Canopy Atlanta asked over 50 Lakewood Heights community members about the journalism they needed. This mini-documentary emerged from that feedback.
Canopy Atlanta also trains and pays community members, our Fellows, to learn reporting skills to better serve their community. Destinee Marbley, who contributed reporting to this mini-documentary, and Nikki Roberts, who conducted interviews, are Canopy Atlanta Lakewood Heights Fellows.
In 2023, Canopy Atlanta asked residents of Lakewood Heights, a neighborhood three miles south of downtown Atlanta, what journalism would best serve them as community members.
Amid signs of Lakewood Heights’ historic past, such as the vacant Lakewood Elementary building, two vital spots for community listening emerged. Both of them were coffee shops: Black Coffee and Community Grounds.
These are places where residents often find out information about where they live and who their neighbors are. We wanted to learn more about how these coffee shops fostered a sense of community in Lakewood Heights.
Contributing Reporter: Destinee Marbley
Editor: Christina Lee
Canopy Atlanta Reader: Floyd Hall
