UATL

06/26/2026

An international fan sensation may not make it to Atlanta.

Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, known to many as Lumumba Vea, has become one of the World Cup’s most recognizable fans by turning a tribute to Patrice Lumumba into a living symbol of Congolese pride.

Lumumba was Democratic Republic of Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister. Since 2013, Mboladinga has stood motionless through matches, mirroring the raised-arm pose of Lumumba’s statue in Kinshasa.

Now, visa and travel hurdles could keep him from DR Congo’s pivotal match against Uzbekistan in Atlanta, where the Leopards have a chance to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

For Atlanta’s Congolese community, the match is already more than a final group-stage game. It is a family reunion, an Independence Day celebration and a chance to see Congo represented on the World Cup stage.

Tap the link in bio for the full story on Lumumba Vea, why his possible absence matters and what this moment means for Congolese fans in Atlanta.

🖋️ : Ernie Suggs / AJC
📸 : Getty | AP

06/25/2026

Black Atlanta is rethinking what a good party looks like. From Skip Day Party to The Listening Room, soft parties are giving people a new way to gather, dance and connect without the pressure of traditional nightlife.

🖋️: Christopher A. Daniel
📸: Arvin Temkar

06/25/2026

Haiti’s run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended with a 4-2 loss to Morocco in their final group-stage match Wednesday, but for one player on Haiti’s team, the game was a dream come true.

Louicius Deedson — the only player from Atlanta competing in this World Cup — was coming home. The opportunity to play in front of his friends and family happened in the stadium his sights have been set on since it opened when he was 16 years old, in the most important tournament of his life.

It was more than just chance. It was serendipity.

Did you catch the Haiti v. Morocco match?

🖋️ : Jaide Timm-Garcia – For the AJC
📸 : Jason Getz / AJC

06/25/2026

From Sly Stone and Whitney Houston to LaFace Records and Angie Stone, the veteran music executive was responsible for the careers of legendary performers and record companies.

A list of Black recording artists past and present who were signed or developed by late music executive Clive Davis.

06/25/2026

A Black-owned bank started by prominent Atlantans has launched a new debit card, devoting a portion of the profits from the card to organizations providing guaranteed income to mothers in government housing.

The Bank King Card is the latest offering from Redemption Bank, a financial institution cofounded by Bernice A. King, the daughter of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Ashley D. Bell, a former White House policy adviser and Small Business Administration Regional Administrator in the first Trump Administration.

For every Bank King Card account opened, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the bank’s Redemption Foundation. Organizations that provide a guaranteed basic income to mothers living in government housing will receive grants from the foundation.

The name of the debit card came from a conversation about two years ago between Bell, King and singer and actor Tyrese Gibson. Tyrese came up with the idea of linking the words “bank” and “king” — a play on the word “banking” which incorporated Bernice King’s famous last name, Bell said.

Learn more at the link in our comments.

🖋️ : Mirtha Donastorg / AJC
📸 : Natrice Miller / AJC

06/24/2026

Haiti may be out of the World Cup, but the fans are still bringing the energy.

Ahead of Haiti’s final match against Morocco, supporters pulled up to Atlanta Stadium with flags, chants and plenty of pride.

“This is us. This is the culture. We love fútbol. We love Haiti,” supporter Yves Jean said. “This is the fight to let people around the world know failure is never the last lap.”

Follow The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more World Cup updates.

🎥: bitchimback

06/24/2026

Haiti’s World Cup return is bigger than a match.

For the first time in 52 years, Haiti is back on soccer’s biggest stage. But while the moment brought pride to Haitian communities across Atlanta and beyond, U.S. travel restrictions kept many supporters in Haiti from making the trip.

For the fans who could show up, the celebration carried extra weight.

Tap below for the pride, the barriers and the Atlanta voices carrying Haiti’s World Cup moment for those who couldn’t be there.

06/24/2026

We’re two weeks into the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Atlanta. The city has hosted three matches, and so far, so good. No drama.

Over 250,000 people have descended upon downtown for the official Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park. There’s still a little under a month left in the tournament.

There are a record number of African teams — 10 — that qualified, but here’s a real question: Are Black folks in Atlanta paying attention? Do they care? Are folks feeling like the World Cup positively or negatively impacts Black communities here?

To shed light on those queries, we recruited our super interns — Christopher Frazier (Chris T. Frazier), Kevin Pernell (_k1gocrazy), Shimei Ricks-Cook (Shimei Cook), Antonio Mattox Jr. (Your favorite Journalist✍🏾📝), Tierra Stone and Yacine Ba (Yacine) — who happen to be HBCU fellows from the Ida B. Wells Society.

The “It’s UATL” hosts and senior reporter Gavin Godfrey (Gavin Godfrey) respond to comments from locals who shared their hopes, doubts and candid thoughts about the World Cup being in their backyards.

Tap the link in bio to hear the full episode.

🖋️: Gavin Godfrey / AJC
📸: Hyosub Shin / AJC

06/24/2026

Jayda Cheaves wants people to understand one thing: Her success was not handed to her.

Behind the followers, the fame and the assumptions is more than a decade of entrepreneurship, consistency and hard work that started when she was 16.

Tap the link in bio to read Jayda Cheaves’ full AJC Her+Story profile.

🎥: Keith Lovely Jr. / AJC

06/23/2026

The road to the NBA keeps running through Georgia.

Caleb Wilson could be the next name in a run that includes Anthony Edwards, Isaac Okoro, Davion Mitchell, Jabari Smith, Scoot Henderson, Stephon Castle and Ace Bailey. All are former Georgia high school stars who helped turn the state into a draft-night fixture.

If Wilson is selected in the top 10, Georgia would extend a streak no other state can claim: producing a top-10 NBA draft pick every year this decade.

Will calebwilson keep the streak going?

🖋️: Todd Holcomb / AJC
📸: Getty Images