By DONNELL SUGGS
COLLEGE PARK, GA. - On a cool Friday morning on Main Street in College Park, a man grabs boxes out of the trunk of a car and loads them onto a hand truck. Then he and one of his employees made their way into the front door of his restaurant, Tom, Dick, & Hank.
Located across the street from the MARTA station, Tom, Dick, & Hank (TDH) is one of the many restaurants that dot the city’s main drag. Like many metro Atlanta restaurants, the idea for Tom, Dick, & Hank, a BBQ spot that offers smoked wings, traditional sides, burgers, fries, and drinks from its full bar, stemmed from a love of cooking with family.
“I guess I always cooked, and I learned a little bit from my grandparents,” Hank Johnson, 51, the man with the boxes, said.
Johnson said it was his smoker rig that started the whole thing. The wings at TDH are smoked on-site and offer customers a BBQ taste that stems from the passion Johnson developed early in life and honed as a neophyte business owner in 2014 when he opened TDH. He and his brother used to smoke wings and sell them at festivals, fairs, and outside of clubs. The taste and quality of service kept customers coming back and birthed the idea for a brickand-mortar establishment.
TDH was born out of hustle and love of cooking. The first official TDH location was a stand on Ponce De Leon Avenue, across the street from the Krispy Kreme.
“It was takeout only,” Johnson remembers. “My brother had two grills, I had one, and we just got out there and did our thing.”
The menu at TDH includes smoked wings, dry rub wings, brisket, pulled pork, leg quarter plates, and salads. There are also the restaurant’s housemade BBQ chips. The chips are
topped with pulled turkey, pork, or chicken, and include queso, diced tomatoes and jalapenos.
Johnson has teamed up with fellow restaurateur Corrina Martinez, the owner of Blue Cantina, a Mexican-Southern fusion restaurant
that has two locations in Atlanta. The owners partnered up a year ago in order to strengthen both businesses. Johnson described Martinez as more of the networking and facilitating star of the business, while he is most comfortable remaining the front-facing and hands-on piece of the partnership.
“Iron sharpens iron, and steel sharpens steel,” Johnson said of the partnership. “She’s the face of the franchise now, and I’m more like Ronald McDonald. I’m a clown.”
Johnson said other benefits to partnering with a successful business owner are the shared
work, different insights, and that he learns from Martinez how she runs her business. Martinez told The Atlanta Voice that she feels the same about the partnership.
“The benefit of this collaboration is that we have two opposing skillsets,” Martinez, a self-described analytics person, said by phone. “Part of that is learning from each other and we feel we have a strong partnership.”
Asked what he enjoys most about the restaurant business, Johnson said it was the people.
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
Imagine turning 18 years old and not having a warm bed or a place to call home. This is the case for many youths, not just in Atlanta, but all over the nation. On Thursday, Nov. 20, Covenant House Georgia held their annual Sleep Out event to raise awareness to youth homelessness in Atlanta and around the nation.
Covenant House Georgia is a non-profit organization that provides emergency shelter and support services for young people, ages 18-24, who are experiencing homelessness or escaping human trafficking in the Atlanta area. Covenant House Georgia is also an LGBTQ+ safe space.
Sleep Out is a participatory event where Covenant House Georgia supporters give up their beds for one night to sleep outdoors on CHGA’s campus, in support of young people experiencing homelessness and escaping trafficking.
When you Sleep Out, participants join a worldwide movement to end youth homelessness! As part of the larger Covenant House International federation of shelters, Covenant House Georgia works in partnership with our peers to plan the best possible event, combin-
Some services they offer are Drop-in & emergency shelter, transitional housing, healthcare, educational support, job training.
According to the Covenant House Georgia, over 3,300 youth experience homelessness in Atlanta. 49% of youth experiencing homelessness have been sexually exploited. 40% of youth experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ+, despite only 7% of the general population of youth identifying as LGBTQ+. Moreover, LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to be victimized than nonLGBTQ+ youth on the streets.
Additionally, 16-19-year-olds have the highest unemployment rate of any age group, at 12.6% (more than 3x the national average) and higher for at-risk youth. This leaves many without options to escape homelessness.
Board Chair of Covenant House Georgia, Ben Deutsch, said every child deserves to have a place they call home and a haven.
“Every child should have a place that they feel safe in,” he said. “Our young people are not invisible or forgotten. This is why the Covenant House Georgia was created and why we continue to sleep out every year to
be sleeping inside because of all the arduous work, and all the goodness that you have all done tonight with donations.”
Covenant House International Director of Programing Kedren Jackson said the sleep out is not a reenactment of homelessness nor a performance.
“This is not just for fun; this is not simply to hang out. This is an invitation to move through this space with humility and to see our young people with a different level of clarity and respect,” she said. “Tonight, we may see their humor, leadership, vulnerability, creativity, hesitation, raw emotions, and uncertainty. None of this is random and it all comes from somewhere.”
Throughout the event program, participants were able to experience a talent show
youths who were lost this year due to homelessness, a tour of the campus, and then the sleep out event.
The night ended with everyone camped outside in their sleeping bags by fire pits mingling until they fell asleep.
What was thought as just a sleep out event to some, turned into not only transformational, but an in-depth hands-on experience for people. Between hearing from the youths and everyone sitting around the pit fires and sleeping, it turned into more than just sleeping outside; It became a purposeful movement.
First-timer participant of the sleep out Vanessa Wright and her friends said they wanted to find ways to give back to the community.
“This was something I’ve always wanted to do but never knew where and one of my friends told me about this and brought me along,” she said. “I am so glad we are doing this, and I’m also grateful it’s not too cold as I thought it might be. This type of thing is important, and more people should know about it and be willing to do things that can be uncomfortable.”
Another participant, who also happened to have experienced homelessness as a youth, Kenneth Dwight said he has been doing the sleep out for a few years now and is happy to be able to contribute.
“What’s crazy is I was once in some of these guys’ positions. Going home from home, living out on the streets not having a stable home or resources. It was tough for a while, but I was able to find some stability through my uncle who took me in,” he said. “Programs like the Covenant House Georgia are crucial because youths not only in Atlanta but all over the country are on the streets being exposed to all kinds of bad things that aren’t growing them, so I’m just happy to help in any way I can because I was once one of them.”
Before the end of the night, everyone bundled up in their sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep to the sounds of crickets and fire cracking.
By DAVID MARSHALL
The Trump administration is ordering the removal of information on slavery at multiple national parks in an effort to scrub them of “corrosive ideology.” To describe the truth about our Black experience and history as “corrosive ideology” is not only an insult but highlights the possible long-term damage that this administration can cause.
Some of the damage may be permanent and beyond repair. Our ancestors, through their sacrifices and fight for human dignity, placed a tremendous amount of trust in future generations.
They trusted that the next generations represented by today’s Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers would continue the fight and protect what was gained.
There comes a time in every movement when the torch must pass. The fight to preserve the story of the Black experience while defending human dignity can no longer rest solely in the hands of the old guard.
To preserve the essence of the Black experience in a rapidly changing nation, people of color must begin electing young leaders like Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson who has the fire and passion to challenge the MAGA movement on all fronts. Pearson, along with fellow Rep. Justin Jones, were members of the “Tennessee Three” who were expelled from their state House seats and later reinstated by local officials.
The young Black lawmakers were removed in 2023 for protesting on the House floor about gun control in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nashville. Their protest on the House floor showed the type of bold and sometimes radical leadership needed to confront what is clearly becoming authoritarian rule in our nation.
Now Justin Pearson wants to go to Washington. He has announced that he is challenging the 76-year-old incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen for his Memphis-based seat in the House next year. “I believe we have a leader who is proximate, who understands the issues, who fights and who can stand up and speak up for us in this moment and in this time,” Pearson told The Hill in an interview.
Pearson enjoys early support at the outset of his campaign, including endorsements from the progressive Justice Democrats and David Hogg’s political group Leaders We Deserve. Hogg, in a statement, said he was “calling on Representative Steve Cohen to pass the torch to the Tennessee state representative,” whom he described as “a transformational leader who can inspire a new generation.”
The 30-year-old Pearson is among a growing number of younger Democrats challenging older and established incumbents in the U.S. House. Calls for generational change and making way for new younger voices within the Democratic Party have increased.
The generational primary match-up between one of the party’s young guns and the old guard is not isolated to Tennessee. In Maine, first-time candidate Graham Platner, 40, faces 77-year-old Gov. Janet Mills. In Massachusetts, Rep. Seth Moulton, 46, is seeking to oust Sen. Ed Markey, who is 79. In the nation’s capital, 88-year-old Eleanor Holmes Norton will face at least two younger foes if she runs for reelection.
In California, state Sen. Scott Wiener, 55, and former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is geared up to challenge 85-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her San Francisco district seat. The issue is not one of lack of respect for elders.
The issue is one of political strategy and the survival of the idea of fairness and justice for all.
Baby Boomers, those between the ages of 61 to
79, are no longer the largest generation. Millennials (age 29 to 44) have taken over that title.
The next largest generation is Gen Z (age 13 to 28). Gen Z are the digital natives, the first generation in this digital age who have never had life without the internet.
Rep. Justin Pearson, when referring to his challenge against the incumbent, said he was “not going to make our campaign about age,” saying he’s voted for lawmakers much older than Cohen. But he argued the incumbent was not meeting the moment now. Cohen is not alone in that assessment.
David W. Marshall is a columnist for the National Newspaper Publishers Association, founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”
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By CLAyTON GUTZMORE
The holidays are on the horizon, and this time of the year taps into everyone’s generosity. One organization you may consider for your giving list is H.E.R.O. For Children Inc. H.E.R.O. stands for Hearts Everywhere Reaching Out for Children. This organization is a nonprofit that improves the quality of life for children with HIV. Currently, their Holiday of HEROs program is underway. This is a donation drive for children who are HIV positive, where they are provided with one gift that they need and one gift that they want. It lasts until December 5, and no item is too big or small to donate to this program.
“When you think about Christmas, most kids ask for toys and games. I honestly see more requests for basic needs like a bed, bed sheets, hygiene products, and clothes. These are the things a lot of our children and families are requesting. Christmas for them is more than just the fun; it’s an opportunity for them to get what they really need for their everyday living,” said Nadia Eliacin, Matching Development Coordinator for H.E.R.O. for Children.
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“I like dealing with the people in the community. In this business you get to see people grow,” said Johnson, who shared stories of hosting high school and college graduation parties, engagement parties, and catered homegoing celebrations in his business over the past decade.
“That’s the best and the worst part,” Johnson
The Holiday of HEROs donation drive runs until December 5. People can donate items to H.E.R.O. for Children Inc.’s office in Roswell, GA, or make monetary donations on the nonprofit’s website. Online, there is a list of the most requested items. Electronics, bath products, baby items, and gift cards are the items in most demand. There is even an option to sponsor a child. Donors who commit to sponsoring a child will receive an ID number that includes the child’s age and gender, along with a list of the child’s specific requests. Donors can purchase the items and drop them off at the office, or schedule a pickup with H.E.R.O. for Children Inc.
The impact of this donation drive on children and parents is immeasurable. Eliacin explains that families who participate in this program have a lifted spirit because of the relief this provides. She further elaborates that parents who are in this program are burdened by high medical costs for their HIV positive child. According to Ellacin, doctor visits and medications for HIV can cost families around $10,000. With the current political climate affecting medical insurance, circumstances do not appear to
laughed. “We do it all.”
There are more of those moments to come, says Johnson, who shared that he and Martinez have plans in place to expand the business in the future. TDH once had a second location on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. in Mechanicsville. It opened in March 2015, a year after the College Park location opened, and was successful by all accounts, Johnson explained.
The parking situation was high on the list of the reasons Johnson said the Mechanicsville location would eventually be closed. “The
be improving in the future. The Holiday of HEROs program is delivering aid parents need this season.
“I had one parent when I first started working at the organization. She took a train and a bus, then walked about two miles to our office to pick up gifts for her children. I felt so bad for her that I gave her a ride back to the train station. As we were driving, she told me she would have walked even further because this is all we’re going to have under the tree,” said Ellacin.
H.E.R.O. For Children Inc. was founded by Ryan Gembala and Garrett Gravesen in 2003. What inspired the duo to do the Holiday of Heroes program was a moment in 2004, when they visited a family’s home for the holidays. They saw wrapped boxes under the tree, but they were empty. The parents just wrapped empty boxes to give the kids the experience of having gifts under the tree.
“Donations help a lot. Every parent cannot provide for their children with the times that are going on right now,” said Santresia Coggins, a parent participant in the Holiday of HEROs program.
“When you put up a Christmas tree, and
space was just changing. I was sandwiched between those two clubs and I couldn’t really control the element.”
On the other hand, TDH’s College Park location allows for plenty of parking, usage of public transportation, and walking for its customers.
Johnson said he has been feeling a trend of customers looking to remain closer to home and that’s good for business. College Park has a population of nearly 14,000, and the continued growth of American downtowns and public squares has helped the business as well.
“Places like Stockbridge, McDounough, Douglasville, people are just staying in all of their little pockets,” Johnson said.
As for what is new at the one and only TDH, Johnson was excited to talk about the lab ribs that are debuting in December. “Everybody is doing lab chops, so I said let’s do something different,” Johnson.
The smoked wings remain a staple, but the welcoming staff of servers, managers, and bartenders at TDH set the foundation of the business, Johnson explained.
He added that the restaurant grills oysters on Wednesdays and that promotion has been well-received by patrons. Keeping the TDH menu familiar, yet exciting, has been a challenge Johnson readily accepts.
“You have to keep at it, and keep innovating, but stick to what you do best,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen a lot of people come, and a lot of people go.”
TDH is still here. A sign on the wall near the bar states, “Happiness is a plate of brisket on a cold day!”
you don’t know where anything is coming from. You start praying to God that your kids get at least something. The program gave my kids toys. You should see how their eyes light up when they get what they want on their list,” said Coggins.
The founders were convinced to help as many kids as possible from that moment on. Since then, they have been sharing gifts with hundreds of children. 2025 is set to be their record-breaking year as the organization is on track to donate gifts to 430 children. The Holiday of HEROs program is an opportunity for Georgia locals to bring cheer to families battling an incurable illness. Eliacin and the team at H.E.R.O. For Children Inc., consider the uplifting impact these daily items have on people. The organization wants to make the most significant possible impact on the group it serves.
“I learned through this program that it’s the small things that matter. I pray that H.E.R.O. for Children lasts a long time, as it impacts many families. With what’s going on in the world, they put a lot of smiles on parents’ faces and give them relief that there’s help for their children,” said Coggins.
By LAURA NWOGU
Maekaeda Gibbons, CEO of popular fragrance brand
Brown Sugar Babe, calls herself a “reluctant winner.” From the workings of her kitchen and $300, to a 20-million-dollar brand with no investors, the entrepreneur has created an empire of body and perfume oils that have won the hearts of fragrance lovers all over. Now Gibbons is celebrating the opening of her first storefront in Atlanta. Located at Peoplestown’s burgeoning Terminal South, Brown Sugar Babe is finally bringing its accessible luxury to the noses of the people in person at its flagship location.
“I love Atlanta, and this is home,” Gibbons said. “It feels wonderful to stop and think that this was just once an idea, and now we are here.”
That idea began to build when Gibbons was just a child. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, her mom migrated to the U.S. when she was six. As a self-soothing tool whenever she missed her mom, Gibbons shared that she would press the fabric of her mother’s clothes to her nose to remember her scent. Throughout the years, Gibbons continued to use fragrance to maintain her stress levels, especially when she became a loan officer at Bank of America. She found that just a whiff of a pleasing scented oil to start her day immediately energized her and changed her mood.
family, who soon began enlisting Gibbons to make oils for them. “Eventually it snowballed into, ‘Hey, I probably need to start charging you guys,’” Gibbons said with a laugh. She launched a website and, seven years later, has built a multimillion-dollar brand.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand how fragrance impacts their mental health, how fragrance impacts their mood. And I think, with how we do it, it really invigorates people.”
That form of aromatherapy quickly caught the attention of her colleagues, friends, and
It’s a testament to the community of Black women and fragrance enthusiasts she has created. Every aspect of Brown Sugar Babe is an ode to Black women, Black culture, and self-empowerment, from its name — inspired by D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar” — to the cleverly-titled perfume and body oil scents such as Rich Aunty, Mint Conditioned, Bad & Bougie, and What Ahhh Man. Known for its long-lasting scents, projection, and dupes of popular high-end perfumes, Gibbons said she worked with chemistry partners to bring affordable yet rich scents to her customers.
“It had to be relatable to the women that I knew. It had to be relatable to the audience. Obviously, we are for everyone, but I feel like Black women really put it on and drive the conversation in a lot of ways. And so, I wanted to make sure, from the images to the copy in our ads, spoke to everything we are.”
The space is a blend of shades of brown, wrapped in the aroma of creative excellence and hard work. The storefront features a discovery station where guests can apply the brand’s top 40 oils to their skin or use atomizers to test and discover their new favorite fragrance before purchasing. A layering lab is a unique aspect of the store where guests can further their experience by receiving consultations and recommendations from local influencers on how to layer scents that best complement their skin and create a personalized scent profile.
Gibbons said she also hopes to host community and fragrance events such as bridal
showers, birthdays, and fragrance education events. Atlanta is just the first location that Gibbons plans to open in the U.S., with a look toward international commerce in the future.
“I just wanted to make fragrances. That’s literally all. I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I literally just love making the product. I found this hornet’s nest of like-minded women on the internet who also love fragrance. And that’s exactly what this is.
“I hope for this store to be a community space for people who are just as geeked about fragrances as I am. We hope to enrich and teach and fellowship with ‘fragheads’ from across Atlanta.”
By NOAH WASHINGTON
The High Museum of Art has reopened its African art galleries with a new installation centered on women’s ceramic traditions, a medium that curator Lauren Tate Baeza describes as both physically intimate and historically overlooked within museum collections.
The gallery, which previously focused on masquerade arts, now elevates ceramics in a permanent rotation that acknowledges the centuries-old labor, knowledge, and cultural continuity embedded in clay-based practices across Africa.
Baeza, the Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art, said the shift reflects both a curatorial responsibility and an opportunity to expand how the museum presents Africa’s creative histories. “I think it is important for galleries to not be static,” she said. “It is changing because I am a new curator here.” She noted that the previous curator held the role for nearly nineteen years, leaving her with a broad foundation and a large collection to reintroduce to the public in new ways.
Ceramics, she said, offered a rare chance to highlight both geographic diversity and women’s craftsmanship. “We had Eastern, Southern, Northern, and Sahelian works,”
Baeza explained. “We had all this diversity of making across the vastness that is Africa.” She added that the museum’s ceramic holdings include antiquities in addition to traditional and modern works, creating a timeline not seen in other parts of the collection.
The installation places strong emphasis on women’s embodied labor. “These works are imbued with the labor physically, with the sweat and the fingerprints and the breath of the women that work on them,” Baeza said during a tour of the gallery. She described the process of creating vessels as “a laborious choreography of co-creation,” reflecting the ways women have shaped clay into functional and ceremonial forms for generations.
This focus also responds to gaps uncovered during institutional research. Baeza explained that while working with students and fellows to study artist guilds, nearly all the documented traditions centered men. “We just kept coming up against men’s artist guilds over and over and over again,” she said. Ceramics offered a corrective approach. “This was an opportunity for us to celebrate women’s craft tradition,” she said.
Since joining the museum in 2020, Baeza has expanded the ceramics collection with multiple works now
on display. One of the most recent acquisitions arrived in April after years of study, with the addition of Ngozi-Omeje Zema’s ceramic work, Togetherness, 2022. “We had been looking at it for years,” she said. “The board voted to acquire it in April, and she assembled it in September.”
The installation also highlights contemporary artists whose work draws from traditional techniques, including Zema, who spent a full week at the High creating the largest sculpture in her Boundless Vessels series.
The reinstallation is the first phase of a broader transformation of the African galleries. Baeza revealed that the museum is planning a dedicated space for Nigerian visual culture, tentatively set for 2026. “This is a really great opportunity for us to serve those aspects of our community,” she said, noting Atlanta’s large Nigerian population. “African history is world history, and giving people the opportunity to learn and expand beyond what they immediately know is something that museums should obligate themselves to do.”
Baeza said she hopes visitors return often as new rotations unfold. “This is the first step of two,” she said. “We will be further realizing a new orientation for the African galleries.”
By DONNELL SUGGS
PORT EVERGLADES, FL - The first Disney-related character you see upon boarding the Disney Destiny, the latest addition to the global entertainment company’s fleet of cruise ships, is Black, strong, magnificent in stature, and representative of the hopes and dreams of Black comic book and Marvel fans the world over.
T’Challa, the Black Panther, King of Wakanda. The statue looms large over any other character depictions on the ship. He is standing with his shoulders back, his fist balled up, ready for battle if necessary. At his feet is a panther in midstride, equally ready to pounce if that’s what the situation calls for. The statue is beautiful. It is also overwhelmingly brilliant.
The physical image of the Black Panther as the premier representative on a ship which features heroes and villains says so much more than any words can best describe. Representation matters, and for the children and adults who board the Disney Destiny going forward, the Black Panther will be the representation that they see.
There are other Disney heroes and villains represented on Destiny as well. Portraits of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Mulan, Hercules, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Frozone, can be found through the ship’s many hallways and stairways. All kinds of representations of heroes live on this ship.
On Deck 3, however, there is a set of small paintings that further sets the tone of representation. There are six in total, and though colorful, their blackness shines through the brightest of all. The paintings are of African warrior tribes. Some of the warriors carry spears and wear masks. Others have people carrying small children in their arms. All are families bonding generations to one another.
Near the concierge desk is another depiction of the Black Panther. He can be seen several times on the ship, including on the way to the restaurant, World of Marvel. In this landscape painting, the Black Panther stands atop a boulder; to the right are the Dora Milaje, the all-female royal corps of warriors. This portrait can be taken directly from the screens of the Black
Panther films and pages of the modern comic books. It’s beautiful.
The Disney Destiny will provide guests with a top-notch cruise experience, offering quality service similar to that found at Disney’s parks, hotels, and cruise ships.
That said, destiny can also be described as destiny fulfilled. The level of representation on this ship speaks louder than any other I have witnessed in five years of covering the brand. It’s loud, proud, and at least in this instance, very Black and beautiful.
By NOAH WASHINGTON
Atlanta fans stepped into the Emerald City on Tuesday night as Universal Pictures’ Wicked: For Good opened at Atlantic Station, drawing longtime devotees of the musical, multigenerational families, and cosplayers dressed as their favorite Ozians.
The sequel to 2024’s Wicked continues the story of Elphaba and Glinda as they fully embrace their roles as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the new film adapts Act II of the long-running Broadway musical, expanding character arcs and deepening the political and emotional stakes of the Land of Oz.
For many Atlantans, this movie was more than just a premiere, but a cultural gathering that transcended ideology and condition.
“They changed the story, made it relevant, and made it pure,” said attendee Deborah Mayronne, 74, who saw the musical decades ago. “To say that all good deeds go unpunished, that was our theme in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Now to see that message passed
from generation to generation, it means my granddaughter will look at this as history. The lessons are universal.”
Others arrived in full cosplay, blending Broadway fandom with Atlanta’s vibrant creative community. Content creator Davie Rickenbacker, also known as @iamdavie on social media, dressed in a gender-bent version of Elphaba, which he named “Elphabro”.
Rickenbacker said the energy around the film felt personal.
“I’ve been cosplaying for years, and the Wicked fandom is huge,” he said. “This is me paying homage to my younger self. I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz; it’s my mom’s favorite movie. Tonight feels like bringing that full circle.”
He said he was especially excited to see
how the sequel introduces Dorothy, whose face is not shown in the film, and how the story weaves its characters from the first film into the original characters we have come to know.
The film was laden with anticipation, especially for audiences who connected with its themes after experiencing the first installment in 2024. What Avengers: Endgame was for comic-book fans, Wicked: For Good is for theatre kids, both young and old.
“I love the message behind the movie,” said Monica Awe, who attended with her daughter. “It reminds you that just because things are pretty and glitzy doesn’t mean they’re good. Being different is okay. Accepting people for who they are, that’s important.”
Early reactions echoed praise from the international premieres earlier this month.
Local moviegoer Katriana Simmon highlighted the film’s faithfulness to the musical. “They added small nods that fans will catch,” she said. “At the end, instead of showing the full fight between Elphaba and Dorothy, they kept it like the play and used shadows. It was a great touch.”
Wicked: For Good features returning stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, alongside Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, and Jeff Goldblum. Colman Domingo joins the cast as the voice of the Cowardly Lion. The film concludes a two-part adaptation more than a decade in the making, after multiple delays and a pandemic-interrupted production schedule.
The sequel opens nationwide Nov. 21.
For Atlanta fans, opening night offered more than musical spectacles featured in the film; it delivered a tale as old as time, a story of good versus evil that continues to evolve.
“It’s meaningful to all generations,” Mayronne said. “The energy the movie gives back to us is the energy we bring to it.”
By DONNELL SUGGS
The Atlanta Hawks have had capacity crowds in State Farm Arena on several occasions this season, including for games against the Detroit Pistons (last Tuesday) and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. For the most part, they have played competitively on their home turf this season. However, an overall home record of 3-4 following a 113-110 victory over Charlotte still leaves Atlanta playing underachieving ball in their own backyard.
Against Charlotte, Atlanta got off to a slow start, falling behind by as much as six points before fighting back to take a 28-25 lead after the first quarter. For a team that is 8-3 on the road this season, and that’s without its All-Star point guard Trae Young, the Hawks do not seem to be as focused at home. As of Sunday, the Hawks had the best road record in the Eastern Conference (the Toronto Raptors are 7-3 and the Detroit Pistons are 6-1).
Charlotte regained a 35-31 lead early in the second quarter and kept an advantage throughout the quarter, ending the first half
with a 55-53 lead. With both teams playing without their presumed best players, Charlotte was without guard LaMelo Ball (21 points, nine assists, and six rebounds), and the game was close throughout.
Jalen Johnson (28 points on 11-22 from the field), the Hawks’ leading scorer this season, scored six straight points to help Atlanta regain a 78-77 lead late in the third quarter. Johnson, the previous Eastern Conference Player of the Week, has been a huge reason for the Hawks’ strong play on the road this season, but a career year from first-year Hawk Nickeil Alexander-Walker (19 points, three assists, three rebounds per game) has done just as much to keep Atlanta among the top seven teams in the East.
Alexander-Walker’s three-pointer near the end of the third quarter gave Atlanta a 92-88 lead. Defensive plays from Dyson Daniels (22 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals) and Mouhamed Gueye, and a pair of three-pointers by reserve guard Keaton Wallace contributed to Atlanta’s largest lead of the game, 10192, with nine minutes remaining in the game. Alexander-Walker (23 points, four
assists, five rebounds) made a couple of late-game free throws to help Atlanta secure the victory.
Atlanta will be back home a day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, to host former Hawks forward DeAndre Hunter and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A Duke reunion of sorts: Between the Hawks and Hornets, there were five Duke University basketball players on the court Sunday night. The Blue Devils alumni game featured Hawks star Jalen Johnson and reserve forward Luke Kennard (DNP), as well as Hornets starters Sion James (seven points, six rebounds, three assists in 32 minutes), Mason Plumlee, and Kon Knueppel (28 points).
Welcome Home, Colin: Marietta native, former Pebblebrook High School star and McDonald’s All-American Colin Sexton started for Charlotte on Sunday night. In the middle of a steady NBA career, Sexton is averaging 15 points and nearly five assists a game this season. In front of the home crowd on Sunday night, Sexton got the Hornets out to a strong start with nine of his 22 points in the first quarter.
By DONNELL SUGGS
The Atlanta Falcons are back home after defeating the New Orleans Saints 24-10 on the road on Sunday. The victory may have only been the Falcons’ first in five weeks, but it has some significance. The win reignited the discussion over what it would take to make the playoffs, at the very least.
At 4-7, the road to the playoffs in the NFC is going to take a lot of winning by Atlanta and a lot of losing by several teams. Before we go over the teams that the Falcons have to pass to make the playoffs, and what it will take to get that accomplished, the Falcons will need to win their final six games of the season.
The Falcons are back on the road against the New York Jets (2-9 overall) on Sunday. A loss to the Jets would render this entire breakdown moot. The Falcons cannot afford to lose any of their remaining games. The seven losses are more than any of the teams that are in Atlanta’s way of getting a wild card spot have. Those teams are the following: the Detroit Lions (7-4), Green Bay Packers (7-3-1), Seattle Seahawks (8-3), San Francisco 49ers (8-4), and the Carolina Panthers (6-6 following a loss at San Francisco on Monday night. The Panthers hold a tiebreaker over the Falcons after sweeping them this season.
Following the Jets game, the Falcons will return home to host the Seahawks,
who are a game behind the L.A. Rams (9-2 overall) in the NFC West on Sunday, Dec. 7. Atlanta will host the Rams and NFL MVP candidate and former University of Georgia Bulldogs star quarterback Matthew Stafford (30 touchdowns and two interceptions this season) next month in the last Monday Night Football game of the year on Dec. 29. Both games can be described as the toughest of the season for Atlanta.
Atlanta will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Dec. 11, and a loss to Tampa will end the season, even if the Falcons win every other game they play from this point forward. The season-opening loss to Tampa has Atlanta in a position to not lose to the Buccaneers again or be swept by two teams in the NFC South (Carolina).
The Falcons have games against the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday, Dec. 21, and the Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to close the regular season on Jan. 4. Neither will matter if the winning doesn’t continue. The Philadelphia Eagles (8-3), Chicago Bears (8-3), Bucs, and Rams are leading their respective divisions and won’t be out of the playoff picture without a free fall of some sort.
The Falcons are not done with the 2025 season, but it will take a lot of winning and a miracle.
