Morning, y’all! Did you know AJ, your usual host, could rightly be classified as a “Disney adult”? My understanding is it’s not entirely voluntary (family and all that), but she’s living it up down in O-Town on the regular.
So next time you read something she wrote, imagine her wearing Mickey ears while typing.
You’re welcome.
A LEGACY, REIMAGINED
Yesterday, AJ touched on the fact(s) that:
1️⃣ Some of our very talented colleagues reimagined/re-created the work of scholar W.E.B. Du Bois and photographer Thomas Askew, specifically the famed “Exhibit of American Negroes” from the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris.
2️⃣ An exhibit highlighting the AJC project — words, images and illustrations — would be unveiled at Clark Atlanta University’s museum this afternoon.
All still true.
But now you can see it all on AJC.com, too.
It’s extremely poignant, worth your time … and just plain cool.
- “There was a lot of responsibility that I felt in taking on this project and using this as source material,” reporter Mirtha Donastorg told me.
- “Even coming up with the idea, I was drawn to it for probably the same reason folks in 1900 were drawn to the exhibit. It was just so beautifully striking. Like I had seen one of the infographics years ago, and it just stuck in my mind.”
As Mirtha wrote, Du Bois “wanted people who believed Black people were subhuman and inferior to see for themselves proof to the contrary.”
That proof? Facts and photos from real life, often in Atlanta.
Enter the brilliant Natrice Miller, AJC photojournalist.
She, too, had long been familiar with Du Bois’ exhibition and Askew’s images.
Obsessed, even. Her words.
She jumped in headfirst, finding subjects that “embodied the same presence” as those in the originals. She actually found a distant niece of a young student photographed in 1900. Other images feature acquaintances or everyday Atlantans.
One gentleman was someone Natrice just … walked past on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.
- “It was frightening,” she said of reimagining such iconic work. “Because the stuff was shot on these large-format film cameras, and film feels different from digital. You can make beautiful digital images, but it’s just not the same as film.”
In the end, she mimicked the lighting styles but kept things contemporary.
She hit the mark.
This newsletter doesn’t do it justice.
“I’m so proud,” Mirtha said. “I feel like this is one of the best things I’ll ever have my name on. … Just so stunning, so striking.”
See more of the project here — or in person at the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum. The unveiling is at 3:30 p.m. today, and the public is invited.
A QUICK CORRECTION
Yesterday’s newsletter was updated to correct Brady Lum’s position at the High Museum of Art before his resignation. He was the COO.
MUCH-ANTICIPATED TESTIMONY
Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, may take the stand today in his trial.
He’s accused of allowing his then-14-year-old son access to the guns and ammunition used in the 2024 shooting that left two teachers and two students dead.
📝 Barrow County jurors on Thursday saw financial records showing Colin Gray buying ammunition, sights and other attachments for the rifle allegedly used in the shooting, which he gifted to his son.
📝 Jurors also saw surveillance footage from the shooting. Colin Gray could be seen crying at the defense table.
The elder Gray is not required to testify and could change his mind. Stay tuned to AJC.com for the latest.
🔎 READ MORE: Apalachee shooting suspect’s dad expected to take the stand at his trial
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
📺 Netflix pulled its bid to acquire Warner Bros.-Discovery. That’s the parent company of Atlanta’s CNN, which will seemingly be bought by Paramount.
⚖️ Laken Riley’s father filed a lawsuit against the University System of Georgia. Jason Riley is accusing the Board of Regents of negligence. He’s also suing the property manager of the apartments where her convicted killer lived.
✌️ State Rep. Ruwa Romman dropped her bid for Georgia governor. The Democratic lawmaker says she’ll pursue a state Senate seat instead. She didn’t offer a gubernatorial endorsement … but is definitely not a fan of ex-Republican Geoff Duncan.
❤️ The late Jesse Jackson inspired AJC editor-in-chief Leroy Chapman. One Greenville, South Carolina, native helped another know he belonged.
🏗️ Jamestown tapped for North Point Mall redevelopment. The brains behind Ponce City Market will help tackle the long-struggling site … and attempt to lure an NHL team to town.
ONLY IN ATLANTA, Y’ALL
Apologies to the more genteel among us, but we gotta talk about this.
The Atlanta Hawks just announced “Magic City Monday,” a March 16 collab with the infamous Atlanta strip club of the same name.
Why?
🤔 Let’s ask Jami Gertz, Hawks principal owner, producer of a recent Magic City docuseries and Bill Paxton’s prudish fiancee in the 1996 cinematic masterpiece “Twister”:
- “The iconic Atlanta institution,” Gertz said in a news release, “has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”
Indeed, it has, namely by launching hip-hop careers and setting other trends in Black culture.
Expected offerings at the game (against the Orlando Magic, natch) include the club’s beloved chicken wings, entertainment from rapper T.I. and limited edition hoodies.
Forever I love Atlanta.
🔎 READ MORE: Hawks announce ‘Magic City Monday’
NEWS BITES
A running zealot, Atlanta Jeff Galloway leaves immeasurable impact
An Olympian, first winner of the Peachtree Road Race and the guy who made us all feel less bad about run-walking. Epic legacy.
15 family-friendly events in Atlanta this weekend
Personal recommendation: Lanta Gras, Kirkwood’s mini Mardi Gras parade and festival. (It’s free, and Shia LaBeouf won’t be there. Promise.)
Luxury movie theater chain IPIC closing its Midtown location
No more flicks on my “lunch break,” I guess.
Burger King is testing AI headsets that will know if employees say ‘welcome’ or ‘thank you’
What, uh … what happens if they don’t?
ON THIS DATE
Feb. 27, 1931
Claim that women out-talk men is given scientific backing. Dr. Dorothea McCarthy, professor of parental education and child development at the Georgia State College of Agriculture here, says they begin to talk earlier, learn speech more rapidly, and are more easily understood at an early age. The feminine advantage, beginning with the first spoken word, increases with age, according to recent researches in the language development of preschool children, girls being first to employ phrases and using longer sentences.
What an insane headline! Also, I’d posit birth order plays a factor here, too. My daughter took a little longer to start talking because her older brother hasn’t ever stopped.
ONE MORE THING
Speaking of the kids: Took ‘em to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History the other day, and I gotta say … dinosaurs are cool and all, but we don’t talk nearly enough about Ice Age-era megafauna.
Four-ton sloths? Get outta here.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
