The community who lived less than a block from Ebenezer Baptist Church in the encampment on Old Wheat Street is still in shock. Earlier this year, their friend Cornelius Taylor was killed during a city sweep ahead of MLK Day. His tent was the first in the path of a front loader.
Cornelius’ death was brutal and avoidable. It pushed his friends, his fiancée, and a network of neighbors and advocates into motion. Some have found housing for the first time in years. Some have gotten sober. Some stepped into organizing — and all are still grappling with the same question: how could this have happened at all?
Holly Yan reported this story for CNN. We visited the last place Cornelius called home with his fiancée; attended a vigil marking what would have been his 47th birthday; and visited his grave with his siblings.
Thank you to @brettr and @steeleanaustin for trusting me with this.
Lee Blasingame is raising his children, Nevaeh and Cameron, in the long wake of losing their mother, Holly Baumstark, to placenta accreta, a complication linked to prior C-sections that can cause catastrophic hemorrhaging, during Nevaeh’s birth in 2019. Nevaeh has grown up with stories of “Mama Holly,” piecing together a woman she never got to meet.
This story by Sarah Kliff and Bianca Pallaro examines the rising number of accreta cases as C-sections become increasingly common. For @nytimes
Children play in the yard of Glenmuick Church in Ballater, Scotland, May 2025.
This image just published on the back cover of @thefools.world , a travel zine published with @raleigh.review and distributed by @fernwoodpress . Thank you to the homie and fellow App State alumn @catkiller___ for encouraging me to submit.
The Fool’s World vol 1.2 is now available at www.thefools.world 🌎
Published with @raleigh.review , distributed by @fernwoodpress
cover photo by Sydney Krantz (@seeeyudddd )
back cover photo by Dustin Chambers (@dustchambers )
Thrilled to announce that this image from my documentation of @soulfoodcypher has been installed as a mural in the @atlairport . The project has been a hugely joyful process, and I'm thankful for to @alexcoleacosta , @_.t._k , and all of talented SFC crew for welcoming my presence into their space. Will let the caption that accompanies the mural to say the rest.
––
Lyricist Takari "TK" Mitchell freestyles amid a rapt audience at a gathering hosted by Soul Food Cypher. This Atlanta-based organization hosts events where emcees engage in improvisational rap sessions (aka cyphers) that emphasize respect, creativity, and collaboration to transform freestyle rap into a medium for community building and personal development.
The first time I photographed the cypher, I’d never imagined I’d walk into a space so full of vulnerability, warmth, and talent. The speed at which these witty, mean, and tender words come out of these artists’ mouths is breathtaking. Like being in a playroom full of unmasked poets.
For Takari, who’s been drawn to lyricism and wordplay for as long as she can remember, being in this cypher keeps her lyrical skill-set fresh. Most importantly, it’s a form of meditation for her.
“When I freestyle, I’m in my flow state, I’m not overthinking. I just trust myself.”
And when her 8 bars are up?
“I’m just as surprised as anyone — like, dang, how did I do that?”
A moment from our cypher now lives inside Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Huge shoutout to @dustchambers for capturing the soul of our circle — and congrats on this incredible installation. Seeing TK (@_.t._k ) and our community represented in the world’s busiest airport is a powerful reminder of what this culture is: art, voice, vulnerability, brilliance, and Atlanta creativity.
This photo will be on display for the next two years at South Terminal Baggage Claim, S2 (up the escalator, pre-security).
Thank you Dustin for honoring our story with intention, and TK for always flowing with power and presence. ✨
📍 ATL Airport — S2, South Baggage Claim 🔗 dustinchambersphoto.com/soul-food-cypher
#SoulFoodCypher #ATLAirport #ATLArts #CommunityThroughHipHop #WordplayLivesHere #DustinChambers #TK #FreestyleCulture #AtlantaCreatives #BlackArtMatters #AtlantaHipHop
Multiple “No Kings” rallies were held around Atlanta on Saturday in protest of the Trump administration. Over 5,000 gathered outside of the Georgia Capitol in Liberty Plaza, and protesters lined the 17th Street bridge in Midtown. A rally in Chamblee, where I witnessed several arrests, was dispersed with tear gas, then reassembled (in some form) at least three times throughout the day.
For @nytimes . Thank you @heather_casey .
Hurricanes tore through these fields. The real work started after.
Arren Moses has helped on his family’s timber land since he was old enough to count trees. “I would have been in college when I planted these,” he told me, walking through a loamy field dotted with neon orange flags marking fresh seed where giants once stood, past piles of twisted trunks limbs, the bones of old pecan trees.
I enjoyed spending time with two families of farmers to photograph the storm’s effects and the rebuilding process. I find inspiration in their perseverance.
