About

I write about issues impacting immigrant and refugee communities in Metro Atlanta. My work has been published in Atlanta Magazine, Canopy Atlanta, Atlanta Civic Circle, the Atlanta History Center, and The Local Palate.

I’m the founder and editor of 285 South, the first news publication dedicated solely to reporting on Metro Atlanta’s fast growing and diverse communities.

I’m naturally invested in these communities because I grew up in them. As a kid living in the northern suburbs of Atlanta in the 90s, I was usually among a handful of non-white kids in my class. I remember my dad finding our first South Asian friends by thumbing through a giant white phone book and cold calling people with last names like “Khan” and “Mohammed.”

When I moved back here in 2020, I was blown away by how much the demographics had changed. I launched 285 South in 2021 with the goal of being a hub for stories impacting Metro Atlanta’s immigrant communities, told by centering immigrant perspectives. In 2024, 285 South received a grant from The Pivot Fund, to support and expand its journalism.

In 2023, I won an Atlanta Press Club award for Narrative Nonfiction for a story about an Afghan family building their life in Georgia, published by Atlanta Magazine. I was also awarded the 2023 Raksha Community Change award.

Before launching 285 South, I worked for over 15 years in media and communications, including at Al Jazeera Media Network, The Center for Public Integrity, the United Nations Development Programme, CNN, and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).

Contact me at qureshi.sophia@gmail.com or find me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.