The Hyatt Regency Atlanta honored “silver rights activist” and founder, chairman and CEO of nonprofit Operation HOPE at the Feb. 15 Heritage Celebration.
Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency has been a civil rights destination since it opened its doors as a fully integrated hotel in August 1967. As one of the first hotels in the city to welcome Black travelers, the Hyatt quickly became a hub for civil rights organizing.
The Hyatt was the destination for Martin Luther King Jr.’s final Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967, leading King to dub it the “Hotel of Hope.”
Since then, the Hyatt Regency Atlanta has carried the term to annual “Heritage Celebrations” that honor “Black leaders who…” The Feb. 15 event was the first celebration since 2020.
Previously, Hyatt has honored Dr. Bernice King, Ambassador Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Representative John Lewis, Xernona Clayton, Billye Aaron among others.
General Manager Derrick Morrow said the night is an “opportunity to recognize our partners who are making a significant contribution to our community.”
Georgia State University Professor Mo Ivory hosted the ceremony, and jazz pianist Gary Motley performed. Hyatt Regency leadership honored a group of hotel employees as “Crystal Colleagues” for exemplary work. To date, 54 employees have been honored.
The night’s main honoree was John Hope Bryant, an entrepreneur and nonprofit leader dedicated to promoting financial literacy, financial inclusion and economic empowerment.
Bryant is a “silver rights” activist, a term coined by Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson that refers to the economic and financial rights necessary for Black progress. Jackson called it the “third rail” after the Civil Rights Movement and Emancipation.
Morrow said Bryant is a key voice for social change through the idea of “empowerment through economics.”
“He has become America’s financial coach, and he gets up every day with the ambitious but hopeful goal of eradicating poverty,” Morrow said. “Along the way, he’s spreading a message of hope.”
Bryant founded Operation HOPE in 1992 to help “underserved” communities succeed in a capitalist system. The nonprofit is the largest financial literacy, inclusion and empowerment organization in the United States for youth and adults.
Operation HOPE has a series of programs to help people manage money, venture into home ownership, start businesses or recover from disasters. “Financial Wellbeing Coaches” educate people on economic skills and needs at no cost. The nonprofit has worked with over 1.6 million clients since its founding.
Bryant has also been heavily awarded and recognized, serving as an advisor to three sitting U.S. presidents, receiving Oprah Winfrey’s Use Your Life Award as well as the John Sherman Award for Excellence in Financial Education from the U.S. Treasury.
In his remarks, Bryant said the night was “full circle” looking at King’s legacy in fighting racism and poverty, particularly in his last visit to Memphis to support Black sanitation workers before his assassination. He said it was wonderful that he got to share the night with hotel workers who “don’t get the credit.”
Bryant also looked ahead at his continued work with Operation HOPE and the Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s focus on supporting Black-owned businesses through the Change Starts Here Program. The hotel program is aimed at hiring, promoting and retaining diverse talent, investing money into expanded job opportunities and purchasing from Black-owned businesses.
“I think we’re sitting in a moment in history right now, and I call it the Third Reconstruction,” Bryant said. “I think it’s a chance for all of us to be a small part of history-making right now, for others, paying it forward for future generations.”
