Newsletter | October 21, 2025
In this week’s Voices:
- Share your thoughts about the mural commemorating the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre
- Learn about water, environmental justice, and the power of community-driven solutions
- This Hapeville cafe offers coffee and cocktails—but no Wi-Fi
Send your feedback about this newsletter to hello@canopyatlanta.org.
A recent South Atlanta Civic League meeting felt tense, necessary, and unsettling, as the conversation around a 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre mural shifted into a pointed reckoning about history, harm, and accountability.
“It felt like it could have been avoided if we had the conversation earlier,” says Genia Billingsley, a community journalist who attended the meeting.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights commissioned the mural and worked with Atlanta artist Fabian Williams to create it on the wall of a building owned by Focused Community Strategies. It was designed to educate the public about one of Atlanta’s darkest chapters. Yet for many residents, the mural seemed to appear without notice or consent.
“What was meant to bring history to life instead reopened old wounds—revealing how good intentions fall short when community voice is left out of the process.”
—Genia Billingsley, Community Journalist
If so, please complete our listening form, designed to gather feedback from community members about their experiences, emotions, and reflections after viewing the mural.
💧 Canopy Atlanta’s own Genia Billingsley will join the Metro Atlanta Urban Water Symposium—hosted by West Atlanta Watershed Alliance—this Wednesday to speak on environmental justice and the power of community-driven solutions.
Join the free event
📍Atlanta Metropolitan State College
🗓️ Oct. 22 | 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It’s spooky season, and CCI is teaming up with ATL Friends for our final Policy Hangout of the year: Boo! Policies That Scare You — an evening of spooky statutes and hair-raising resolutions. Featuring writer Hannah Palmer and The Kenekt founder Kyimoi Rollins.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase at Wild Heaven.
Please RSVP below and use code CIVIC.
📍Wild Heaven West End: 1010 White St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
🗓️ Oct. 23 | 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
By Nzingha Thompson Hall, Innovation Lab Fellow
Cafe culture in the United States is likened to the modern-day public work space. Coffee and treats set next to virtual employees as they bury their heads in emails, project plans, and PowerPoint presentations. It is common not to take the time to look up and enjoy the light hustle and bustle. The ambience. The community.
Mario Ali, owner of Cafe Belli, wanted to change that. Nestled in Central Hapeville, Cafe Belli doubles as a morning cafe with hot beverages and pastries, and a bar with gourmet cocktails in the evening.
After a trip to Europe, Ali was inspired by the duality of cafes and bars. Coffee and tea in the morning in the exact same place where you have your evening libations. Ali wanted to create a one-stop shop.
Belli offers an impressive cafe menu: lattes, cappuccinos, mocktails, and elegant teas. In the evenings, a diversified adult beverage menu including cocktails, wine, and light bites. The cocktail menu rotates every other season. Ali insists on using fresh ingredients. “We make all of our syrups and juices in-house. We are ten minutes away from the Forest Park Farmers Market,” he says.
Want to catch up on the work Canopy Atlanta is doing and share what is happening in your neighborhood? Come out for a free cup of coffee this week.
Canopy Atlanta is popping up in coffee shops around Atlanta. We’ll share our location every week in the newsletter and on social media.
📅 Thursday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
📍 Ke’nekt Cooperative: 1492 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW, Suite A, Atlanta, GA 30310
📅 Friday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
📍Refuge Coffee: 4170 E Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Clarkston, GA 30021
Copyright © 2025 Canopy Atlanta, All rights reserved.Reading this newsletter online or forwarded from a friend?
Want to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
