Author

Sophia Qureshi

Sophia is the founder of 285 South, Metro Atlanta’s only English language news publication dedicated to the region’s immigrant and refugee communities. Before launching 285 South in 2021, she worked for over 15 years in media and communications, including at Al Jazeera Media Network, CNN, the United Nations Development Programme, and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).

Her writing has been published in Atlanta Magazine, Canopy Atlanta, the Atlanta Civic Circle, the Atlanta History Center, and The Local Palate. She won the Atlanta Press Club award for Narrative Nonfiction in 2023 and 2024; and was a recipient of the Raksha Community Change award in 2023 and was a fellow of Ohio University’s Kiplinger Public Affairs Journalism Program in 2024. In 2026, she won an Atlanta Press Club award for Reporting on Civil and Human Rights.

Contact her at sophia@285south.com and learn more about her here.

Sophia's Latest Articles

“They Cannot Break Us”: Lawmakers make history as a blue wave crashes over Georgia

Fueled by anger over ICE, gas prices, and war - immigrant voters came out, and immigrant candidates win

PHOTOS: Hundreds gather for Día de los Muertos at Atlanta’s historic Oakland Cemetery

Vibrant ofrendas dedicated to loved ones and pets, a vigil for those killed in ICE custody, and more scenes from the 2026 Día de los Muertos Festival in Atlanta.

In Gwinnett, state senate candidate Ruwa Romman makes the global, local

"If you are complaining about the cost of living, I remind them that everything has gone up because of the war."

Midterms: In Georgia, more than a dozen candidates with roots across the world are up for state office

285 South asked them about what they plan to do to support their immigrant constituents.

“If we’re not here, who is?”

This small nonprofit is a lifeline for hundreds of Afghans in the Atlanta area - now, they're asking for community support.

As Medicaid terminations go into effect, thousands of immigrants and refugees in Georgia face losing healthcare

So, we’ve updated our list of free or low-cost health care clinics in the Atlanta metro

Specific ways you can support Atlanta’s immigrant and refugee communities right now

We’ve been gathering information about what concerned folks can do to support immigrant and refugee communities.

Inside Atlanta’s “mega master” immigration hearings

Advocates warn of a concerning trend inside Atlanta’s immigration courthouse: hearings that resemble an “assembly line . . . rushing people into a mass deportation process.”

“You’re not supposed to shy away from that”: At a weekend vigil, people remember immigrants whose lives were cut short

The service doubled as a fundraiser for the family of Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva, who died in ICE custody in Georgia in July.

Update: Culturally specific food pantries and other food resources

SNAP terminations continue to have ripple effects on immigrant and refugee communities.