Equitable Dinners series fostering wide-ranging community conversations; Broker provides analysis on Atlanta’s changing housing and rental market

Race relations and health equity are among the pressing social issues being discussed at Thriving Together Atlanta’s Equitable Dinners series. Since January 2020, more than 12,000 people from across the metro Atlanta area have gathered for challenging conversations over a hot meal, with a side of p…

New book explores civil rights activists' resistance to police violence during the movement; Communication program preparing KSU engineering students for diverse industry

Joshua Clark Davis is an associate professor of U.S. history at the University of Baltimore. He spent eight years researching, combing through police and civil rights activists' records, as well as news reports, to piece together acts of police violence and surveillance during the Civil Rights Move…

Atlanta City Council Pres. reflects on efforts to build a better Atlanta, prepares for next chapter

Outgoing Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman says Atlanta is better now than it was four years ago. Shipman, a longtime nonprofit leader, was a political newcomer when elected in November 2021. He campaigned on building a better Atlanta. On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” he joined the …

World AIDS Day brings reflections and concerns from public health experts

Monday marks WORLD AIDS Day. However, for the first time since 1988, the federal government is not commemorating WORLD AIDS Day.  Since 2003, under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiative, the federal government has invested more than $100 billion in responding to th…

Atlanta-based therapist on navigating tense conversations during the holidays

People across the country are preparing for friends and family to gather around the Thanksgiving dinner table. But data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness shows that the holidays are not always joyful — they can be triggering for some. Food and conversation often take center stage, and so…

Congresswoman Greene to resign; New book details how sustainable neighborhoods lead to healthier communities; New podcast tells history of Atlanta’s culture

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning from Congress in January. Greene, who represents Georgia’s 14th congressional district, recently announced the news via social media. WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali joins “Closer Look” with the latest. He also shares details about how …

Coffee Conversations: Atlanta Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative and TADs

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is trying to combat the challenges of accessing affordable housing. He recently announced his $5 billion Atlanta Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, which includes a $1.3 billion plan to subsidize affordable housing projects. He aims to extend existing tax allocation d…

APS Superintendent explains long-range facilities plan; Newly formed CDC Mutual Aid Network assisting struggling federal workers

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson has been spearheading the district since August 2024. Under his leadership, the district that serves just under 50,000 K-12 students has focused on improving student achievement. Johnson talks with “Closer Look” program host Rose Scott about the c…

Historical impact of slavery and black mental health; Working Families Party talks consequences of government shutdown

Diana Martha Louis is an assistant professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Michigan. In her new book, Louis seeks to reframe some of the historical stories about Black people and mental health in the 19th century. The book is titled “Colored Insane: Slavery, Asylums, and the Po…

Georgia advocates cite major concerns on special education funding cuts: Justice Department denies funding for immigrant survivors of crime

More than 7 million children across the United States depend on special education services, which school districts now refer to as exceptional children’s services. But recent cuts to the Department of Education are taking more resources away from the historically underfunded programs under the Indi…