinQ as a member of the board of directors since 2018.)

Live soul music

The year 2023 is set to be a packed one for fans of soul music. A butt-load of notable local and national acts will take the stage in Atlanta in the coming months, including: Avery*Sunshine (February 9 at City Winery), ATL Collective Presents Sade’s Love Deluxe (February 13 at City Winery), Anita Baker (February 14 at State Farm Arena), Zo! and Tall Black Guy (February 18 at City Winery), Lalah Hathaway (February 21-23 at City Winery), Teedra Moses (March 3 at City Winery), Durrand Bernarr (March 7 at Center Stage), Masego (April 12 at The Tabernacle), Snarky Puppy (April 28 at The Eastern) and Jill Scott (May 6 at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park), among many others. On top of all that, Atlanta soul icon Anthony David will be on hand to get christened with his very own eponymous holiday on May 26 in Fulton County. Our advice: If you like good music, start saving your coins, homies. — Carlton Hargro

Soul vocalist/musician Anthony David

PHOTO BY DAVID PARHAM

PHOTO BY ATTA JUNIOR

Chandra Farley aims to rebuild and grow Atlanta’s resilience

When Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens took office a year ago, I wrote a column about the urgency of rebuilding the city’s once-robust and nationally recognized climate resilience program. Resilient cities are those that develop the capacity to absorb shocks and stresses while maintaining functions and systems.

A year later, there’s good news to report, but also a long list of work to be accomplished. In addition, it’s not yet clear to what degree the mayor and Atlanta City Council will expedite and fund necessary programs to safeguard the city from more intense storms, flooding, extreme droughts, and worsening heat

From Success to Disappointment

In 2009, then-mayor Shirley Franklin appointed Atlanta’s first chief sustainability officer. The initiative was dedicated to finding solutions to mitigate the impacts of the growing climate crisis on infrastructure and people, especially the disadvantaged. Vulnerable populations face the greatest risks from global heating to their physical and mental health, air, water, food, and shelter – and also higher energy costs as a percentage of their income.

Franklin’s successor, Kasim Reed, impressively grew the city’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience in size and scope, taking advantage of the federal Better Buildings Challenge. The groundbreaking Atlanta BBC, a publicprivate initiative, reached its goal of reducing energy and water consumption in the city by 20 percent using sophisticated benchmarking technology. The program delivered: millions of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided, a billion gallons of water saved, city and business operating costs reduced, hundreds of jobs created, and public health improved, according to the final ABBC report.

A Climate Action Plan with benchmarks to track progress was adopted in 2015 by the city council – targeting energy and water use in buildings, transportation, parks, food security, and more. In 2019, the council approved Clean Energy Atlanta, a plan to achieve 100 percent clean energy sources for municipal and community needs by 2035. The stage was set for Atlanta to continue its role as a national leader in climate resilience, but Reed’s successor, Keisha Lance-Bottoms, had

other priorities. During the Bottoms administration sustainability programs were buried within another office where they languished for years under changing leadership, a smaller budget, and a much smaller staff. The sustainability chief was no longer part of the mayor’s cabinet.

Energy Advocate Appointed

Although it took Mayor Dickens nine months to appoint a new chief sustainability officer, he hit a home run, by all accounts, when he tapped Chandra Farley for the job. I spoke to her recently to learn about her first one hundred days and priorities.

From the moment I met her, virtually, Farley’s people skills were evident. She views herself as a “people partner,” an approach that has helped her move government agencies and communities toward a new clean energy, climateresilient economy. She notes that the only way to achieve this new economy is to work through a lens of environmental justice—to achieve 100 percent clean energy for 100 percent of the people.

Farley’s warmth, calm demeanor, and openness are welcome assets. Her passion for her work is obvious, as is her expertise in the sustainability realm. After speaking with her, I feel more confident about the direction Atlanta is headed. Of course, her ability to help the city achieve its climate resilience goals depends on whether city officials also share her priorities.

Farley calls the Dickens administration a “new day” for climate action, saying he's a mayor “who is supportive and understands.” She is excited that she will serve on his cabinet and that the Office of Sustainability and Resilience has been re-established

as an executive office. Farley suggests that positive pressure from outside government in other words, from you and me will help hold the city accountable for measurable, not simply incremental, progress in the coming years.

Given the loss of momentum during the Bottoms administration, Farley has purposefully embarked on a “listening tour” to determine the current status of sustainability programs and to identify gaps, opportunities, and ideas to ensure that affordable energy initiatives mesh with affordable housing. She’s also met with the city’s new head of planning to share climate strategies, including the

importance of a stronger tree protection program to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat.

Utility Accountability

Last year, Atlanta and other cities with clean energy goals intervened in Georgia Power’s mandated triennial energy planning update at the Georgia Public Service Commission. Farley calls this intervention an “historic first” that represents a beginning in collaborative efforts by municipalities to hold the utility accountable to its customers.

If cities are going to reach their goals, the large electricity monopoly must offer more renewable options, including an expansion of the popular 5,000-customer rooftop solar program and greater incentives to invest in solar.

Georgia Power has resisted any expansion, supported by a seemingly complicit PSC; perhaps the state legislature will step up and order the commission to act.

In February, Farley will re-launch the city’s Clean Energy Advisory Board, a group she co-chaired when it was created several years ago; the board’s job will be to make sure the words and goals of the climate and energy plans translate into outcomes that benefit all Atlantans. The federal Inflation Reduction Act passed last year will accelerate a clean energy transition across the country and Farley is strategizing on ways that the city can best take advantage of this transformative opportunity. With her eyes firmly set on a prosperous, resilient Atlanta for all, Chandra Farley is hard at work.

Sally Bethea

Chandra Farley

Sandy Springs Society shares city history, recipes in cookbook

By Bob Pepalis

The latest effort by the Sandy Springs Society to continue its fundraising mission for local nonprofit organizations comes in the form of a cookbook loaded with the city’s history.

“Savor Sandy Springs: A Cookbook,” combines city history and recipes from many of its 300 members.

“I don’t know of anything that tells about Sandy Springs like this book,” Joan Plunkett, one of the members and co-editor of the cookbook, said. “And then to have all these girls do the recipes that are really quick, as life is busy now, so many of these recipes can be done very quickly. And they’re easy.”

The Sandy Springs Society’s big fundraisers are Tossed Out Treasures and the Elegant Elf Marketplace. Tossed Out Treasures enters its 31st year in 2023, in which they sell gently used upscale items donated by members and the community. The Elegant Elf Marketplace, a stylish two-day gift market held in October, was established in 2011.

The nearly 300-page cookbook creates

another opportunity for the members to raise funds for the community. It’s available for sale at several local businesses, including at

Winery at 203 Hildebrand Drive, whose owners donated space for the delivery and storage of the cookbooks.

“We really wanted to kind of bring this

community home and just share a meal over the table,” Jokerst said. “I mean, share stories over the table, because there’s so much division and nonsense going on in the world, that we wanted to do something that was shared across a tapestry of culture and tastes and ages and everything histories. And that’s what these recipes are.”

It’s not a Southern cookbook, she said but is a quick burst from all over the world, submitted by many of the society’s 300 members and other community residents.

Co-editor Pam Betz said Plunkett has been a good friend for a long time. A few years ago, when Gail Jokerst was president of the society, she was trying to put together

ideas for a fundraiser that they hadn’t done before when she came up with this idea. That’s when she approached Betz and Plunkett to put it together. They both said yes.

“I love working with her, but also, it could involve all of our members because it’s not just recipes. It’s stories, it’s people’s heritage, their life and … it was a different twist on a cookbook and might be a great opportunity for us to raise some additional funds for the community,” Betz said.

Plunkett said they had members write short notes about their recipes and where they came from, showing the history of the recipes. Ten local restaurants were asked for personal recipes that also were included. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), which has been generous with the Sandy Springs Society, also provided some healthy recipes.

“We have recipes from the mayor, the city manager, the fire chief, a lot of public people in the community,” Plunkett said.

One recipe was from a three-year-old. Others were from people’s relatives from the 1800s. Some of them required the editors to pull out magnifiers to read them and they still had to call people back to get the right information.

Reading the stories is enlightening that the society is filled with people of varied backgrounds. But they share “the love for food and family around the table, and the stories that connect us, and that foods are so important to friends and family,” Betz said. “And just about every one of the recipes has to do with how it’s so meaningful that they either received this recipe from their grandmother or mother.”

Artwork is seen throughout the cookbook. Instead of photos of food, they are paintings to add color to it.

“And it’s our artists from the Sandy Springs Society. They’re just wonderful artists and we put them in the different sections,” Plunkett said.

Plunkett and fellow editor Pam Betz used color to separate the different sections also, with stripes of color denoting every page of each section, such as From the Garden, Sweet Harvest, From the Sea and For the Soul.

“So you can just open up the book and take your finger and go to that area and then pick your recipes,” Plunkett said.

Two drawings from children who were patients at CHOA also were included.

Betz and Plunkett had to retype every recipe to get them into the correct format for the printer. They spent more than a year putting together the cookbook and editing it.

“It was a gift of love and a labor of love to put together, but it took us a while,” Betz said.

For more information, visit sandyspringsociety.org.

Sandy Springs Boutique

Sandy Springs Society members, from left, Laura Jones, Gail Jokerst, and Trudy Keenan show off the cookbook. (Photo Bob Pepalis)

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival returns in person Feb. 8-21

By Sammie Purcell

The 23rd annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival returns to theaters from Feb.8-21. This year’s festival will feature 60 films from all over the world. The festival opens on Feb. 8 with “Karaoke,” a comedy from Israeli filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal that

was nominated for 14 Israeli Academy Awards. The festival closes on Feb. 21 with a documentary about composer Charles Fox called “Killing Me Softly With His Songs.”

The festival returns to in-person screenings this year after going completely virtual last year due to a rise

in COVID-19 cases. Attendees can catch in-person screenings at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, The Plaza Theatre, and the Woodruff Arts Center’s Rich Auditorium.

While the festival will be held in person, there will also be opportunities

to view many films virtually. More information about the virtual cinema can be found at ajff.org. The presale for festival tickets begins Jan. 18.

Rough Draft Atlanta is a media partner for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

PRESENTED BY:

Killing Me Softly With His Songs

Karaoke

Georgia’s quirky roadside attractions

Taking some road trips in Georgia this year? With the Peach State’s rich history, splendid natural beauty, quaint towns and vibrant cities, there are plenty of things to see and do.

But Georgia also is loaded with scores of roadside attractions oddities, rarities, one-of-akinds that also may be worth at least a short visit. Some are quirky, some are offbeat, some are downright weird, but they can be fun for the whole family and liven up a car ride. Here’s a look at some of them:

One of the most famous is the 56-foot-tall Big Chicken, replete with moving eyes and beak, that looms over Cobb Parkway in Marietta. Another oversized fowl graces the front of Buckner’s Restaurant on Bucksnort Road near Jackson. It’s not a chicken, but the world’s biggest freestanding

Charles Seabrook

Big Red Apple, Cornelia Photos by Charles Seabrook

Big Peanut, Ashburn

Stadium in downtown Atlanta.

In Gainesville, a 20-foot-tall rabbit sits in the parking lot of the Rabbittown Café. Not far away, on Gainesville’s Green Street, is what is billed as the world’s largest tiger statue.

Some attractions are tributes to Georgia’s agriculture. In downtown Cornelia, you’ll find the Big Red Apple, a salute to Georgia’s apple growers. Along I-75 near Ashburn, you can’t miss the World’s Largest Peanut. Georgia also apparently has a thing for huge bovines. In Pendergrass in Jackson County is the

Giant Fleamarket Cow at the entrance to the big market there. Columbus’s Woodruff Riverwalk Park features the imposing Kadie the cow sculpture, or the "Cowlossus of Roads," declared a historical landmark. Another big bovine sculpture named Dipsy welcomes visitors to the Mountain Fresh Creamery on Cleveland Highway near Clermont. Georgia loves its native sons, too. On Augusta’s Broad Street, you can pose for a photo with a life-size statue of James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” who is from Augusta. In Toccoa, see the

larger-than-life statue of Paul Anderson, a tribute to the “World’s Strongest Man,” who Toccoa claims as a native son. In Royston, the hometown of baseball great Ty Cobb, marvel over the bronze statue of the scrappy ballplayer sliding into home plate in front of the town‘s library.

A little risqué is Barbie Beach, a small roadside attraction in the tiny town of Turin in Coweta County, featuring naked Barbie and Ken dolls lounging around in a six-by-four-foot stretch of sand. For a more family-oriented attraction, visit the Babyland Hospital in Cleveland, home of

the famous Cabbage Patch dolls.

If big, hairy, humanlike creatures is your thing, visit the Sasquatch (or Bigfoot) Museum near Blue Ridge. Just up the road is Tank Town USA, where you can drive an Army tank over old, junked cars. Off Georgia 365 in Alto is a most unusual junkyard, the School Bus Graveyard, where old school buses are reborn as whimsical works of art.

But this is only a small sampling. For a long list and a map of Georgia‘s roadside attractions, visit roadsideamerica.com/map/ga.

SALE 3 CEMETERY PLOTS

Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs

These are prime location plots in the Calvary section of the cemetery. If interested, please call Jane at 770-630-5828.

Paul Anderson statue, Toccoa

Babyland General Hospital, Cleveland