by Natalia N. Temesgen One summer nearly a century ago, Columbus, Georgia hosted two literary giants for a brief time as they road-tripped through the state. Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, arguably the most significant writers of the Harlem Renaissance, came into Columbus on August 15, 1927 after a week in Tuskegee, Alabama, chugging along in Hurston’s old Nash coupe. Hughes, prolific...
“Caught Up; Criminal Justice in the Chattahoochee Valley” Vol. 2 Jerome Lawson offers video intro to his Bridge the Gap approach and his newfound life as a self-made business owner. 7.2.2019 FULL AUDIO: ECL Editor Frank Etheridge interview with Jerome Lawson 7.2.2019 “Caught Up” is a series of profiles of diverse perspectives and experience with the criminal-justice...
Illustrator / Graphic Designer / Real Toon Social-Justice Doodler You caused an online stir back in February, when Buzzfeed wrote about your renderings of Black Disney princesses. What do you think the general public’s reaction is going to be when they’re shown Jesus was a black man? “I think we’ve already started to see more and more images of Jesus as a black man. I know that I’ve personally...
Cultivating Gardens of Eden in Babylon With Project 3 founder Abeika Alexander “A lot of people are just used to fast food,” Abeika Alexander says. City Master Plan onnecting Columbus via bicycle Parking her bike and walking with ECL south along MLK Blvd. and its fresh-cement DragonFly Trail—city planners’ dragonfly reference an homage to the insect that’s a universal harbinger of healthy...
Trombonist (Atlantis Collective), Label Co-Founder (CloudStepper Records), Audio Engineer (The Loft Recording Studio) How did playing in a marching band prepare you to become a professional musician? “A lot of the marching band stuff that I did, especially later in high school, was in more of a leadership role. A lot of it was listening skills—knowing how to be part of a band. The leadership...
What does being directly involved in the fight to cure Alzheimer’s mean to you personally?“My grandfather [Jeff Kirkland] passed away from the disease about six years ago. So at that point I became interested in learning more about the disease. I think that, presently, almost everyone has a tie to the disease, either by losing a loved one, or as a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s.”...
Executive Director, Homeless Resource Network Center, Inc. Is the homeless population of Columbus swept under the rug? “I don’t think it’s visible for many people. I don’t think many people feel there’s much homelessness in the community. But we do. Poverty is the best indicator of homelessness and we have growing poverty here—so we’ll probably continue to have a growing homeless population...
Director, Building Inspections & Code Enforcement Dept., Columbus Consolidated Government Why is the city putting such an emphasis on blighted properties now? “Since I’ve been over the department the last 3 years, I think it’s always been an issue, and it’s just something that we’re putting a magnifying glass on now. What will the plan to fight blight be like once put into action? The first...
Executive Director, Leadership Institute at Columbus State University Is a leader born? Or is a leader made? “A leader is made. Absolutely. If leaders weren’t made, we’d be out of business. Our whole premise is built on the fact that people can grow. We all have opportunities to do better—to be better—all the time. That’s really what leadership is all about: Being the best version of yourself you...
“Caught Up: Criminal Justice in the Chattahoochee Valley” Vol. 1 Like all other sheriff deputies reporting for duty at Muscogee County Jail, Chaplain Neil Richardson doesn’t carry a gun at work. “It’d just end up getting used against you,” Richardson says during a recent tour of the city facility. He explains matter-of-factly the policy against the 100 or so Muscogee County Sheriff’s...