Morning, y’all! Happy Juneteenth. Since it’s a federal holiday and the last day of not-summer, we’ll keep it short. Ish. Enjoy wherever the day takes you.
Let’s get to it.
FREEDOM DAY
Credit: Andrew Harnick/AP
Credit: Andrew Harnick/AP
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in America and became a federal holiday in 2021. While it’s a time of celebration, as you can imagine, the holiday also embraces painful histories. Here are some things you may not know:
- June 19 is the date when, 160 years ago, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, found out they were freed.
- History buffs may notice the math doesn’t math, and here’s why: The people of Galveston got word they were free two whole years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
- There’s no right or wrong way to mark the occasion. The most important thing, experts say, is to know the reason behind the observance.
READ MORE: How people celebrate Juneteenth
JUNETEENTH IN ATLANTA
Last weekend’s annual Juneteenth Parade in Atlanta was a resounding success despite organizers losing some sponsorships and funding because of anti-DEI attacks from the federal government.
ArtsXchange in East Point is holding two community film events and discussions this weekend to explore Juneteenth themes.
READ MORE: What’s open and closed on Juneteenth
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MARIO GUEVARA IS IN ICE CUSTODY
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Mario Guevara, the influential Atlanta Spanish-language journalist arrested while covering a protest in DeKalb last weekend, is now in ICE custody.
What happened:
Guevara was livestreaming coverage at the time of his arrest. After he was apprehended, his lawyers learned ICE had issued a detainer requesting the DeKalb jail hold Guevara so the agency could pick him up.
His lawyer thinks he was arrested unjustly. Attorney Giovanni Diaz made the conclusion after reviewing arrest footage. The journalist was charged with three misdemeanors, including “pedestrian walking on or along a roadway.”
What people are saying:
The journalist’s arrest has outraged free press advocates. Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists called for his immediate release and characterized his detention as “a crude form of censorship.”
His family is speaking out. Guevara’s daughter called her father’s possible deportation “terrifying.”
What happens next:
Guevara will now likely have to defend himself against deportation in immigration court. Giovanni says the journalist will likely be transferred to one of two South Georgia immigrant jails. Both are overcrowded and have drawn humanitarian concerns.
Guevara’s legal status is complicated. He is not a legal U.S. resident but has legal work authorization and successfully fought a deportation attempt in 2012.
The AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan, who’s been covering the situation, clarified to me: “[His status] can be read by most lay people as being quasi-legal, but technically he is still deportable.”
🎥 WATCH: Bodycam footage of Guevara’s arrest
DATA CENTERS: THE NEXT LEVEL
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Data center enthusiasts, it’s our time. The AJC’s business team launched a short series on how so many of these water-sucking, energy-absorbing computer behemoths ended up in Georgia and what the future may look like.
AJC business reporter Zach Hansen has covered data centers for a while and is probably tired of me asking him about them. He was, however, kind enough to share some expert insight.
⚡ What surprises him: “I’ve toured about half a dozen data centers and am always surprised by two things: The number of cables and intense security,” he told me.
“It’s hard to imagine a bundle of cables as thick as a tree truck running along the ceiling, plugging into racks of servers. And it usually takes several security checks — including biometric scans — to even get where you can see these racks, let alone touch them. It’s something out of a sci-fi movie."
⚡ Why you should care: “Data centers sound boring at face value. They’re warehouses for computer servers,” Hansen said. “But the technology they house powers the future, and the way the digital world is bleeding into physical space around every corner is something fascinating to see happen so quickly.”
“These large developments require tons of electricity and sometimes are pitched for less-than-ideal locations, so it’s something people need to be informed and aware of.”
🔎 Read the first article: How Atlanta became an epicenter for mall-sized data centers, plus details on a data center that’s almost 20 times as big as Lenox Square mall.
MORE NATIONAL AND LOCAL NEWS
The Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee ban on youth transgender care. The ruling will likely reverberate throughout the country. Families of trans kids are worried about what comes next.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has joined the chorus of Republicans warning President Donald Trump to stay out of the Israel-Iran conflict.
Still waiting for your $500 Georgia tax refund? Here’s how to check on it.
Two Atlanta United players’ jerseys are among the bestselling in the MLS. Trivia time: Can you guess who they are? Answer at the bottom.
ON THIS DATE
June 19, 1989
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: Underground crowds top a million in first weekend. Despite an inauspicious beginning in a torrential downpour, Underground Atlanta’s opening weekend brought in more than an estimated 1 million visitors, who ate, drank and browsed their way through the facility in the first four days. The huge crowds astonished even the project’s managers who have spent years bringing it to fruition.
This would usually make me sad, but we are a city of phoenixes, and today of all days, we sit with the knowledge that things can change, and things can get better. Who’s to say the already-awakening Atlanta Underground won’t rise again?
ONE MORE THING
The two MLS players are Miguel Almirón and Emmanuel Latte Lath. Have a great Thursday!
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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