There’s a bitter irony to the timing: educators, parents, and students across DeKalb County were preparing for another school year full of promise, only to be jolted by the news that Superintendent Devon Horton would resign amid a federal indictment. A man charged with running a kickback scheme in a previous school district is now, by default, leaving a system that relies—above all—on the fragile currency of public trust. 

In the heart of Atlanta, under the bright lights of State Farm Arena, something unthinkable unfolded: during what was meant to be a celebratory gathering of prayer and worship, a contingent of self-identified Hebrew Israelites stormed the premises or at least surrounded and disrupted the event  challenging the leaders of 2819 Church, accusing them of false teaching, and provoking shock, tension, and a reckoning over what public religion looks like in 2025.

Another weekend meant to celebrate college life and community spirit at South Carolina State University (SCSU) ended in tragedy. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has charged a man in connection with one of two separate shootings that occurred on campus Saturday night — incidents that left one person dead and others injured.

This week, news broke that 100 troops will be deployed to Chicago, while Memphis, Tennessee, is bracing for the possibility of federal troops on its streets. Against this backdrop, Atlanta officials are working behind the scenes to send a clear message to Washington: Atlanta doesn’t need occupation.

More than two years after a fatal night shook Tuscaloosa, former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles is finally set to stand trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 in Alabama Circuit Court, where Miles will answer to a capital murder charge stemming from the January 2023 shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

The death of Miguel Ángel García-Hernández is more than a family tragedy — it is an indictment of how vulnerable lives are treated inside America’s immigration system.

Last weekend, five Black immigrants three Nigerians and two Gambians — were deported from the United States even though federal judges had granted them legal protection from removal. Some had “withholding of removal” orders under the Immigration and Nationality Act; others had “deferrals of removal” under the U.N. Convention Against Torture. Both forms of relief mean U.S. courts have decided that deporting the individual would likely result in persecution or torture abroad.

At Atlanta Beatz, we celebrate the best of Georgia’s culture, but we also believe it’s our duty to call out injustices and hold institutions accountable. Last week, at a high school volleyball match between Whitewater Valley High and LaGrange High School, that responsibility became painfully clear

The death of 27-year-old Larynz Redd inside the DeKalb County Jail should disturb every resident of Metro Atlanta. Redd, found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday morning, became the seventh person to die in custody at the facility this year. Despite emergency efforts from the jail’s medical provider and DeKalb EMS, he could not be revived.

In September 2025, Michigan’s House of Representatives approved HB 4515, a proposal requiring photos and signatures on Bridge Cards — the debit cards used to access SNAP benefits in the state. Republican sponsor Rep. Jason Woolford framed the bill as a common-sense way to fight fraud by making it harder for someone to use a card that isn’t theirs. On its face, the idea sounds straightforward. But a closer look at Michigan’s own data, the state’s fiscal outlook, and the experiences of other states reveals why critics are calling it an expensive distraction.

When it comes to transformative philanthropy, MacKenzie Scott continues to lead by example. Her recent $70 million donation to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) isn’t just another headline-grabbing contribution—it’s a lifeline aimed squarely at the future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Kai Cenat, one of the most-watched live streamers in the world, announced in February 2024 that he had signed a landmark partnership with Nike the first deal of its kind between the sportswear giant and a streamer and helped launch the “Low Poly” Air Max 1 through Nike’s. Swoosh platform. For more than a year the collaboration was cited as a model for how global brands could work with digital creators. In mid-2025, however, social-media posts began claiming Nike had secretly dropped Cenat because of his outspoken Christian faith and his repeated mentions of Jesus on streams. At the time, Cenat publicly denied those rumors, telling fans “I’m still signed to Nike!” and no credible reporting surfaced to confirm the claim.