Death in ICE custody, dental training in Suwanee, and teaching English.

News impacting diverse communities around Metro Atlanta.

Apr 12, 2023

Dear 285 South friends,

Before we dive into the news, I wanted to share how excited I am that both 285 South and Canopy Atlanta are featured in the April issue of Atlanta Magazine: Journalism is struggling. In Atlanta, new indie outlets are finding ways to make it work—and bringing in important voices.

In the article, I spoke about how valuable local news is for our region. That news and reporting is only as good as our connections with you are though! So, if you have story suggestions, or general feedback, don’t hesitate to let me know by replying to this email or messaging me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. And as always you can check out the April calendar here. If you have any suggestions of events to add, tell me!

Okay, that’s all from me - let’s get started.

61-year old man who was in custody at detention center in GA dies - Salvador Vargas died while in custody of the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin on April 4th. Advocates say he died at a nearby hospital, where he was being treated for a stroke. He is the 11th person to die while in custody at Stewart, making it the deadliest detention center in the country, reports WABE. Read and listen to WABE’s Emily Wu Pearson’s story here. And this story from Spanish language paper El Pais details past alleged abuses at Stewart.

Asian seniors look for new “home” after community organizations cuts staff: Hundreds of Asian immigrant seniors have been impacted by recent cuts to programming and staff at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS), one of the only immigrant-serving organizations that had dedicated services for elders in the metro Atlanta area. 285 South spoke to several of them, some who said they are “devastated” and “disappointed,” and that without somewhere to gather, they would feel “homeless." Many are hoping former CPACS employee Anna Tam, will be able to find a new space for them by the summer. Read the latest from 285 South here.

New starts through dentistry program in Suwanee: Moqadasa and Saghar Sediqi, former interpreters for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, are training to be dental assistants at the Gwinnett Dental Career Academy in Suwanee. They’re part of a group of students the International Rescue Committee in Atlanta is supporting financially to complete the program. "We're very happy, and we want to start the job as soon as possible," said Saghar in an interview with 11-Alive. Read and watch the story here. *Know someone who might be interested in applying for a scholarship to be a part of the 10-week dental assistance program? “Applications are open to refugees, humanitarian parolees, asylees and SIV recipients who have been in the U.S. for less than five years,” according to the IRC website. Details here, or email/call Samantha.Camirand@rescue.org, 470-510-6190 for more info.

Want to help people learn English? New American Pathways is looking for volunteers who can teach English at home or virtually to people who aren’t able to attend traditional ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. Volunteers must make a minimum of a three month commitment. Contact volunteercoordinator@newamericanpathways.org if you’re interested. More info here.

9-year-old nationally ranked Badminton player in Forsyth County: Fourth grader Sai Ratan Shankar from Forsyth County is ranked among the top ten in the country in his category in the USA National Badminton rankings. “I really like conquering stuff that seems technically impossible,” said Shankar in an interview with the Forsyth County News. He started playing when he was six and trains at the Atlanta Badminton Club in Suwanee. Read more here and here.

Lawmakers describe serving on GA’s most diverse legislature ever: The AJC’s Maya Prabhu spoke to state lawmakers Rep. Long Tran, Rep. Ruwa Romman, and Senator Jason Anivitarte, about what it was like to serve in this year’s General Assembly. Tran said he grew a beard because he kept getting confused for either Rep. Sam Park or Rep. Marvin Lim. “I think the beard made a difference, but also, the deeper we get into session, people get to know you better and they’re less likely to make this mistake,” said Tran. Read the story here.

And finally, new globally recognized Indian restaurant in Patel Plaza: There’s a new spot to eat at Patel Plaza in Decatur: Kailash Parbat. The restaurant has 70 locations around the world and has its roots in pre-partition India, when its founders ran a chaat stall in Karachi. Food writer Sucheta Rawal wrote about some of her favorite dishes in the Decatur restaurant, including the Aamchi Mumbai Sandwich, “reminiscent of an Indian grilled cheese made with toasted white bread stuffed with mashed masala potatoes, spicy chutney, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and shredded Amul cheese.” Read her restaurant review in Khabar Magazine.