On our first stop, we went to see the birthplace of Martin Luther King, a social activist who became the most prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Located in the heart of Old Fourth Ward, the house is currently closed for renovations. Despite being closed for work, tour buses and tourists still arrived to see the historic site. Bruno Ontana, visiting from Brazil, said he chose to see the site over other places in

 Atlanta due to its historical significance. 

“It’s a great historical point,” Ontana said. “I come from Brazil, and it represents freedom and love, because many people want to visit. It’s good, but it’s a starting point that’s changed a lot of things in the U.S.” 

Afterwards, we went just down the street to Coffee Was Black, where we were immediately met with a calming smell of natural herbs and other warm aromas. Coffee Was Black is a local black-owned small business that sells a wide menu of Caribbean-inspired drinks. Despite the cold, the shop was bustling with a variety of people. 

Customers Queenie Jeffrey and her friend Raena Duncan were both first-time customers of Coffee Was Black. They both enjoyed the customer service. 

“I like the customer service, I like the mellow, chill vibe,” Jeffery said. “I got the WAG once; it was really good, and tasted like lavender.”

Beyond the feeling of the cafe, Jeffery enjoyed the nods to Caribbean culture. 

“It is based on Jamaican coffee, and we are all Jamaican,” Jeffery said. “We are all Caribbean. So to come back and enjoy our roots through coffee is a good experience.” 

Upon entering downtown, we stopped at the Atlanta Daily World building, a historic landmark for

journalism in the United States. The building was quaint, equipped with light blue trim, and a mura. The Atlanta Daily World building is historic as the former home of the nation’s first successful African American daily newspaper, established in 1928 and 1932, respectively.

For lunch, we traveled to Mangos, a Caribbean cuisine-inspired restaurant. The interior featured posters of Bob Marley, an influential Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist who popularized reggae music worldwide and became a global cultural icon for peace. Items featured on the venue included the Veggie Plate, Oxtails and Fried Plantains. 

Afterwards, we headed off to The Village Book Store, part of a chain of stores recently opened by entrepreneur Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon. The bookstore featured an array of books, a noticeable representation of titles written by black authors. Employee Anthony Laboriel enjoys providing book suggestions to all community members. 

“Anyone who comes in, whether they are person of color or not, we’re here to serve the community,” Laboriel said. ” We’re always just trying to kind of foster that good community growth. Anyone who enters is just greeted with a happy smile and making sure that they feel service at the end of the day, we love giving our book suggestions or taking anyone from the community. 

Lastly, we traveled to different HBCUs located in Atlanta. Our first stop was Morris Brown College. Although funding and enrollment have dwindled over the past couple of years, the college is still enrolling students, with the current size of the HBCU at around 400 students. We continued on to Spellman and Morehouse College, where we saw a bustling campus life. 

Senior Tyler Grant is planning on attending Spellman in the fall and enjoys the opportunities it has to offer. 

“What made me most interested in Spellman was the sisterhood there,” Grant said. “I would really like an HBCU experience because in most of my classes, there have been mostly white people, and I’ve never really been in a class with mainly black people. Last year, I was added to this group with Dr. Falcone for black girls and AP classes. I didn’t even realize that I was the only black girl in some of my AP classes. I feel like it would be nice to have some girls who are like me in those classes.”

Beyond the classroom, Grant is looking for a deeper cultural immersion.

“For the HBCU experience, I hope to gain more black girlfriends, even more black guy friends, and really just be around more of like black culture,” Grant said. “I really didn’t get to experience that as much besides my family.”

The appeal of Spelman extends beyond social life and into the college’s core values.

“Spellman’s really big on community service and leadership,” Grant said. “I would like to be a leader and do a lot of community service and help others around me, which I believe is how I align with their programs and their values.”