I believe in the power of local journalism and its ability to uplift and strengthen communities. Your mission and work embodies that."
—Laura Dowswell
About a month ago, Genia “Ms. Genia” Billingsley, a longtime Westside Atlanta resident–turned–community journalist stood on a stage in front of a room full of legacy media at this year’s Atlanta Press Club awards and declared that she is living proof that “journalism is for everybody.” She said this while accepting Canopy Atlanta’s award for News Innovation for the third time since our founding in the middle of the pandemic onslaught in 2020.
As a resident with a knack for storytelling but no formal journalism training or pedigree, Ms. Genia had been through Canopy Atlanta’s paid reporting fellowships to learn the fundamental tenets of journalism, she’s weighed in on stories as a member of our Community Editorial Board, and she is now on staff at Canopy Atlanta as our north star for community engagement, listening and storytelling. Beyond the award recognition, the moment crystalized our vision of “journalism done differently” in the Atlanta area.
For starters, Canopy Atlanta is a community journalism nonprofit that chooses, reports,
and shares stories with Atlantans, redefining who journalism is by and for. Through deep community engagement, we tell stories with community members that are responsive to community desires, that help residents access high-quality information about the issues that matter to them most, and that illuminate the root causes of injustice on a local level.
We prioritize working in communities with little to no news coverage because we believe all Atlantans deserve news and information that is responsive to the needs of underserved communities, including people of color, low wage-earning communities, and immigrant populations. Our staff and board of directors include a diverse BIPOC-led group of skilled professionals, journalists, and community leaders like Ms. Genia who reflect the city’s diversity and are deeply invested in community-centered reporting and coalition building.
Thank you for this opportunity to share a bit about Canopy Atlanta with you.
Canopy Atlanta is a community journalism nonprofit that chooses, reports, and shares stories with Atlantans, redefining who journalism is by and for.
Genia Billingsley
Community Engagement Coordinator
Ann Hill Bond
Training Assistant, Reporting Resident
Heather Buckner
Senior Editor, Special Projects and Community Reporting
Adrian Coleman Researcher
Serena Garcia
Editorial and Engagement Coordinator, Documenters
Floyd Hall
Co-Founder, Creative and Organizational Strategy Director
Christina Lee
Senior Editor, Community Issues
Mariann Martin
Co-Founder, Operations and Development Director
Abby Ann Ramsey Editorial Assistant
Stephanie Toone
Community Engagement Editor
Angie Uddullah
Editorial Consultant and Reporting Resident
Daniel Varitek
Audience Producer
Kamille D. Whittaker
Co-Founder, Editorial and Training Director
Ada Wood
Audience Producer, Reporter
COMMUNITY ISSUE JOURNALISM FELLOWS
Pittsburgh
Chandra Harper-Gallashaw
William “Mr. Bill” King
Braddye Smith
West End
Brent Brewer
Naya Clark
Ayana Clarke
Adrian Coleman
Nzingha Hall
Aboubacar Kante
Forest Park
Rachel McBride
Ann Pellegrine
Jardena Robinson
Angie Uddullah
Bankhead/Grove Park
Genia Billingsley
Ann Hill Bond
Nile Kendall
Liberty Rudo
Kimya Trotter
South DeKalb
Amiri Banks
Iris Brooks
Dominique Harris
Mike Rouse
Lakewood Heights
Marcus Brooks
Destinee Marbley
Pristine Parr
Nikki Roberts
Norcross
Gellela Belachew
Daniela Racines
Jack Rose
Angie Uddullah
Tri-Cities
La'Tricia Hughes
Immanuel Laidlaw
LeJoi Lane
Claudia Maturell
Faith Mbadugha
Eboné Smiley
Kendra Williams
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Max Blau
Brent Brewer
Amy Cox
Chenee Joseph
Mindy Kao
Derona King
Karyn Lu
Adam Newman
Clare Richie
Sheena Roetman
Nathaniel Smith
Charles Stephens
Nichole James Vickers
CULTIVATING ATLANTA’S JOURNALISM ECOSYSTEM 200+
Residents trained in five Metro Atlanta counties to become community journalists and Documenters
• We’ve won 4 Atlanta Press Club awards for News Innovation and Narrative Nonfiction.
• Our work and community journalism processes have been nationally recognized in Columbia Journalism Review, ProPublica, Nieman Lab, The Atlantic, American Press Institute, PEN America, Institute for Nonprofit News, Axios, but most importantly, in the neighborhoods we’ve covered in Atlanta who have collectively told us “well done.”
Our participatory reporting model— 1) listen, 2) train, and 3) share—is different from traditional journalism because every story published is sourced directly from community members, which:
• Increases trust in journalism
• Creates mechanisms for local accountability
• Provides a pathway for civic participation
• Strengthens local information systems
• Provides residents with transferable job skills and an income source
Community listening conversations recorded
Public meetings covered in metro Atlanta as the only Documenters program in the Southeast
• 1,000+ Atlantans actively participated in producing local stories
• Convened 7 Community Editorial Boards
• Conducted 950 community listening sessions
Communities feeling heard
“The third community we went into was Bankhead and Grove Park, said Mariann Martin, Operations and Development Director. “This is a community that is considered the worst community in Atlanta. It has also been the target of a lot of people ‘helping’—and there had been at least three very intensive community engagement processes from other organizations before we went there. I was very fearful going into this community because I felt they were ‘listened’ to death. They’ve had so many people ask them what they want to hear, and they’re not going to want to share it again. I was completely wrong. They had been listened to, but they hadn’t been heard. When Canopy came in and was just ready
to hear, and not just collect community engagement to check a box, they really perceived the difference. We were welcomed with open arms, people talked with us, people connected us with their neighbors. When we talked about this with various community members, we shared that we were surprised by the response and they responded, ‘Yeah, we're done talking to people who come in and listen to us and do nothing. You all wrote stories. You all trained fellows. We felt that you were actually there because you wanted to hear from us. Not because you want to check a box and move on to do whatever you have planned to do.’”
• Paid out $40,000 annually to Journalism Fellows
• Trained 33 Journalism Fellows in 8 neighborhoods since 2020
• Launched two advanced paid training fellowships for housing and elections projects
• Launched Reporting Residency
• 80% of our Fellows have continued doing community journalism work by: joining our Board of Directors, covering public meetings as Documenters, researching, publishing additional stories, participating in advanced reporting fellowships, freelancing or gaining employment at journalism or journalism-adjacent organizations
A Pathway to Connection
Iris Brooks, a 60-something-year-old grandmother and relatively new resident of the South DeKalb was looking to deepen her roots in that region of Metro Atlanta. She used participation in the Canopy Atlanta's paid training program to get to know and engage with the community she plans to call home for a long time. Iris deeply researched a piece about Housing Affordability and was able to present the research and community perspective to a DeKalb County commissioner candidate. Iris’s training also emboldened her to continue participating in the civic process—she then trained to be an Atlanta Documenter and closely followed meetings during the DeKalb County School Board’s contentious transition. Local media published her notes. She’s then served as a fellow in the Cost of Living program (see pg. 9), where she learned how to incorporate community engagement into her reporting, thus bringing other voices in and encouraging their participation in civic processes.
• Disbursed $30,000+ to residents annually for their reporting, photography, and graphic design work
• Produced dozens of narrative, investigative, and multimedia stories
• Co-published with Rough Draft, Atlanta Magazine, Capital B, Atlanta Voice, 285 South, and Atlanta Civic Circle
When Canopy published “Residents of Bankhead say they have a litter problem and want solutions,” the piece began to catalyze change.
It inspired a group of Kennesaw State University research students to submit a recommendation report requesting action by the Department of Public Works. They reached out to Commissioner Al Wiggins, Jr. to request funding and partnership—adding their voices to those of the Bankhead residents calling for change.
“One of the commissioners in the area came out, did a tour, and started trying to work with us about the trash. We haven't tackled it. We haven't finished it. But we got attention and we started the process,” explained Genia Billingsley, Community Engagement Coordinator.
As Canopy Atlanta produces more issues across neighborhoods, we continue to listen and respond to the unique needs of the residents in each unique neighborhood. For example, many of the first neighborhoods Canopy Atlanta served were predominantly Black. The Norcross issue was different. In a neighborhood made up of a high proportion of Hispanic, Vietnamese, and East Asian residents, Canopy ran into language barriers.
“From a community listening perspective, it’s required us to take more time building trust than we were previously accustomed to, but we understand that’s part of the work and it’s good to be challenged in that regard,” explained Christina Lee, Senior Editor, Community Issues.
Because of our commitment to actionable news, Canopy Atlanta has thought creatively about how to most effectively deliver stories in Norcross, including publishing in multiple languages.
Investing in new partnerships with publications across Atlanta will contribute to
a stronger, more informed public far into the future.
“The more we ask ourselves how these stories get to these people, the better off that we're going to be. We want to make sure that the community receives as much as they have given to us in terms of time and effort and input,” said Christina.
• Administered the only Documenters program in the Southeast
• Covered 350+ public meetings and are structured to cover 150+ agencies
• Trained 173 residents to become paid Documenters
We’ve trained residents to become paid Documenters
• Paid out more than $32,000 to Atlanta residents working as Documenters
• Launched a custom newsletter called “For the Record” which reaches an audience of 2,500
• Our notes have been used by local publications such as Capital B, Atlanta Magazine, Decaturish and The Atlanta Objective
Making critical information accessible Atlanta Documenters housed the only public record of the Public Safety Training Center Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee, where local policy decisions for the controversial “Cop City” are held. This committee regularly violates Georgia's Open Meeting Act by not publishing minutes, locations, and schedules, but thanks to local Documenters these records are now easily and consistently accessible. Investigative journalist George Chidi cited us and told us he has been using Documenters notes in his own reporting on “Cop City”; said it has been the only record of what's happened at those meetings. Sophia Qureshi of 285 South used Documenters reporting and questions re: “Cop City” to inform her own for an Atlanta Press Club Q&A with Mayor Andre Dickens. She asked, "Are you confident the stakeholder advisory board is really reflecting community’s true concerns?”
• Received the 2023 News Innovation Award from the Atlanta Press Club
• Created community activations and conversations through ATL Living Labs
• Launched the Cost of Living Fellowship
Working with city leaders to affect change
The Cost of Living project, produced in partnership with Canopy Atlanta and Atlanta Civic Circle, features community storytelling and investigative journalism about the cost of living in Atlanta.
As part of the project, the community engagement team interviewed over 200 residents about the cost of living challenges they are facing and the stories they think are missing from the current cost of living coverage. To fill in the gaps, the project produced articles and explainers that provide actionable information to residents and paint a picture of how Atlanta is experiencing the cost of living crisis.
Canopy Atlanta and ACC then shared this information with city officials and organizations, including the Atlanta Housing Authority.
“We said, ‘This is what we found.’ … They found that very enlightening,” explained Stephanie Toone, Community Engagement Editor. “They don’t have the footwork that we have to be able to directly talk to people. We would like to be able to continue to share that out with people in organizations and bodies of government that can make a difference in these spaces.”
“As I was reading through these listening forms, I saw over and over again that people have questions about where to go for help and what to do in certain situations,” said Heather Buckner, Special Projects Editor.
Clear, actionable information about topics like tenant’s rights, public assistance, and
housing aid was lacking. The Cost of Living project listening forms led to the creation of a wide variety of explainers as part of the cost of living coverage. These explainers aggregate information from a variety of sources, including government websites, and de-jargonify them to ensure they are understandable to and actionable for the average citizen. Residents can use these explainers— like one by Cost of Living Fellow J.P. Irie on how the government determines “fair rents,” where it fails, why so many suffer, and how the City of Atlanta is trying to build or preserve 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030—to make informed choices and advocate for their rights.
• 285 South
When Sophia Qureshi, founder of 285 South, became the Canopy Atlanta Writer-in-Residence, she received access to funding, a Canopy Atlanta editor, and Canopy Atlanta’s audience. “It’s good for me as a journalist to be part of their model.”
Canopy Atlanta gave Qureshi infrastructure that strengthens her reporting, which centers on immigrant and refugee communities in
Canopy Atlanta is a refreshing example of local journalism that seeks out and listens to residents, sharing often overlooked, personal stories of fellow community members.”
– Joseph R. Goodall, author
metro Atlanta. ”I would do stories where I felt like there was an information gap, and if I filled it, I would be helping people improve their quality of life in some way,” she explained.
285 South reporting sheds light on important issues facing immigrants and refugees and works to fill the information gap around critical services these populations are eligible for that they might not know about.
One article about state-funded ESL classes being unavailable to undocumented residents featured one woman, Angela, who was trying desperately to learn English. A reader of the piece who was also a certified ESL teacher got in touch and conducted weekly Zoom lessons with Angela. This piece was published in tandem with a guide to ESL classes in metro Atlanta, including courses that are open to undocumented residents.
Canopy Atlanta plans to expand its community journalism partnerships over the next year, providing editorial and financial support to journalists seeking help to better tell community stories.
Canopy Atlanta’s 2024 election project kicked off this spring and runs until Election Day. Voting Barriers and Bridges, which will focus on communities with chronically low voter participation, will identify the barriers around civic engagement and uplift solutions that can bridge those barriers.
Canopy Atlanta is using community listening and in-depth reporting to examine how civic engagement and voter interest may have changed throughout metro Atlanta’s five-county area since 2020. Canopy Atlanta wants to investigate the external and internal forces impacting voters to better understand why metro Atlantans in this battleground state vote—or don’t.
The community engagement, editorial, and reporting fellow teams will focus on the cross-section of voters that will help shape the outcome of the 2024 presidential election: communities not covered by legacy media where voter turnout has been chronically low.
Canopy Atlanta operates on a budget of $750,000 with more than 80% of our budget spent on community engagement, training, and storytelling. We paid dozens of writers, artists, note takers, and community members more than $100,000 over the last year, creating a vibrant ecosystem of community journalism.
Our funding comes from a mix of grants, individuals, and sponsorships.
Canopy Atlanta works towards a future where every community in metro Atlanta has local residents providing community information and storytelling to help build more equitable, stronger communities.
1
Refine and improve our community reporting
2
Build out and increase community partnerships
3
Have all our programs—Community Issues, Continued Reporting, Documenters, and Community Partnerships—work together to support each other
Canopy Atlanta is everything that journalism should be: for people, by people, and filled with empathy, care, and heart.”
—Lyndsey Gilpin, Grist
canopyatlanta.org