For the first #MediaMonday of the year we head to the south to a publication that has been a voice for Atlanta’s community for 59 years. Spearheaded by dynamic business mogul, community activist, and 2nd generation publisher Janis Ware, The Atlanta voice is a trusted source of news, community, and more. 2025 is off to a rocky start as New Year’s Day a domestic Terrorist took multiple lives and injured even more in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Coincidentally, multiple Black Press journalists were in the city covering the Sugar Bowl, including Managing Editor of The Atlanta Voice, Itoro Umontuen.
Itoro wrote multiple articles on the tragic incident, the first one being Driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 10. FBI investigating as ‘act of terrorism’. A driver wrought carnage on New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing 10 people as he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd before being shot to death by police, authorities said. The suspect accused of plowing a truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning has been identified by a law enforcement source as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar. Police fatally shot him after the attack, which killed 10 people and injured 35. The source said Jabbar was carrying an ISIS flag in the truck, and authorities have said he was dressed in military gear. More than 30 people were injured as Wednesday’s attack turned festive Bourbon Street into macabre mayhem.
The Sugar Bowl would then be postponed until the next day. According to that article written by Itoro, Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in Sugar Bowl; advance to CFP Semifinals. This game was played with the backdrop of a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured 30 more individuals. It was the first time the Sugar Bowl was postponed in its 91-year history. “We spent some time together, and I think that’s what you do in tough moments,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman. “You want to spend time with family, and that’s what we are. “And again, it’s unprecedented. Life — you know, I told them this morning, there’s things in life that are unpredictable. And the ability to handle those unpredictable things determine the success. And they handled this incident, this change, but they handle everything that’s thrown at them in an unbelievable way.” Itoro’s shares his thoughts on the win here.
Due to the rocky start to 2025 I decided to highlight just the Atlanta Voice this week. Read all of these stories and more on TheAtlantaVoice.com
I pause to remember all of the beautiful humans who joyously welcomed 2025 in the beautiful city of New Orleans, for only 1 day. Our prayers and thoughts are with their families and friends.