Last week, we had the honor of celebrating Collier Heights and the rich culture, profound courage and fortitude of its residents. We ate well thanks to The Pig Da Cow and Da Chicken, played a competitive round of Name that Collier Heights Icon and discussed how the neighborhood known for its many “firsts” would preserve its reign as the epitome of black excellence.
“A lot of the people in Collier Heights were the first in their field, first in their area. [It’s] just a community that accomplished so much when it shouldn’t have been possible back in the 50’s,” Jennifer Walton, historian and lifelong Collier Heights resident said during the event. “You’re going to always hear the Kings’ name. You’re going to hear the Abernathys’…but there are so many other people. I’m still finding out about people who lived in Collier Heights, and I’m 60 years old.”
As Canopy Atlanta prepares for the Collier Heights Community Journalism Fellowship, we’re eager to help tell those untold stories.
—Stephanie Toone, Senior Editor Training and Community Engagement
