social justice
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Diversity
Black Representation Has Increased, But Athens Artists Say There’s More to be Done
Jasmine Best grew up in the hills of North Carolina watching her grandmothers and great grandmothers sew and crochet — which led her to develop an interest in the craft. “It’s kind of recontextualizing the women who taught me these skills or had to use these skills and putting it…
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Diversity
‘Generational Curse Broken’: First-Gen College Students Reflect on Graduation
Siham Ahmed, a fourth-year student at the University of Georgia, emigrated from Ethiopia to the United States at the age of 1. The move away from culture and community was difficult, but Ahmed said her parents made the decision “because of the opportunities that exist in America Where can I…
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Doing Journalism
The Lead: UGA’s Denetra Walker on Creating Change Through Social Justice Journalism
It’s Denetra Walker’s second semester teaching at the University of Georgia, and she’s just getting started. After a multitude of experiences in the broadcast journalism field, she’s teaching social justice journalism and journalism ethics, all while providing mentorship and representation for students in the classroom. In this episode, we chat…
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Athens-Clarke County
‘Radically Inclusive’: Athens Coffee Spot Employs, Empowers People with Disabilities
At Bitty & Beau’s coffee shop, customers might notice “we love you” or “you are awesome” written on the side of their cup of joe. These positive notes are emblematic of a culture of encouragement and inclusivity in the store, which is a space dedicated to primarily hiring people with…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens Area Pagans Advocate for Freedom of Religion
A woman invites a group of her closest friends to spend a Wednesday evening together at her house in the woods. They are not spending the evening indoors watching TV or sharing a meal. Tonight the focus is on an important religious ceremony they will hold outdoors. Members of the…
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Athens-Clarke County
Revisiting a Forgotten Athens Cemetery: Updates and Community Connections
The atmosphere in Brooklyn Cemetery holds the stories of past Athens residents and represents a strong tie to the past. Local residents are working to restore Brooklyn Cemetery, a historically Black cemetery in Athens, Georgia after it fell into disrepair in the 1980s. As volunteers continue to beautify the cemetery,…
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Athens-Clarke County
In-Depth: Exploring the Impact of Social Justice on Music
Over the course of four months, a team of Grady Newsource reporters took an in-depth look at the relationship between social justice and music. The project reviews the history of social justice songs in the United States and specifically in Athens-Clarke County, which is known for its music scene. It…
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Northeast Georgia News
WATCH: Georgia Football Works For Social Justice With Dawgs For Pups Program
When George Floyd was killed last spring, it sparked a wave of social justice discussions across the country, including within the University of Georgia football team. Here we are almost a year later and Georgia football is making changes but not only to the team. The Dawgs have been changing…
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Diversity
Haley Lerner’s Presbyterian Faith Calls Her to Seek Justice
Haley Lerner discovered that social justice is rooted in her Presbyterian faith when she was in college. Now, just a few years later, she guides college students toward this same discovery. Lerner, a Philadelphia native, moved to Atlanta in 2016 to pursue her Masters of Divinity at Emory University’s…
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Athens-Clarke County
Challenging the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Athens-Clarke Youth
Mokah-Jasmine Johnson wears many hats. She teaches GED courses, hosts a podcast and speaks at public events. She is also an outspoken activist and co-founder/president of the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM). Much of Johnson’s work centers on combating discrimination and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. The school-to-prison pipeline refers to the…