Coffee Conversations: West End community leaders discuss the importance of preserving Afrocentric identity

“Closer Look” show host Rose Scott talks with Lyndon Greene, president of the Atlanta University Center Neighborhood Association and Myrna Anderson-Fuller, president of the West End Merchants Coalition. (Photo credit: LaShawn Hudson)

The owner of the only Black-owned all-vegan breakfast and coffee shop in Atlanta says accountability rests on the shoulders of everyone and that she always wants to see her community growing and flourishing.

“As our community grows and matures and there are new folks that come, I would rather see us take on the responsibility of revitalizing rather than being victims of gentrification,” said Tassili Ma’at, the owner of UniTea & Coffee at 640 West, on Thursday at the first “Closer Look” Coffee Conversation of 2023.

During the event, which drew a large crowd of local community leaders, Rose talked with Ma’at, Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier, West End Merchants Coalition president Myrna Anderson-Fuller, and Lyndon Greene, president of the Atlanta University Center Neighborhood Association.