Author: On Common Ground News

   The Conyers Downtown Development Authority (DDA) recently presented an Outstanding Achievement Award to Keish Momin for his efforts in the renovation, expansion and beautification of Las Flores Olde Town Mex restaurant, which is located at 957 South Main Street in Olde Town Conyers. The restaurant, built in 1930, was formerly a residence, office and coffee shop before it opened as Las Flores Olde Town Mex. The building was purchased by Keish Momin from local attorney Jorge Flores in 2016. After a year of  and making subtle changes, Momin decided to expand the restaurant, enclose the outside deck to create…

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has announced that the Black History Month theme for 2019 is “Black Migrations.”   ASALH selected the theme to educate the public about the movement of people of African descent to new destinations as it recognizes the 400th Commemoration of Africans who arrived in the first permanent English Colony in North America in August 1619. Beginning in the early decades of the twentieth century, African American migration patterns included relocation from the South to the Northeast, Midwest, and West. The migrations gave rise to social changes including the…

After serving as a reading volunteer in the Birmingham City, Alabama Schools, Robert Gilmore noticed that the students knew little about the history of Blacks in the United States. In an effort to raise cultural awareness in the classroom, Gilmore decided to improve his own knowledge and took up the hobby of stamp collecting. Stamps, he said, are a gateway to our past that can also serve as a bridge to inspire present and future generations to continue making strides in Black history. “Sometimes, students have a poor image of themselves because they lack exposure to images of successful Black people,” said…

The public is invited to attend DeKalb History Center’s 11th Annual Black History Month Celebration honoring DeKalb’s vibrant and powerful African American political heritage. The event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m., at the Historic DeKalb Courthouse, Second Floor, 101 E Court Square, Decatur. A host of dynamic presenters, elected politicians, and community leaders will talk about the early days of voter intimidation and how the African American citizenry of DeKalb mobilized to register to vote, protest, and destroy Jim Crow laws, despite being fired from jobs, shamed, and even violently attacked. Program highlights include the WWI…

Congressman Hank Johnson and Tuskegee Airmen Val Archer (center) join 2019 U.S. Service Academy nominees for a picture on Feb.4 4 at the ART Station in Stone Mountain.   Rep. Hank Johnson celebrates U.S. Service Academy nominations Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) has announced his office nominated 35 students to attend a U.S. Service Academy: Military Academy (West Point), Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy and the ROTC. This year’s 35 nominees are the most for any single year nominated by Rep. Johnson. Two students were nominated for the Merchant Marines, 14 for the Navy, seven…

The community is invited to attend a Black History discussion entitled “Black Migrations: New Destinations and New Lives” featuring a historian from Clark Atlanta University on Saturday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m. at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road. The lecture will chronicle African Americans’ migration footprint during the early 20th century, tracing their steps from the South to the Midwest. Attendees will have a chance to win a bundle of books from the library bookstore. The event is sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Funding provided by the DeKalb Library Foundation.

The RKL Education Foundation, Inc., in conjunction with the Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is inviting residents, businesses and community leaders to the 9th Annual Gwinnett County MLK Unity Breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 23, 9 a.m., 550 Trackside, 550 N. Clayton Street, Lawrenceville. The breakfast serves as a celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s service, as well as other black pioneers. Dr. Kevin B Lee, senior pastor of Berean Christian Church in Gwinnett County, will be the keynote speaker and one of several honorees who have made a lasting impression in the Gwinnett…

The Rev. William D. Watley, senior pastor, and the Music and Worship Arts Department at Saint Philip A.M.E. Church will present a Black History Month concert entitled “Let My People Go” on Sunday, Feb. 24, 5 p.m., 240 Candler Road SE, Atlanta. The free concert will feature Negro spirituals led by the Saint Philip Choir along with the following invited guest choirs: Inspirational Voices at Berean Seventh Day Adventist Church; Conyers Seventh Day Adventist Church Choir; Celestial Choir at Greenforest Community Baptist Church; Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy Concert Choir; North Decatur Presbyterian Church Choir; Voices of Hope of Ray of Hope Christian…

Thanks to a special grant from Coca-Cola, you can visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for free during the month of February. The cultural attraction, established in 2007, is located in downtown Atlanta adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium on land donated by the Coca-Cola Company. Civil rights legends Evelyn Lowery and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young helped launch the center, which has become one of the few places in the world connecting the American Civil Rights Movement with the contemporary struggle for Human Rights around the world. The 42,000-quare-foot facility offers…

Join the Friends of Stonecrest Library for the Black History film series each Monday during the month of February, 3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest. Enjoy a film with surround sound theater style. The film starts at 6 p.m. The series is funded by the Friends of Stonecrest Library. Feb. 11 — Tell Them We are Rising: The Story of HBCUs Feb. 18 — Artists of the Harlem Renaissance Feb. 25 — Zora’s Roots: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston