Arts Education plays a central role in almost every arts organization’s mission. That is certainly true at the Alliance Theatre, where Chris Moses serves as the Dan Reardon Director of Education / Associate Artistic Director for the theatre. We asked Chris to update us on some of the most recent developments in arts education at […]
Author Archives: Thought Leader
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
The Poor People’s Campaign: A Dream for Dignity in 2018
By Dr. Anita Ward, President, Operation HOPE, Inc. Until today, it had been a long time since I read the “I have a dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The words resonate more as the decades have passed, and collective dream of equality has grown stronger. New voices of women, children, immigrants, and […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Atlanta: A Growing Dance City…but How to Sustain?
By Angela Harris, Executive Artistic Director, Dance Canvas, Inc.This is an exciting time for dance in metro Atlanta! 2017 allowed Atlanta to witness new dance companies kicking off inaugural seasons, major dance organizations making leadership and location changes, long-standing dance companies celebrating milestone anniversaries, colleges creating new dance departments and growing new dance partnerships, and dance public […]
Posted inArts & Culture Seen, Thought Leader
Regional Arts Leadership: An Investment Worth the Price
By Doug Hooker, Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional CommissionArts and culture are both an important asset and a critical sector for metro Atlanta. For one, as a region we certainly benefit from the economic impact of both commercial and nonprofit arts. The nonprofit arts sector alone has a $719 million annual financial impact and […]
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Welcome to our newest Thought Leader the Woodruff Arts Center
SaportaReport’s Thought Leadership columns are a forum where experts host discussions about current and trending topics in their respective fields. Our newest partner at The Woodruff Arts Center will curate posts by local artists and art organizations under the header “Arts & Culture.” Check back each Tuesday for new content. We look forward to sharing this […]
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Partnership with Purpose
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. I am pleased to join Bill Rogers, chairman and CEO of SunTrust Bank for a conversation around The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic Liberation (Berrett-Koehler, 2017) at SunTrust’s onUp on Tour Atlanta headquarters stop tomorrow at SunTrust Plaza. The event provides the opportunity to highlight the valued partnership between […]
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Delivering the Memo on Personal Economic Liberation
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. True power in this world comes from economic independence. Nobody can give it to you; you must gain it yourself. The challenge with this truth is that the supermajority of people here in the United States and around the world – the “invisible class,” […]
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When the Water Recedes: Inequality in Disaster
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. It can take up to 20 years for a city to recover from a major disaster. However, for many low- to moderate-income families affected by unexpected life events like natural disasters, the recovery never really comes. The devastation of the disaster is ongoing; pulling […]
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Will improved credit reporting standards help Atlantans?
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. According to a recent Forbes report, though Atlanta is named the #14 best place for business in the U.S., its residents appear to have difficulty managing their money responsibly. As the capital city of the state with the worst credit profile in the U.S., […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Ending Income Inequality and Growing the Middle Class
By Operation HOPE, Inc. Despite decades of public and private sector intervention, poverty and inequality remain entrenched in the U.S. and other developed countries. Reduction in poverty rates have been hampered by rising income inequality, which can constrain economic growth and increase financial instability. At the Hope Global Forums 2017 Annual Meeting held in Atlanta […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Powering the Economic Energy of Next-Gen Entrepreneurs
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. About 40% of American students say they plan to start a business and/or invent something that will change the world. Asia Thurmon, a 10th grader at Arabia Mountain High School in Lithonia, and owner and founder of EZ Party Pack, is one such next-gen […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Uplifting the Invisible Class
From April 10-12, Operation HOPE will host the 2017 HOPE Global Forum here in Atlanta. Now the largest and most prominent gathering of influencers focused on financial inclusion, this year’s Forum will reconvene under the theme: ‘Uplifting The Invisible Class.’
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Can Credit Scores Determine Social Stability?
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. What if we could solve many of our social ills here in Atlanta, and by extension, our state and the nation, with an examination of credit score data? The average credit score in Georgia is 644. The 2015 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
John Hope Bryant Recognized as 2016 “Innovator of the Year” by American Banker Magazine
Operation HOPE is pleased to announce the recognition of its founder, chairman, and CEO, John Hope Bryant, as “2016 Innovator of the Year” by American Banker magazine. The award recognizes Bryant for his vision of delivering Silver Rights through Operation HOPE’s programs and network. Most notably, the HOPE Inside model was highlighted for delivering individual and social impact while simultaneously […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
200 HOPE Inside SunTrust Locations by 2020
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. On Nov. 1, valued strategic partner to Operation HOPE, SunTrust Banks, announced a historic commitment to expand HOPE Inside SunTrust from seven existing branch locations to 200 by 2020.
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Freedman’s Bank Legacy Continues to Advance Economic Integration
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Treasury commemorated the legacy of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company with the renaming of a building—a rare occurrence on the White House campus.
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
1,000 ‘Bank’ Branches for the Underserved
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. Take a look around—there are more check cashers and payday lenders in America than there are Starbucks! And, today, a person does not have to be poor and destitute to be targeted by the predatory lending sector. The ‘teetering class’—the 63% of Americans that […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
How the Poor can Save Capitalism
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. Today, the impact of income and wealth disparity in America manifests in all areas of our society. Poverty is different now, and the condition of poverty is spreading into the bone and marrow of this country, putting the entire capitalist and free enterprise system […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
700 Credit Score Communities Don’t Riot
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. There has never been a riot by a 700-credit-score community in American history. Only 500-credit-score communities riot. Traditionally, these have been urban, inner-city, left behind black and brown communities, but in the current political landscape we’ve seen the fabric of civility tear in 500-credit-score […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
An Economy that Works…for All
Many of our underserved communities across the country are in bondage—restrained by a lack of financial know-how and economic opportunity; stifled by predatory lending and low credit scores.
