Jermaine Dupri, a Grammy Award winner, Atlanta native and founder of So So Def Recordings, announced a new internship for Emory students during the keynote session of the inaugural Ideas Festival Sept. 20. The internship will provide two undergraduate students with an opportunity to work with Dupri and So So Def Recordings during the spring 2025 semester. […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inHistoric Westside
Celebrating a Century of Excellence: Booker T. Washington High School’s 100th Anniversary
Last week, the Westside community came together for an unforgettable celebration marking the 100th anniversary of Booker T. Washington High School—a cornerstone of Atlanta’s historic Westside and a beacon of African American excellence and resilience. The event brought alumni, students, educators, and community members together to reflect on a century of academic achievement and cultural significance. […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Small TALK is making a BIG Impact at Wellstar Health System
By Lisa Liedke and Meredith MacKenzie Imagine all children entering kindergarten, having been immersed in words, stories, and songs from the very start of life. At Wellstar, we believe every child deserves this foundation. That’s why we are integrating early healthy brain development, language acquisition, and literacy fundamentals to ensure that every child can find […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
When You’re “Doing Your Own Research” For the Election, Let GEEARS Help
Everyone goes to the voting booth with their own list of priorities. In our polling, we at GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students have found that an overwhelming number of Georgia voters care deeply about early childhood issues and choose their candidates with those issues in mind. Voters may wonder if and how […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
September Summit Recap: Building Financial Inclusion: Workforce Development for Westside Communities
Westside residents, community members, and business leaders convened for the September 20 Transform Westside Summit, sponsored by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, to hear about workforce development and financial inclusion in Atlanta’s Westside communities. John Ahmann, Westside Future Fund President and CEO, welcomed attendees and Destiny Mobley, English Avenue resident and Home on the Westside participant, led the devotion. The event featured a panel […]
Posted inAtlanta Housing
Atlanta Housing Announces Financial Closing of The Proctor
In another important step towards the goal of creating or preserving 10,000 affordable housing units, Atlanta Housing (AH) announces the financial closing of a $55.6 million development, The Proctor. Located at 698 Oliver St. NW, 41 units of the 137 residential units will be added to Atlanta’s inventory of affordable housing. The Proctor closing is […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
We Must Approach AI Like the Automobile
By John Hope Bryant In the near future, I want you to learn how to ride this new horse of artificial intelligence (AI) rather than be left behind with the old one. Let me explain the revolutionary changes approaching our lives. Sam Altman, whom I consider the Steve Jobs of this generation, called me 18 months […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Celebrating the Launch of the 970 Jefferson Website: A Milestone in Collaborative Community Impact
Earlier this month, the partnership of organizations housed at 970 Jefferson took a significant step forward in their collective mission to serve Atlanta’s Westside with the launch of a dedicated website, 970Jefferson.org. This online platform not only highlights the vital work being done within the walls of the warehouse facility but also serves as a beacon […]
Posted inPhilanthropy
Preventive care is proactive care: Supporting youth mental health in Georgia
By the Co-Chairs of the Mental Health Funders Collaborative (MHFC) It’s an increasingly difficult time to be young in America. Mental health challenges among children and teens are skyrocketing, and Georgia is no exception. According to the CDC, in 2021, 42% of young people experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness—a figure that has doubled […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Fall Unfolds With Opportunity… Inspiration for the Season
Is fall not the most inspiring time of year? While this summer has challenged many plants with a lack of rain, fall has arrived with renewed hope for several more weeks of warm, breezy days and an array of color palettes. It is a fruitful time of year – quite literally for many of our […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
Thriving Together Atlanta encourages conversation and fosters connection
By Kristen Taylor and Lily Samuel Has a play you’ve seen ever made you think differently? Has a mural stuck with you long after you’d walked away? Public art plays a vital role in spurring conversations, shifting cultural narratives and elevating awareness of critical issues in our communities in creative and unique ways. Investing in […]
Posted inHigher Education
The Marcus Foundation makes major $25.9 million award to advance lifesaving stroke research at Emory and Grady
A $25.9 million grant from The Marcus Foundation will accelerate pioneering research aimed at revolutionizing hemorrhagic stroke treatment. This major award will fund the Rapid Evacuation and Access of Cerebral Hemorrhage (REACH) trial and its companion REACH registry, led by Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System’s Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center. The […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Go Slow, Whales Below!
By Monét Murphy, Georgia Conservancy Coastal Conservation & Engagement Fellow The journey to safeguard the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), Georgia’s revered state marine mammal, commenced with acknowledging the species’ precarious existence. With fewer than 350 individuals left, this whale is the most endangered large whale species on Earth. Each winter, these majestic beings […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
CDC Foundation Releases New Episode of Contagious Conversations Podcast Using New Approaches to Tell Public Health Stories
The CDC Foundation is introducing a new take on its popular podcast series, Contagious Conversations. The updated show format will use a story arc in each episode to explore critical public health issues with experts from diverse fields. The latest episode—“The Costs of Getting Sick”—provides a behind-the-scenes look at a disease outbreak investigation and examines […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks a Milestone for Affordable Housing at 646 Echo Street
Westside Future Fund (WFF) is excited to celebrate a significant achievement with the groundbreaking of its latest affordable multifamily housing development at 646 Echo Street. This event marks a pivotal moment in the organization’s ongoing mission to revitalize and restore the historic Westside. The 646 Echo Street development represents a significant milestone in WFF’s next chapter, […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Partnering for Cybersecurity: How Atlanta Businesses and Boys & Girls Clubs Can Build a Safer Digital Future Together
BY Carl Patten II, Vice President of Information Technology, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta & Mat Mathews, Chief Technology Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of America Recently, a 12-year-old teen in Georgia made national news after disappearing from her driveway. The teen was eventually located in Ohio.[1]Reading stories such as the 12-year-old’s incident […]
Posted inHigher Education
Emory’s Business School’s Accelerator Expands to Support Northwest Atlanta Entrepreneurs
The successful Start:ME Accelerator at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School is expanding to Northwest Atlanta. Since 2013, Start:ME has provided training, tools and connections to 445 business owners in Clarkston, East Lake and Atlanta’s Southside. Of those companies, 83% are led by people of color and 74% are led by women. Start:ME alumni employ more than 800 […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Park Design Workshop: Seven community groups reimagine their park entrances
By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager Picture the entrance to your neighborhood park. What does it look like? How accessible is it? What message does it send? Park entrances are often overlooked when considering how to improve a park, yet entrances inform how visitors arrive, what they experience and how they […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
August Summit Recap: Restoring Our Neighborhoods: Unpacking Atlanta’s Blight Remediation Strategy
Community members and business leaders gathered at the August 16 Transform Westside Summit to hear from Josh Humphries, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ Senior Policy Advisor for Housing. John Ahmann, Westside Future Fund President and CEO, and Ebony Ford, legacy resident and community advocate of English Avenue, welcomed new and returning attendees and Monnica Taylor, Home on the Westside participant, led the devotion. Key Moments […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
YWCA USA Asks- Why Do Women Vote?
This summer, YWCA USA conducted a national survey of women voters to learn about one critical topic: Why Women Vote. This aptly named YWomenVote survey confirmed that women across the country are motivated to make their voices heard this election. Respondents identified that women’s economic security and empowerment, the impact of domestic violence and gender […]
