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Six years ago, a group of Atlantans asked the question: “What would journalism look like if it was the best version of itself; if it was created to build and support community?”
Then all of us—more than two dozen journalism dreamers, six crazy co-founders, and so many community members—built this thing called Canopy Atlanta. It became more than any of us dreamed, a community of people committed to building their neighborhoods into the places they want them to be.
We believed that information could be trusted and storytelling was more accurate when it was created by people who knew their own communities best, the people who lived there. The result was neighbors attending and sharing notes on their community meetings, writing about water boys in the West End, creating maps and a personal essay of what the TAD means to a Grove Park resident, doing an architectural dive into Collier Heights, and producing a video about memories of the land where convict laborers worked and died.
All led by community members.
The last six years have been a beautiful journey of growing and learning at Canopy Atlanta. I have learned exponentially more from this community than I brought into any space. I am humbled by the passion, inspired by the dedication, and challenged by the brilliance of the community members who are a part of Canopy Atlanta. I take so much with me. That community engagement happens at the speed of trust. That information should have the goal of helping a community. That stories should focus on voices that are rarely heard.
I am grateful to have been a co-founder and helped bring this dream alive. It is a challenging crossroads to be here, especially as the work of building trust and bringing communities together to support a common cause is more important than ever. But this is farewell, as our family starts a new life in the Pacific Northwest this spring.
I will continue in a limited editorial role at Canopy Atlanta for a few months during this transition. And the work will continue, led by our co-founders, our leadership team, and the Fellows who make it the most innovative newsroom in Atlanta and—dare I say—in the country.
P.S. Please join me in supporting this innovation.
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