metro Atlanta area. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Thanksgiving Support for Atlanta Families
By ISAIAH SINGLETON & LAURA NWOGU
Fall and the Thanksgiving season for 2025 has arrived, and The Atlanta Voice has curated a few events where families can find turkey drives, givebacks, and more around the metro Atlanta area.
On Thursday morning, free turkeys were distributed at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest. In partnership with V-103’s Big Tigger Morning Show and New Birth, 1-800-TruckWreck, powered by Witherite Law Group, held its fifth annual turkey giveaway, distributing 4,000 turkeys to families in need.
“Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving,” one of over 500 volunteers yelled as she loaded up a car with a basket full of food items such as breakfast foods, desserts, snacks, potatoes, bread, and, of course, a turkey.
Along with food baskets, those requesting prayer were pulled to the side to receive a blessing. The early morning was filled with music, giving, and celebration.
Approximately 1.6 million Georgians receive SNAP benefits, including children, seniors, and adults with disabilities, according to the Georgia Department of Human Services.
1-800TruckWreck typically
gives away 2,000 turkeys during the giveaway. However, in support of the mission to help address food insecurity, the King’s Table at New Birth, a food distribution ministry, matched the donation by adding 2,000 more turkeys. That is over 100,000 in donations sponsored by the law group.
“I hope other people continue to step up. We certainly see the need, and we have increased our giving. We’ve got three other food pantries that we are giving $10,000 each to: one to Dorothy’s Helping Hands, one to Hosea Helps, and one as well to Good Samaritan Center. So, I’m really proud that we’re donating an additional $30,000 to help address the food insecurities right here in the Greater Atlanta area.”
With everything going on in the economy, there are numerous community events and spaces where families can visit to obtain free Thanksgiving essentials. Here are five things to look forward to for the holiday season:
Caring For Others: 25th Annual Comfort & Care Harvest Distribution
Saturday, Nov. 22 • 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Caring For Others, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit dedicated to eradicating poverty, will host its 25th Annual Comfort & Care Harvest Distribution on Saturday,
Nov. 22. The event underscores the organization’s long-standing mission by offering food and clothing to families facing economic hardship—ensuring they can celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional meal and a sense of
community support.
Location: Caring For Others Headquarters, 3537 Browns Mill Road SE
• What to Expect: Volunteers will distribute thousands of pounds of poultry, fresh produce, comforters, blankets, towels, and more to 700 families as temperatures begin to drop.
C.H.O.I.C.E.S.: 9th Annual Thanksgiving Mobile Food Pantry Presented by Amazon Saturday, Nov. 22 • 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
C.H.O.I.C.E.S. will host its ninth annual Thanksgiving Mobile Food Pantry, presented by Amazon, providing families with fresh food and holiday staples.
Location: Atlanta Technical College, 1560 Metropolitan Parkway SW
Registration Notes:
• Registration is limited to one per household.
• Attendees must be registered and must be in the vehicle to receive items.
• Orders can only be picked up by the registered household.
• Please arrive during your assigned time slot and do not register more than once.
Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway 2025 Monday, Nov. 24 • 8 a.m.–12 p.m.
The New Advent Choir will host its annual Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway, serving more than 2,000 families, while supplies last.
Location: Cascade Southwest ATL, 3144 Cascade Rd SW
Details:
• Open to the public — no registration required
• First come, first served
• Donations welcome
The Tasting Table: Free Thanksgiving Dinner Wednesday, Nov. 26 • 1 p.m.–8 p.m.
Join The Tasting Table for a community-centered celebration offering a free Thanksgiving dinner with all the traditional fixings, great company, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Location: 3569 Main Street, College Park
Details:
• Free and open to all
• Guests are encouraged to RSVP to secure a spot
• A hearty meal and holiday spirit guaranteed
Here are five things to look forward to for the Thanksgiving holiday season. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Arthur M. Blank expands sports empire with NWSL team
By LAURA NWOGU
Atlanta has been awarded the 17th National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise.
The expansion was announced at an event on Tuesday evening featuring a night of entertainment, live performances, popcorn, hot cocoa, and empowering moments for female athletes of all ages who have led, competed, and inspired through sport. Presented by Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment, the celebration was a testament that when you “empower her,” you “Inspire all.”
Arthur M. Blank, owner of Atlanta United, the Atlanta Falcons, and now Atlanta’s NWSL club, said that he’s learned from the women in his life that true greatness comes from using your achievements to help others rise along the way.
“As we launch this new club, I’m deeply inspired by the opportunity to give young girls across Georgia, including my own granddaughters, the chance to see what’s possible by watching these world-class athletes right here in Atlanta, Georgia, our home,” Blank said. “It’s my hope that this club will ignite something powerful in everyone who watches, especially young people, and light a spark that says, ‘if they can do it, so can I.’ This is not just about seeing the athletes on the pitch. It’s about recognizing the dedication, the resilience, and the teamwork it takes to get there.”
Other featured speakers at the celebration included basketball analyst and ESPN reporter Andraya Carter, former Soccer in the Streets player Lauren Dubois, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and United States Soccer Federation President
Cindy Parlow Cone.
“I will now get to watch female athletes chase their dreams on the pitch right here in the ATL. So somewhere in Atlanta, right now, could be the world’s next great soccer star who will come of age knowing she can train here, play here, and win right here in Atlanta,” Dickens said.
The announcement comes at a time when all eyes are on the city as it prepares to host eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including a semifinal match. The continued investment in soccer, from Atlanta United FC to the incoming high-performance Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, shows that the sport and what it means to people is deeply appreciated. And with the boom of women’s sports from media coverage to financial investment, the club is another step forward in the success
of the game.
“I’ve been so lucky to have the best seats in the house to some of the most exciting women’s sports events, and it has been absolutely electrifying across the country. Women’s sports are redefining what’s possible in the athletics business and culture,” Carter said.
When the new team takes the pitch in 2028, Blank said the club
will represent the next generation of leaders, change makers, and athletes, and that the spirit of its supporters will build a club that stands for “excellence and greatness.”
“Our NWSL players will be role models who embody excellence, determination, and the unshakable belief that anything is possible,” Blank said.
IMAGINE THE NBA
Arthur M. Blank (above), owner of Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons, is now the owner of Atlanta’s NWSL club. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Voices
Sudan: In the Face of Dastardly Acts, the World Remains Silent
By JENNIFER R. FARMER
There appears to be a shocking disregard for the suffering of people in one of the largest countries in the continent of Africa: Sudan. Over the past two years, more than 150,000 people have died during the conflict in Sudan. An additional 12 million people have been forced from their homes. We know what this means.
The Cost of Conflict
In times of war and instability, women and children are more likely to be displaced and more likely to suffer from gender-based violence. That is true in all regions; it is also a reality in Sudan. For over 24 months, the people of Sudan have been ravaged by massacres, sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and famine. More than 24 million people in the country of more than 50 million people are struggling with food insecurity. The United Nations now characterizes Sudan as one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. But where is the collective outrage? Where are the calls for mass action?
Harrowing as the data may be, it doesn’t begin to capture the devastation of the Massalit people and non-Arab communities. To say the people of Sudan are living a nightmare would be too tepid a characterization. They are being torn apart — community by community, and neighbor by neighbor.
The Unimaginable Suffering of Children
It is, however, the heartache of its youngest victims that leaves me speechless. As early as March 2024, or 18 months ago, UNICEF reported that armed men were raping and sexually assaulting children, some as young as 1. Only God knows the
horrors these babies and others have experienced since that report.
What is more, as a society, we tend to talk openly about sexual violence when the victim is female. However, one-third of child victims in Sudan were boys as of March 2024, according to UNICEF. Can you imagine the shame, isolation, and utter pain these children and their families must be experiencing? Young victims have been so traumatized that some have attempted to end their lives.
How does one begin to process sexual violation and mass death when one can barely walk or talk? How does one begin to heal when every exhale lives suspended in the air. What solace is available for the hurting — be they infants or elders — when help seems like a forlorn dream?
While the United States has noted that the people of Darfur are likely experiencing a genocide, the Sudanese deserve so much more. They need sustained action and attention that could give them a chance for recovery, recompense and repair.
It’s important to remember that healthy adults pride themselves on being able to care for themselves and the young. Where does one draw strength when a community is unable to fulfill such basic mandates as to shield young people from harm?
In the same way that I mourn for the children and people of Gaza, I weep for the children and people of Sudan. They are innocent, yet trapped in a nightmare of others’ making.
When the World Looks Away
Unfortunately, in the face of dastardly acts, much of the world remains silent. Sudan has been called the “forgotten war,” and for good reason.
In the United States, we like to talk about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), complex
trauma, and the dangers of excessive screen time. We lament the trail of pain that follows children exposed to two or more adverse experiences. There isn’t a category sufficient to detail the trauma that engulfs this community. UNICEF notes that children victimized by sexual violence can suffer “significant psychological trauma, forced isolation or family rejection due to social stigma, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, serious injury and other complications.”
It’s time to wake up from sleep and distraction, and attune to what is happening in Sudan. We may not know their names, but we can never forget that they exist.
Anti-Black Disregard for Human Suffering
As I try to understand the sheer disregard for human suffering, I keep wondering if the world is disconnected because of the hue of the victims. Does anti-Blackness cause the international community — including Western media — to turn the other way? Are persons kissed by the sun less worthy of concern and intervention? God forbid.
If Black lives indeed matter, they must matter everywhere. If all lives matter, all lives must matter at all times and in all places.
Humanity isn’t defined by geographical boundaries. Children don’t cease to matter because they are separated from us by continents or large bodies of water. The people of Sudan deserve to know peace. This can only happen if the world engages in this conflict as if it were occurring in our own backyards.
Jennifer R. Farmer is the author of “First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life,” and founder of the social good public relations firm, Spotlight PR LLC.
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If Black lives — or all lives — truly matter, then the people of Sudan deserve protection from the horrors of genocide. Photo by iStock.com
Techie Homes: Pioneering Micro-Home Communities in Atlanta
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
Atlanta-based human resources executive turned real estate developer and founder of Techie Homes, the innovative company behind one of the city’s most forward-thinking micro-community movements, Booker T. Washington is introducing a new era of living.
Techie Homes focuses on building micro-home communities that offer affordable, sustainable housing options while helping more people, especially those in Black and brown communities, become homeowners.
Enter: Techie Homes
Growing up in southwest Atlanta and in a single-parent household, Washington said his inspiration for Techie Homes stemmed from a lack of what his family didn’t have. His family moved around from different projects. His mom, he said, never taught them much about ownership.
“We did not know anything about ownership. When she passed away 12 years ago, we thought the home we lived in for 20 years was hers, but come to find out, she rented it for 20 years,” he said. “My siblings and I thought about all the money that was spent on rent, and this was a person who worked every day.”
Washington says his mother wasn’t living off government aid and worked every day, so it made him think about how she got there, being educated.
“She passed away with a negative bank account, so that sparked a fire in me about five or six years ago to start leaning into these urban communities about why they don’t have
ownership,” he said.
Once he found out ownership is strategically kept away from black and brown communities, that’s when Washington began designing a way to build a community the way his dreams were: front porches, talking to neighbors being at peace during the walk around the neighborhood, having a home that you own, and it all being nestled in a way that makes the home owner feel they’re able to grow in the community and have pride of ownership.
“This all started because of coming out of lack and being a child of a single parent who worked, was educated, but still didn’t own anything, so I wanted to change that for anybody else coming behind me,” he said.
Techie Homes, ownership, & equity
Techie Homes, now the largest builder of micro and cottage homes in Georgia and the sixth largest in the U.S., has completed two major developments: South Park Cottages in College Park and Union Park Cottages in Union City. The company’s first community, South Park, was crowdfunded with more than $3.5 million from local investors.
Union Park Cottages, described as America’s first mixed-use micro home community, includes shared spaces such as a coffee shop, tech lab, dog parks, gardens, and walking trails. Each home ranges from 400 to 1,000 square feet and features standard-sized appliances and modern finishes.
Washington said the communities are ideal for single parents, small families, and retirees looking to downsize without losing the
sense of neighborhood connection.
In June, the average Atlanta apartment cost more than $1,600 per month for just over 750 square feet. In that context, Union Park’s homes offer something crucial that apartments cannot: ownership.
Each home was designed with sustainability and durability in mind. Fiber-cement cladding protects from fire and mold, roofs are slanted for solar panels, and premium construction materials help build owners’ pride, according to Washington.
Also, Washington says he does not use the term “affordability” because it’s relative and not specific to a person or income bracket.
“You can have a person who makes $150,000 a year choose a cottage for affordability because they’re deciding about their income and what disposable income they want to have,” he said. “But you also have a person who makes $60,000 a year who wants to find homeownership, and this is the only affordable homeownership option, so what we give people is access.”
He also says they try to make it known that they give people accessible community access because at whatever entry level point you are, they meet you where you are.
Union Park Cottages is also pioneering the first micro-community with a mixed-use commercial space. Residents share 15% ownership in an on-site coffee shop and tech lab through the HOA. The target demographic of Union Park Cottages ranges from 20-somethings in the early phases of building equity to seniors and empty-nesters wanting to downsize. Washington emphasized that micro homes
present an alternative to high rents and shrinking homeownership rates among African Americans. He also noted that many families spend more than half their income on housing, while other demographic groups spend significantly less.
Next on the map for Techie Homes is a new micro-home community in Norcross. Washington said they’ll start construction in late 2025.
Home for the Holidays, future, & more
Washington recently announced the launch of Home for the Holidays, a national raffle giving one lucky winner the chance to own a fully furnished, smart-enabled home in the Union Park Cottages community in Union City, Georgia valued at $250,000.
“Home for the Holidays really comes from understanding there’s so many people out here that really without aid will never see home ownership,” he said. “In the current climate we live in, there are so many artificially pitted factors against black and brown communities, slavery was just 140 years ago.”
Washington says without help or somebody learning from the plight, home ownership will never happen, which is why he introduced the raffle because no one else is going to do it.
Designed with modern aesthetics, smarthome features, and eco-efficient construction, the campaign raises awareness around attainable homeownership and sustainable community design.
Additionally, tickets to enter the raffle are $250 and the winner will be announced and receive their home on Christmas Day, free and clear of any debt.
Proceeds from the raffle will help the Techie Homes nonprofit division, which provides down-payment aid to future micro-home applicants, helping individuals and families take the next step toward attainable, sustainable homeownership.
While Washington is also known for his high-profile partnerships with leaders like Killer Mike and Dr. Jamal Bryant on broader community initiatives, Home for the Holidays stands as his newest independent effort to make homeownership more accessible to everyday Americans.
Additionally, Washington also launched another project with Killer Mike and his wife Shana Render to launch The Park at Brawley, a $5 million affordable homeownership development located along Atlanta’s historic Westside Corridor.
The project will deliver 18 modern, energy-efficient micro condos priced below $300,000—a meaningful response at a time when Atlanta’s median home price has
Techie Homes focuses on building micro-home communities that offer affordable and sustainable, housing options helping more people, especially those in Black and brown communities, become homeowners. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta-based human resources executive turned real estate developer and founder of Techie Homes, the innovative company behind one of the city’s most forwardthinking micro-community movements, Booker T. Washington (above) is introducing a new era of living. Photo by Tabius McCoy/ The Atlanta Voice
Grnd Pilates brings inclusive fitness to Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood
By LAURA NWOGU
Atlanta native Jharde Johnson is determined to create a safe and inclusive community in the fitness and wellness space, and she’s doing it through Pilates. On Monday, Nov. 10, the Pilates instructor opened the doors to her first studio, Grnd Pilates. Located in Mechanicsville, it is the only Pilates studio and Black-woman owned studio in the historic neighborhood. For Johnson, her passion and love for Pilates transcends beyond a trend. The Atlanta Voice spoke with Johnson about feeling underrepresented in Pilates, creating community in her hometown, and the grind behind opening her first studio.
The Atlanta Voice: In a few days, Grnd Pilates will open its doors. How are you feeling?
Jharde Johnson: “Amazing. I feel like I’m living in answered prayers. This is our first studio location, but we’ve been in business for almost five years, doing a pop-up structure throughout Atlanta. We’ve been building community for over four years, and now we have our first home.
AV: You’ve been doing Pilates for a decade now and teaching for half of that. What was your personal motivation and your push to start Pilates?
JJ: “My mentor is Tanya Stephenson, the owner of Stretch ATL. She’s the first Blackowned Pilates studio in Atlanta, and my first introduction to Pilates. During this time, I was a flight attendant based in LA. When the pandemic hit, I was consistently going to Pilates classes on a regular basis. It was one of those things where I was literally the only person of color in these classes. There was a specific instance where I was in a reformer studio, and I just wasn’t receiving the proper attention that I deserved, unlike everyone else in the studio. Nobody was coming to check my form while they were checking everybody else’s. I actually nipped myself on the leg with the spring. It was just a mess. But again, it’s a practice that I love. So I’m still going.
“The pandemic hit. I got furloughed from my job, and I was just like, let me get certified. I genuinely enjoy this. I grew up running track and cross country, so movement is a part of my life. Pilates just introduced me to a
new form of movement that I wasn’t used to, but felt amazing for my body. Once I got certified, I immediately started teaching virtually, then God was like, ‘You need to move back to Atlanta and build your business.’ So, I sold all my stuff, packed up my things, moved back home, and started on a weekly pop-up structure. I would rent out different spaces in the city and host them there. And I was like, let me just focus and pour into the community, because during that time, it was a complete full market for Pilates. But also, I knew it was something that Atlanta needed.”
AV: You took a leap of faith and look how it all worked.
JJ: “It’s beautiful. God has been the force behind all of this. When he told me to go, It’s like, let me move. No questions asked.”
AV: For the past few years, Pilates has experienced an increase in visibility, accessibility, and popularity, specifically for Black women who, little do many people know, popularized Pilates. How does it feel for you to be in this space where you’re helping to reclaim that narrative and help people feel more visible?
JJ: “First and foremost, visibility is
extremely important. I think that it’s important for us to walk into spaces and see us, whether it’s coming from the instructor being one of us, or just the people in class. Pilates has been around forever. Right now it’s having a moment. Just like all trends, things die down, but Pilates will still be around. I think, somewhere along the way, people lost the plot of Pilates and basically painted this picture as if it was for this one demographic. That’s not the case. I created this space to make it inclusive and also more accessible, because it truly is for everyone. I feel like anybody who comes into Pilates, and it’s true Pilates that you’re doing, you feel it in your body. It just feels different. You feel amazing, and everybody deserves to feel that.
AV: Do you think there are any obstacles to entry that we still need to work on when it comes to this workout and making it more inclusive?
JJ: “Yes, it’s still so much work to do. Again, right now, it’s having a moment, but, we’re also in Atlanta. Our culture is completely different. If you were to step outside of Atlanta and really see what’s going on in the Pilates world, It’s very much still how it was when I first started my practice. Now you are able to go into spaces and see it filled with us, and that is the driving force behind Grnd Pilates?”
AV: For those that are unfamiliar, what are some of the benefits of Pilates, especially when it comes to wellness and fitness?
JJ: “I say this to all of my clients: when you’re doing true Pilates and you’re consistent with it, you see the benefits overflow into your daily life, whether it’s other modalities of movement that you do, or whether it’s everyday life. It’s great for your posture, great for your spinal health, for your pelvic floor. Pilates is low-impact but
high-intensity. All of our focus is in our powerhouse, which is our core. A lot of people don’t know everything pulls from our powerhouse. It’s like the heartbeat of our body. When you get to really connect with your powerhouse, you’re able to move differently, more flexibly, and your posture improves. It’s endless. I love it. Pilates changed my life.”
AV: After people take the class, after they exit these doors, what do you hope that they take away from Grnd Pilates?
JJ: “I’ve been building community for years. We have over 3,000 clients that we service. I’ve had so many of my clients go through different obstacles in life. One of my clients, her best friend, passed away. The next day, she was here. She was like, ‘I just need to move my body. This is such a safe haven for me,’ and that’s always been the goal.
“I want this to be such a safe space for everyone and such a comfortable space. Once they leave, I want a weight to lift off their shoulders. Life can be a lot, so when you come in here, I want my community to know that this is for them. Whatever you have going in life, leave that at the door. Come in here and pour love into yourself.”
Classes for women and men are available to book at grndpilates.com.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Atlanta native Jharde Johnson (above) is determined to create a safe and inclusive community in the fitness and wellness space, and she’s doing it through Pilates. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
On Monday, Nov. 10, the Pilates instructor opened the doors to her first studio, Grnd Pilates, in Mechanicsville.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Chaunté Lowe: From Olympian to cancer survivor
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
Four-time Olympian and bronze medalist Chaunté Lowe is telling her story after being diagnosed in June 2019 with triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, which is an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer.
Lowe says she was diagnosed with breast cancer early on at the age of 34. She started doing self-breast examinations because of a fellow Olympian who was also young, fit, and healthy, but was diagnosed with breast cancer between the ages of 34 and 35.
While doing her self-evaluation at the age of 34, she felt a tiny, painless lump. When she went for a doctor’s visit, she was misdiagnosed, and it took her an entire year to be fully diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma.
“The doctors thought that it was a lymph node and told me to come back in six years because that’s when I would have been 40, and I would have been able to have my first mammogram,” she said. “I’m glad I didn’t, and that’s what attracted me to the V Foundation in the first place, because there’s something about the research that could identify these types of cancer and find ways to treat them.”
Lowe also says she does not blame her original doctors for their lack of knowledge on the medical side.
“The information the original doctors gave me was what they had, and I believed he was giving me the best course of care, but unfortunately, the information was wrong,” she
said. “So, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was shocked, but it was 11 months later, so the cancer obviously grew and progressed slightly.”
Lowe says she is thankful for being vigilant and listening to her body.
“When you’re an athlete, you know how to listen to your body and you don’t ignore warning signals,” she said. “A lot of times, we’re busy, we’re working, taking care of children and trying to figure out our path and our way so much we don’t take the time to listen to our bodies.”
The Olympian
Lowe is a former track and field athlete who stood for the United States in four Olympics (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). She won a bronze medal in the high jump at the 2008 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships in the same event.
In 2012, she captured a high jump gold medal at the World Indoor Championships. She is also the American record-holder in the women’s high jump.
Lowe says there were two reasons she became an Olympian: First watching American track and field athlete Flo Jo at four years old when she fell in love with the Olympics and watching Jackie Joyner Kersee in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta as well.
“I learned how powerful the Olympics are. I saw Jackie get injured in the hurdle race and during the heptathlon and you’re thinking ‘that’s it, she’s carried off the track and
she’s crying,’ but she’s back on stage a couple days later doing the long jump and wins the bronze medal,” she said. “That’s when I realized that’s what I want to do.”
That dream turned reality saved Lowe from a home life with domestic violence, drug abuse, homelessness, and food insecurity. She said she saw the Olympics as a way for her to not only forge her own path, but to get her education as well.
Becoming a four-time Olympian and a bronze medalist herself, she said she feels great reflecting over the last decade of her Olympian career.
“I always think it was so serendipitous that it was the 1996 Olympics that taught me resilience because that was the time where I was at the height of all my turmoil at home,” she said. “I wasn’t aware my journey would lead me to Atlanta going to Georgia Tech. Growing up in California and when I moved to Atlanta, I knew I was home.”
In 2016, Lowe reflected on her journey with the Olympics and accolades and considered retiring from competing. However, once diagnosed, she decided to fully devote her time to compete in the Tokyo games.
“I started becoming aware of how many people are diagnosed with breast cancer and any type of cancer within the United States, and I felt as I didn’t understand the risk, but once I did, I felt like going to the Olympics was my best way to spread that information far and wide about early detection, and I wanted to bring attention to funding research,” she said.
Lowe said being diagnosed was the first time in her entire life where she didn’t have a tangible, objectifiable goal in front of her, so she needed to have something that would get her up in the morning and get her through treatment.
“My doctor told me to keep going and those words resonated so deeply with me,” she said. “I no longer was training for the medals. My biggest goals were thinking about the moms, the children, the daughters, or anyone who would ever hear those words, ‘you have cancer,’ and fighting my fight in honor of them.”
V Foundation
When Lowe was going through her cancer journey and training for the Olympics, she said she saw a profound impact that media stories played and being able to distribute not only information, but galvanize a community that may have somebody they love that’s went through cancer and have everyone come together regardless of race, social economic status, background, or gender.
“I saw people coming together and I noticed the media was carrying these stories. So, when the V Foundation reached out to me to be a part of their campaign, it was a no brainer. I love what the V Foundation does and stands for,” she said.
When she began learning more about the V Foundation and how they take 100% of their donations and put it towards research, it made her realize what she was missing in her own journey was being addressed through the foundation.
“I wanted to lend my voice to be able to amplify this message and be a part of it,” she said.
“It was an honor.”
With the PSA, Lowe says she wants people to have emotions when thinking about the times where they may have experienced walking through cancer with a loved one or a period of frustration.
“I think the biggest message that comes through is we don’t give up, even with setbacks,” she said. “We can refrain and refine and try again, and giving 100% doesn’t necessarily mean getting exactly right the first time. When you don’t get it right the first time, you learn from that experience and allow it to catapult you forward into the future.”
Resilience & Aftermath
With six years in remission, while speaking with Lowe, reflecting on her journey through breast cancer, you could catch something special: a bright smile and resilience pouring out of her.
She says resilience is like a muscle, something you exercise day in and day out.
Four-time Olympian and bronze medalist Chaunté Lowe (above) is telling her story after being diagnosed in June 2019 with triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma. All photos courtesy of V Foundation/Chaunte Lowe
“When you’re an athlete, you know how to listen to your body and you don’t ignore warning signals,” Lowe (right) said. All photos courtesy of V Foundation/Chaunte Lowe
ATL StyleWriters Jam: A Tribute to Graffiti Pioneers
By NOAH WASHINGTON
Beneath the hum of passing traffic, the sharp scent of aerosol, and the rhythmic hiss of spray cans, Atlanta’s graffiti culture came alive this weekend for the ATL StyleWriters Jam, a three-day exhibition uniting generations of artists who shaped the city’s visual identity.
First launched in 2022, the Jam transformed sections of the Atlanta Beltline into open-air galleries painted by the hands of writers from across the county, the same hands that pioneered Atlanta’s “style writing” scene in the 1980s and ’90s. The
event remains free to the public to preserve accessibility for all.
Giving credit to the architects
Naomi Perry, who organizes the Jam through the Atlanta StyleWriters Association, coordinates the writers with the city to honor the city’s original graffiti community and the artists who, while defining Atlanta’s visual rhythm, rarely receive their recognition.
“I realized the people who are best with spray paint weren’t the ones getting opportunities in the public-art space,” Perry said. “Part of graffiti’s anonymous culture made that difficult. So I wanted
to help bridge that gap, to make sure the artists who built this have representation.”
Each year, the BeltLine partners with the StyleWriters Association to fund and equip local artists. Longtime writer Mr. Totem, who has painted Atlanta walls since the early 1990s, and who has participated in Jams of the past, helped coordinate & curate this year’s exhibition to ensure the murals represented the highest level of craft.
“This tunnel is known as the Burn Unit,” Totem said. “Every artist here can do what any muralist can do, but we come from hip-hop, where the letter is the heartbeat.”
Why names stay hidden
For many of the participating artists, anonymity remains sacred. Many artists keep their “government names” separate to preserve creative freedom and protect themselves from the criminalization that once shadowed their work.
Names like Save1, Poest, and WebONE serve as both alter egos and shields, remnants of graffiti’s complicated relationship with the law.
“Graffiti was always labeled with a bad name,” said Save1, an Atlanta native who grew up near Bankhead. Within the culture, “graffiti” refers to how the public sees it, but “writing” speaks to how artists see themselves, craftsmen shaping letters, not criminals defacing walls.
“We call ourselves writers because we’re writing our names, mastering calligraphy with aerosol. The media gave it the word ‘graffiti,’ but to us it’s letter design, it’s expression, it’s identity.”
Writers still feel the weight of taboo. For decades, public perception framed graffiti as vandalism rather than art, forcing early creators to work under the cover of night.
“There’s a purpose behind every piece. It’s not destruction, it’s communication,” Save1 said
From Bronx roots to Southern rhythm
Poest, who began writing in Brooklyn in 1987, said the art’s migration south gave Atlanta its own creative dialect. “Through migration, you had styles coming down here, and people gave them their own spin,” he said. “That difference, that remix, is what makes Atlanta’s scene so cool.”
For WebONE, a Bronx-born artist who relocated to Atlanta more than two decades ago, graffiti’s evolution mirrors that of hip-hop. “I started tagging trains in New York around 1980,” he said. “Now you see it on the Beltline, in London, everywhere. There’s money in it now because it connects with younger audiences; it became part of mainstream culture.”
Yet despite that mainstream acceptance, Poest said the roots of the art remain firmly planted in Black creativity and innovation. “We don’t do enough of this because it gets whitewashed,” he said. “People forget the architects. We have to keep showing what it really looks like when we lead, to represent tomorrow.”
A living canvas
This year’s ATL StyleWriters Jam stretched across multiple Beltline sites, from the Northeast segment of the trail down to the Eastside and Ralph McGill Boulevard. Each piece, Perry said, “proves that graffiti artists can do everything traditional muralists do, and often at a higher level.”
What began in the late 1960s as a form of street-level expression in New York, where writers tagged subway carts has since evolved into a global art movement. Graffiti and style writing helped shape the visual language of hip-hop. Once dismissed as vandalism, the form now appears in museums, galleries, and city-sponsored projects worldwide.
As Poest put it, “What they see when they see us all together, they see us representing what we would love things to look like. They see us representing tomorrow.”
Save1 painting his mural during the ATL StyleWriters Jam, a three-day exhibition uniting generations of artists who shaped the city’s visual identity. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
‘Stockbridge is ready for change’: Incoming Stockbridge mayor Jayden Williams
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
Jayden Williams, former commissioner of Stockbridge and soon-to-be graduate from Clark Atlanta University, makes history as Stockbridge’s youngest mayor at 22 years old.
Born and raised in Stockbridge, Williams says he wants to bring fresh ideas to the community he’s called home.
Williams told The Atlanta Voice he is focused on making Stockbridge a model for growth and opportunity, prioritizing economic development, public safety, housing, and arts & youth programs, all while preserving the city’s close-knit spirit.
Furthermore, Williams said his win against incumbent Mayor Anthony Ford has not completely hit him yet, but he feels ready to work.
“Beating a two-time incumbent is huge, and it just shows that Stockbridge is ready for some change,” he said.
Additionally, Williams’ ties to public service started early. In high school, he served as the Youth Council Mayor, and during college, he held several leadership positions. After graduating, he says he felt called to come home and make a difference.
“I watched a few council meetings and said, ‘This is not the standard I left when I went to Clark Atlanta,’ Williams said. “I knew we needed some change, and I decided to jump in for mayor.”
As mayor-elect, Williams says his focus will be on growth, infrastructure, and inclusion — making sure all residents feel represented and heard.
“I really want to see us grow into something where every single resident feels accommodated,” he said. “That includes new residents, young professionals, working families, our
LOWE
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“The more you exercise the muscle, the stronger it becomes, like finding the brightness in a dark world. When I think about my community and the people who supported me, part of being strong and resilient is not thinking you must have the full strength all on your own,” she said.
Lowe says her husband was her solid rock, who was by her side every day, neighbors, and other patients who kept her fighting. She also said what kept her fighting was seeing another cancer patient who told her a cancer diagnosis is much different than it was 10 years ago.
“The research has made it so much better, so that’s where the cheery and hopeful deposition comes from because I understand there are people and organizations like the V Foundation that are finding those researchers and getting solutions to the problem,” she said. Speaking of resilience, Lowe will be releasing
teachers, and our seniors. I want everyone to feel like they’re home.”
Williams says his win carries deep personal meaning for his family, given Stockbridge’s past.
He said he hopes this next era for the city shows a collaborative front, especially with Stockbridge being deemed as one of the fastest-growing cities in the state.
“I want us to show we’re in unison, we’re all one, and we can work collaboratively, especially with an all-black council,” he said. “We’re ready to serve every single generation in this community, and for so long we’ve lacked one generation over another, and so I want to show that differentiability, diversity, and inclusion right here in the city.”
Williams also says he wants to tackle infrastructure and housing.
“I want to see how we can work with our planning commission to bring some meaningful ordinances and policies to put some standard opportunities of affordable housing here in the city,” he said. “Just like I ran my platform on the 80-20 rule, 80% housing and 20% townhomes and apartments with the will of the Council.”
Williams said his administration is putting major developments on infrastructure in Stockbridge that haven’t been fixed in 30 or more years.
To people who may underestimate Williams due to his age, he says to go back and review what he’s done in the past in his political career thus far.
“I’m not new to politics, nor am I new to the game. They can ask former bosses of mine, Representative Lydia Glaze, when I worked in the state house, but I’ve also served right here and as the youth council mayor,” he said.
Also, Williams said, although he has several
her book, “The Boundless Resilience Playbook”, which serves as a practical guide born from her journey as an Olympian, breast cancer survivor, and mother.
The book will be out at the beginning of 2026, Lowe says. During the COVID-19 pandemic and her cancer journey, she began learning a lot of people were struggling mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
“They were just having a hard time, and it didn’t matter if it was young kids all the way up to professionals and CEOs that were struggling,” she said. “So, I started sharing messages of inspiration online, and when I did that, organizations began inviting me in to come speak to their people and share my story.”
Additionally, Lowe says she is done with the Olympics officially but this past summer she was a part of the presidential delegation where she was able to go to Paris to help support the next generation of athletes.
“I’ll always be connected to sports and will always see how powerful athletics are because I have to stay in shape for the rest of my life, I
policies he wants to look at, he’s focused on ensuring he’s protecting the current residents while also bringing in new ones.
“I really do want to work in protecting the characteristic trait of Stockbridge. The people have something to look forward to,” he said.
As a message to his constituents, Williams says he’s here to work for you.
“The campaign was just the job interview, but now that I have the job, we’re here to serve our constituents, which to me, I call all 36,000 plus residents my neighbors,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with all of them and hearing their voices and concerns so we can push Stockbridge into a new era.”
For his first year as Stockbridge Mayor, he says he wants residents to see change, not immediate, but progressive change, and going in the right direction.
can’t let myself completely go,” she said.
As far as advice to people battling cancer, Lowe says taking time to listen and hear Jimmy V’s 1993 ESPY awards speech where he was giving words of encouragement to his own battle with cancer, will bring encouragement.
“Taking the time to listen and hear that speech, it gave me hope and it gave me what I needed in the middle of a fight for my life,” she said. “In a time like that, it’s really hard to see the goodness in life when you’re scared, so focusing so much on fear and not living in that moment, you have to give yourself permission to live every day as well.”
Lowe says just because you’re going through something like battling cancer in that moment, you don’t have to be downcast.
“I could choose to live every day,” she said. “Find a medical group that you trust, let them do the hard stuff, give them the information they need, and they know what to do with it, but then the other side of that, care for your mind, care for your body and for your environment.”
“I want to see Stockbridge become an urban suburban city in a smart way. I don’t want to see a mini-Atlanta, nor do I want to see a mini–New York City,” he said. “I want to see something that’s urban, hip, and up with the times, but also have those suburban opportunities where you can feel your neighbor next door and still have breathing room for your kids to play.”
For advice to anyone who may want to run for a political office, Williams says not to let anyone tear you from your dream.
“I didn’t let anyone tell me what I couldn’t do. I prayed before the election, before voting, and at the end of the election,” he said. “They said I couldn’t do it; I tell them to have a good day because you’re trying to stop down and process that. You don’t know how far I’ve come to get here, and so just continue to fight for your dreams and don’t push back.”
Also, in the black community, especially black women, many often don’t trust their own doctors. Lowe says doing her research, she learned a lot of black women are more distrustful of going to the doctor.
“If we see and feel something, we’re less likely to go and get it checked out because we don’t trust our doctor,” she said. “I realized you need to feel comfortable with whoever is on the other side of my booklet. So, if you don’t feel comfortable, then go to another one, then go to another one, and so on, be persistent and keep going until you do feel comfortable.”
Lowe also says to not allow your discomfort to be a deterrent to caring for and loving your body. Instead, she says, find the practitioner that will help you and you will find your community whether it’s online on Instagram or finding a Black Breast Cancer Care Organization online.
“Your life is worth it, so no matter what, go find somebody you trust that can treat and help you,” she said.
Jayden Williams, former commissioner of Stockbridge, and soon-to-be graduate from Clark Atlanta University, makes history as Stockbridge’s youngest mayor at 22 years old. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
Community
Home Depot Foundation Builds Hope for Veterans
By NOAH WASHINGTON
In honor of Veterans Day, more than 500 orange-clad Team Depot volunteers gathered Tuesday morning outside The Home Depot’s Atlanta Store Support Center, transforming lumber and bolts into symbols of gratitude. The large-scale service project, organized by The Home Depot Foundation in partnership with Atlanta Toys for Tots and HouseProud Atlanta, supported 75 local military and veteran families through handcrafted playhouses, wagons, toy benches, and outdoor sets designed to bring joy to children of those who served.
“Every veteran deserves a safe place to call home,” said Erin Izen, Executive Director of The Home Depot Foundation. “Today we’re not just taking care of veterans, we’re taking care of their families. We believe that supporting the whole family is critical to helping those who served focus on what matters most.”
Izen, a Marine Corps spouse, described the day as “our Super Bowl,” noting that tens of thousands of Home Depot associates nationwide have military ties. “It’s personal for us,” she said. “Serving those who have given so much is
TECHIE HOMES
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climbed above $400,000.
Designed for working families, lifelong residents, teachers, city employees, culture-bearers, and elders who have sustained the Westside for generations, The Park at Brawley stands for a commitment to equitable, community-rooted development that prioritizes belonging over displacement.
“The Brawley is a symbol of our evolution, and our vision was never singular,” he said. “This is a change because now we show people in the deeper metropolitan areas of the city we can find you access because the price points of those units will
why we’re here, even in the cold.”
At the Atlanta build site, Lisa Flowers Jones, executive director of HouseProud Atlanta, helped coordinate logistics for the hundreds
still be below $300,000, so now you can be down the street from the stadium in a place you own for less than $1,800 a month.”
In the next five years, Washington says he sees Techie Homes to have built multiple communities and to be a leader in this piece of the home building industry.
“There are major home builders in the United States, but they do not build cottages, and they do not build things in the urban market that would be affordable today,” he said. “They build homes and some are nice, but it’s not a way for the people in urban environments to grow and find home ownership early and it shouldn’t be delayed.”
Techie Homes has only been in business for four years, but they have already developed and
of volunteers. “We’re building 75 playhouses, 50 bikes, and tons of accessories for veteran families,” she said. “Our role is to make sure everything runs smoothly, from drills and screws to delivery. Many will go out today, and others will be distributed across metro Atlanta in the coming days.”
Flowers Jones said HouseProud, which began in 2012 as a spin-off from the Atlanta Community Tool Bank, serves about 400 seniors and veterans annually across Georgia and Alabama, helping them stay “warm, safe, and dry.”
For Kelly Wilson, an Atlanta Toys for Tots coordinator, the project’s emotional weight hit home. “A lot of families can’t even afford a bicycle for their kids, much less a playhouse,” she said. “This isn’t just a toy, it’s a wish come true.”
Volunteers assembled the playhouses and other outdoor items at Home Depot’s headquarters before delivering them to families across metro Atlanta, including Decatur and Stone Mountain.
The volunteer effort is a part of The Home Depot Foundation’s annual Celebration of Service campaign and coincided with the company’s
built out more than $15 million worth of real estate, according to Washington.
Also, Washington says he would like to see municipal access to build types as it relates to Atlanta’s housing landscaping future.
“All real estate actually is more console controlled by your municipal people, city councils, governments who overlay and design the communities for you,” he said. “It’s called a comprehensive plan.”
Washington says those things that would be more helpful is to be involved with small scale, minority developers in scaling out more adaptable uses of land, while if you saw them build a 26-home community and coffee shop on 1.67 acres, until they began building South Park, this was not a reality for anyone.
He also says as a city, they need to build more realities for municipal comprehensive plans that allow for access to a diverse marketplace of home ownership type and not the same cookie cutter set of open homes for young people.
“You would think if I don’t find a town home, I gotta live in an apartment, which I gotta wait to save up, but every year, your rental rate changes and your other expenses change,” he said. “The finish line for you to save for that new home always changes, and a lot of that is driven by the municipal government, which is why voting matters.”
As far as advice, Washington says aspiring business owners should
announcement of $30 million in new grants for veteran housing nationwide. The investment expands access to safe, stable homes through partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels America, and the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Jenna Arca, a 14-year Home Depot associate and director of Workforce Development, said the experience reflects the company’s larger mission. “My job focuses on giving back through our Path to Pro program, training people in skilled trades,” said Arca, who is also a military spouse. “Doing something like this for veteran families is another way we can serve those who’ve sacrificed so much.”
Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested over $600 million in veteran causes, improving more than 65,000 homes and facilities for veterans nationwide. The Foundation has pledged to increase that investment to $750 million by 2030.
As Izen put it, “This work doesn’t stop after Veterans Day. We do it year-round because supporting veterans isn’t just a project, it’s a promise.”
rush to fail.
“Most entrepreneurs and business owners want to be social footed about what they’re doing and how they’re doing that, but they actually put more of a paralysis to their business than a leg up because only through failure and in a way of understanding and adapting to what the marketplace is can you innovate,” he said.
Furthermore, Washington says the landscape and future for home ownership and why it matters is because there is a war for equity currently. He believes people don’t know this and are asleep at the wheel.
“If you write down comparable points of the chart of divorce rates, which are up more times than not,” he said. “People are wanting to stay single longer; birth rates are down
and the upward trajectory to home ownership is delayed until you are close to 40. All those things are connected to expense, and your expense of life is based upon your experiences, and your rush to get experiences is based upon you trying to achieve the American Dream.” Washington says he would tell people they don’t have an American dream; they have an urban dream of survival and are trying to figure out how to gain ownership, equity, value, and pride in the work of their lives and benefit of their lives.
“Yet, you’re hoping somebody gives you that recognition and our champion of home ownership is related to that plight, so I would add those pieces and that’s the major reason why I will tell people my dream continues,” he said.
Volunteers worked in two shifts, the builders in the morning and then delivery in the afternoon. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Hawks have been tested, tried, and remain true
By DONNELL SUGGS
NBA shootarounds are usually a time for players to get their shots up, work with coaches, and have a time on court without the pressures of playing in the world’s best basketball league against the best players in the world.
On Tuesday night, the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Detroit Pistons, the Eastern Conference’s best team, and lost 120-112. Earlier that afternoon, The Atlanta Voice asked two of the Hawks’ stars what kind of test playing the Pistons would be this early in the season. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, said it would be much more than just another regular-season game.
“I think it’s going to be a good test. They are a great team; they have been hot. We just have to come in with a chip on our shoulder.”
Johnson averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals during the four games he played last week. He said the Hawks have been playing well lately, but needed to continue building on
the things that have helped them achieve a five-game win streak. On Tuesday against the Pistons, Johnson was one of the better players on the court, finishing with 25 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
“It’s a new game tonight, we have to protect home court,” Johnson said.
Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, second in the league in steals (2.3) behind Oklahoma City Thunder
guard Cason Wallace (2.4), brother of Hawks reserve point guard Keaton Wallace, was looking forward to a rare early-season big game.
“These are the games you want to play,” said Daniels (12 points, nine rebounds, and six assists against the Pistons on Tuesday). “It’s going to be a tough test, but we’re up for it. The guys are ready to go.”
After the game Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was complimentary
of his team’s overall effort, but not pleased with the first-half defense.
Daniels and Johnson, two of the team’s top defenders, were correct; it was a tough test. Detroit went ahead early and, other than two ties in the second quarter and a big fourth-quarter run by the Hawks, maintained a lead throughout the game. Piston star guard and an early All-NBA candidate, Cade Cunningham, was averaging 27.5
points per game coming into the contest. Cunningham was held to four points late in the first half before scoring the Pistons’ final six points of the half.
The fourth quarter began with the home team slicing Detroit’s lead to eight points after Nickeil Alexander-Walker (24 points on Tuesday) and Onyeka Okongwu (21 points) scored five unanswered points. A Daniels floater brought the crowd to its feet, and a tip-in by Mouhamed Gueye on the following possession made the score 97-93 with eight minutes to play. Daniels hit another floater in the lane to bring Atlanta within a point, 99-98, and force a Pistons timeout. Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young could be seen cheering his teammates on from the bench. Young is expected to be out through November.
The Hawks are headed back on the road. They played the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, before they will move on to New Orleans to play the Pelicans on Saturday. Atlanta will return to State Farm Arena to host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. That game has a 6 p.m. tipoff.
Falcons lack of fourth-quarter scoring can’t continue
By DONNELL SUGGS
The Atlanta Falcons (3-7 overall) came into Sunday‘s game against the Carolina Panthers (6-5 overall) three games under .500, quite a distance from first-place Tampa Bay, whom the Falcons had already lost to in week one, and on a four-game losing streak. Believe it or not, things have gotten worse.
The Falcons managed to score just six points in the fourth quarter against the Panthers, resulting in a 30-27 loss. Three of these points came courtesy of a clutch 52-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez late in regulation.
This season, Atlanta is averaging The first game of the two meetings with the New Orleans Saints, the last-place team in the NFC South and one of the worst in the National Football League, will take place in two weeks on Nov. 23 at the Caesars Superdome (4:25 p.m. kickoff). Fourth-quarter scoring might not be needed to defeat the struggling Saints (2-8 overall),
The Falcons’ offense, led by quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. and backup quarterback Kirk Cousins later in the game, immediately marched downfield and scored on a four-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by
a four-yard touchdown run by Bijan Robinson. During the drive, Penix found his best receiver, Drake London, for two long pass plays. The ease with which the Falcons scored on that drive leads one to believe this can happen all the time. At least in terms of this season, it hasn’t.
The team’s saving grace this season, despite the play on that opening drive, has been the defense. On Carolina’s second drive of the game, the Falcons forced a punt following a sack by rookie corner Billy Bowman, Jr. That sack almost knocked Young out of the game as he was slow to get back on his feet afterward. Young had started nine of the Panthers’ 10 games this season.
Falcons receiver Drake London went over 100 yards receiving with his fifth reception of the first half. Bijan Robinson had over 90 yards rushing at halftime. It has been the second half of games that have been the issue this season.
That game is followed by a trip to New Jersey to play the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 30. The opportunity for the Falcons to make the playoffs might be dwindling, but getting back to .500 is a realistic possibility. That, however, will start with scoring in the fourth quarter.
The Atlanta Hawks hosted the first-place Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Bijan Robinson (above) surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and scored two first-half touchdowns. He didn't score in the first half. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Street Lines: 2026 Chevrolet Trax 2RS
By DENNIS MALCOLM ByRON AKA ALE SHARPTON
Getting a good glimpse of what Chevrolet has to offer for 2026, the Trax proves that a subcompact crossover might be cheap to buy, but it doesn’t have to look like it. Although economically sound starting at $25K, the Trax proves the automaker didn’t pull back on the reigns regarding style, technology, and perfectly balancing practicality with innovation.
Visually, my reviewed Trax welcomed the eyes with a recommended White Sands exterior strategically contrasting the jet black seats accented in red for a racing-inspired feel. Rolling on 19-inch black-painted machined wheels; flaunting LED headlamps and running lights; and a rear spoiler to flex a sporty presence, prospective buyers will immediately feel they are getting a big bang for their buck. Adding the optional power sunroof package including a wireless charging pad steps its game up even more.
The ECOTEC 1.2L turbocharged engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission may not win NASCAR competitions peaking at 137 horsepower, but it does provide
enough pep and efficiency averaging 30 miles per gallon combined. The StabiliTrak stability control system with traction control also improves the driving experience and boosts confidence in taking on various road conditions. Chevrolet clearly showed love regarding comfort and connectivity inside the cabin. The 11-inch advanced color touchscreen provides the driver with a user-friendly command center in the cockpit, complete
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with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The remote start; keyless open and start; and a respectable six-speaker audio system are also generous appointments coming standard. Long distance excursions are easier considerations thanks to the eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, while passengers get pampered with the Evotex seating surfaces and heated front seats—a luxury rarely
found in this price range.
Minds get more relaxed with Chevy’s Safety Assist suite includes forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and front pedestrian braking. The optional Driver Confidence Package my car featured included rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, and adaptive cruise control; these embellishments are more than ideal for new drivers, first-time car owners, and starting families.
With its three-year/36,000-mile bumperto-bumper warranty, five-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage, and first maintenance visit included, Chevrolet is doing everything they can to assure their new Trax gets driven off sales lots nationwide.
Ultimately, the 2026 Trax will not be seen as a budget crossover, but instead one hell of a deal thanks to its style, workmanship, numerous appointments coming standard, and tremendous value. This new vehicle is a winner.
Fuel Economy: 28 city/32 highway/30 combined
Price: The 2026 Chevrolet Trax 2RS starts at $25,300 and $26,990 as reviewed with Sunroof and Driver Confidence Packages. For more information, visit Chevrolet.com.
Front 3/4 view of 2026 Chevrolet Trax ACTIV in Cacti Green parked on a road in front of a lake. Pre-production model shown. Actual production model may vary. Photo courtesy of Chevrolet