UATL

News As a new aquaponics farm opens in Clayton County and plans advance for a $100 million peace institute in Vine City, the civil rights icon remains focused on solving tomorrow’s problems. Carmel Serban, aquaculture technician, lifts up a seed tray to look at the roots of spinach plants growing in the greenhouse at Forever Young Aquaponics, Monday, June 1, 2026, in Jonesboro, Ga. The center is preparing for Tuesday's opening of Andrew Young's new venture in aquaponics. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Entertainment Spirits company co-founders Malcolm D. Lee and Morris Chestnut meet and greet fans at Camp Creek World of Beverage Sunday. Filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee, left, and actor Morris Chestnut pose with bottles of Sable Bourbon before a public bottle-signing event at World of Beverages in College Park on Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Natrice Miller for the AJC) Hundreds of film and beverage enthusiasts lined up in the rain for “The Best Man” director Malcolm D.

Entertainment From biographies to coffee-table reads, six stories chronicle Black musicians, female pioneers, rock bands and classic hip-hop albums. “Run-DMC and Raising Hell: 40 Years,” by JayQuan is one of several books UATL is highlighting for Black Music Month. (Wires) For four centuries, Black music has provided listeners opportunities to hear the experiences of Black people.

404Ward From towering lifts above downtown streets to massive public art projects ahead of the World Cup, she says every mural is worth the effort. Multifaceted artist and muralist Charity Hamidullah splits her time between street artist and working in her studio in Midtown Atlanta, shown on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Hamidullah currently uses photography and fabric to create collages with patterns of identity, impression, connection and growth.

Entertainment The filmmaker-turned-novelist is among the 220 Black authors expected to attend Black Romance Book Fest this weekend. “The Best Man” actor Harold Perrineau, director Malcolm D. Lee and co-stars Taye Diggs and Morris Chestnut are the founders of Sable Bourbon, a spirits brand inspired by the romantic comedy released in 1999. (Courtesy of Sable Bourbon) After 25 years of directing successful film and television programs, Malcolm D. Lee is exploring other creative ventures.

News Mayor Andre Dickens says piece symbolizes Atlanta’s connection to South Africa. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks at a ceremony unveiling a Nelson Mandela sculpture in the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The sculpture was gifted to the city during Dickens’ visit to South Africa in 2024.

Entertainment Driskell Prize-winner Cheryl Finley says visual art is “as essential as a glass of water.” Art scholar Cheryl Finley (in white, far right) speaks at the Whitney Museum of Art in 2015 for the reopening in downtown New York of the show "99 Objects." (Courtesy of Cheryl Finley) Art scholar Cheryl Finley, the inaugural director of the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective and a Spelman College professor, has been selected as the High Museum of Art’s...

Podcast Plus, Keisha Lance Bottoms, an NAACP boycott and an alleged beef between two women’s sports bars. It’s the last week of National Mental Health Awareness Month, so this episode of “It’s UATL” has a more than fitting guest. Licensed psychologist, mental health expert and Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributor Dr. Joy Harden Bradford recently penned a column, “The subtle red flags you may be overlooking in your relationship,” that’s had folks talking.

News Author and attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons’ ‘Redeem a Nation’ says Greenwood’s destruction offers lessons about race, wealth and power that still apply today. Damario Solomon-Simmons poses for a portrait at the memorial for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Tulsa, Okla.

Quality Lenz, an Atlanta-based photographer, captures Black culture the slow, thoughtful way — on film. Every frame is intentional, every subject treated like history in the making. Whether you're an artist or business owner, recent grad or expectant mother, everyone is treated like a celebrity. This is how he's preserving and moving the culture 404ward!