Newsletter: November 5, 2012
| Good morning, 285 South readers, Election day is over and the results are in: Democrats flipped two seats on the Public Service Commission in Georgia, making it the first time in nearly 20 years Democrats have won state-wide seats; Atlanta mayor Andre Dicken wins re-election, and Marci Overstreet won a tight race against Rohit Malhotra for Atlanta City Council President (a more comprehensive list of Georgia election results here). Nationwide, Democrats prevailed: Zohran Mamdani made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Ghazala Hashimi – who grew up in Georgia -won the race for Lieutenant Governor, becoming the first Muslim to win a statewide race in Virginia, and Democratic candidates won the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. While you sip your coffee and take that in, some happenings around town over the next week: On Saturday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Clarkston Community Center celebrates 100 years of “culture, community, and connection” with Mediterranean fare from Layaly, Persian eats from Delbar, flamenco dancing, and a lot more. General admission is $100. You can also get your flamenco fix at the Atlanta Flamenco Festival, featuring performers from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, this Saturday and Sunday at Emory University Performing Arts Studio. More here. Starting this Friday and running through November 21, Latin Restaurant Weeks features deals and special menus at La Mixteca Tamale House, LottaFrutta, Cafe Dominicana, and other area eateries. Get the details here. Here’s what 285 South has been covering: “Are there people in need who don’t know that these resources exist?”: At a food pantry on Buford Highway, volunteers see a spike in demand  After arriving in Atlanta from Mexico 35 years ago, Noel was able for decades to find work as a cook at restaurants in the Buford Highway area. But two years ago, following a dispute with his boss, Noel lost his job—and hasn’t been able to find another one, depriving him of a reliable source of income. Now unhoused, Noel also lacks consistent access to food—and so he’s come to rely on support he receives from the food pantry at the Latin American Association, a nonprofit organization based along Buford Highway in Brookhaven. “It has been really helpful,” Noel told 285 South in Spanish. “I’ve come here about three times in the past six months.” This year, demand at the pantry has already been rising amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which has led to family breadwinners being deported, and others losing their work permits. In late October, the pantry was preparing for another surge: Due to the government shutdown, funds to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were set to run out on November 1. On Monday, following orders from a federal judge, the Trump administration said it would partially fund the benefits in November. It’s not clear when those benefits will be disbursed. Read the full story here, and check out our list of food pantries with culturally specific items in the Atlanta area here. “The birds are flying free”: Pain and healing at an ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos  On Sunday afternoon in Oakland Cemetery, Amilcar Valencia stood beside an ofrenda while his wife held a microphone in front of him and dozens watched. Strumming his guitar, Amilcar sang a ballad by the artist Francisco Herrera: “Yo traigo flores a esta tierra / Traigo frescura y cosas bellas.” I bring flowers to this land / I bring freshness and beautiful things. Amilcar, who runs the nonprofit El Refugio,was one of hundreds who came out on an overcast Sunday for the cemetery’s annual Dia de los Muertos festival. Falling on November 2, the Day of the Dead is a Mexican observance, rooted in Indigenous and Catholic tradition, to honor the deceased—often with ofrendas, or altars, built in their memory. Finishing the song, he began to read the names of 18 people who have died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Georgia over the past two decades. “The sad thing is that we’re adding names and pictures every year,” Amilcar said afterwards. The song that he chose honored the lives lost, he said, but—at a time when his job is only becoming more difficult—it was also a source of comfort. “I feel that we do this in a way to heal ourselves, too,” he said. “As I honor them, I hope that that’s also an opportunity for me to heal.” Read the full story here. Stories we’re following: Locally: A roundup of Atlanta area election results. (Axios Atlanta) As cuts to SNAP benefits threaten vulnerable Atlantans, Mayor Andre Dickens ordered a moratorium on residential evictions and water shutoffs through January 31, or whenever the shutdown ends. (Fox 5 Atlanta) Available to highly skilled foreign workers, H-1B visas are disproportionately given to people from India—and have helped grow Atlanta’s Indian population to the tenth-biggest in the country. But Trump administration plans to vastly increase the costs of such visas are sowing anxiety in local communities. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Cricket is beloved in South Asia. But starting soon, people with a passion for the sport will be able to scratch their itch in LaGrange, where a New Jersey developer is about to break ground on a cricket stadium slated to open in 2027. (GPB) Halloween may be over, but candy is forever—so you might still find a use for this guide to sweet, sour, and spicy Mexican candies from Daniela Cintron, an occasional 285 South contributor who also recommends stores on Buford Highway for stocking up. (Atlanta magazine) Monica Sunny, the founder and owner of the tea company Chai Box—opening a cafe soon on Howell Mill Road—shared her recipe for rose chai waffles. (Rough Draft Atlanta) At the Alpharetta restaurant Namak, Karachi-born chef Mohammad Nadeem Kureshi cooks up masala potato cheese balls, Lahore fried fish, chicken mandi, and other fancified Pakistani dishes. (Khabar) Nationally: Zohran Mamdani challenges Trump in victory speech (The Guardian) A report from the office of Sen. Jon Ossoff alleges inhumane conditions, lack of access to food and water, and medical neglect in federal immigrant detention facilities across the country. (WABE) The Trump administration canceled a policy that automatically provided a grace period to foreign-born people in the process of renewing their work permits, which may lead to thousands of immigrants losing employment. (GBH) A look at life on the ground in one Latino neighborhood in Chicago, now under siege from federal immigration agents. (Chicago magazine) Meanwhile in Chicago, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos festivities were quiet following the Trump administration’s denial of a request for a pause in immigration operations so kids could celebrate safely. (NPR) Born in a refugee camp to parents who’d fled the Cambodian genocide, Nite Yun is now a celebrated California chef—and has a new cookbook out. (NPR) And before we go: Lena Abdalla and her husband opened Yaba’s Bagels this past summer as a tribute to her Palestinian father, who migrated to New York as a teenager. He got his first job washing dishes in a bagel shop, and within 10 years, opened his own bakery – and has been making bagels ever since. “He’s had bakeries in New York City, he’s had bakeries in Brooklyn, he’s had bakeries in Long Island, and he’s just been in it his whole, entire life.” Now, Yaba’s, which is an Arabic word for dad, is a classic bagel shop in Dunwoody “with a twist,” said Lena. You’ll find za’atar bagels alongside standard sesame or everything bagels.The most popular item on the menu though, Lena said, is the Hotlanta, described on the menu as a “New York bagel meets the South” – made with scallion cream cheese, cheddar, egg, turkey bacon, and drizzled with hot honey. Right now, she’s trying to get the word out that Yaba’s is giving free bags of bagels (below) to anyone with an EBT card, in light of SNAP cuts. “For me, as a Palestinian, we’re very aware of human rights issues and human needs… I don’t care who they are, you don’t want anyone in your community to be suffering.”  That’s all for now. We’ll see you here next week! The 285 South team. |
Author
Related Articles
Newsletter: November 12, 2025
Plus: A former Statesboro resident makes history.
