Atlanta has always been a city where vision meets action. From the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement who dreamed forward and acted boldly, to the corporations that helped grow this region into an international hub, Atlanta has demonstrated the power of courage and collaboration.
Today, that legacy meets a new urgency.
Black children and families stand at the center of both profound opportunity and profound risk. The challenges they face are not abstract:
In Georgia, nearly 1 in 3 Black children live in poverty, compared to just 1 in 10 white children according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Kids Count Data Book.
Black students in Georgia are suspended at 2.5 times the rate of white students, undermining graduation rates and future workforce readiness, according to the Georgia Department of Education’s Discipline Data from 2023.
By 2030, children of color will represent the majority of Georgia’s youth, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2023 population projections.
This is not just a moral crisis. It is an economic one. McKinsey estimates that closing racial gaps in education, income, and health could add $2.6 trillion annually to the U.S. economy, according to a 2021 McKinsey & Company study. For Atlanta, a city that is home to 16 Fortune 500 companies and one of the fastest-growing metro regions in the country, the stakes are clear.
The question is not whether Atlanta will have a future workforce — it is what kind of workforce it will be. Will we equip Black children with the resources, opportunities, and affirming environments they deserve? Or will biases and beliefs continue to create inequities that stifle the brilliance of an entire generation?
At the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), our work is guided by an Afrofuturist approach to systems design. We begin by imagining a just future where Black children are celebrated, protected, and empowered — and then we work backward to build the infrastructure, policies, and practices that make that vision real.
This October, we will gather hundreds of corporate leaders, educators, advocates, policymakers, parents, and partners at the NBCDI Annual Conference in Atlanta from Oct. 24 to 26 under the theme Infinite Possibilities. Tangible Realities. Our call to action is clear: Dream Forward. Act Now.
But we cannot do this alone. To secure a thriving future for Black children is to secure a thriving future for Atlanta. That requires bold partnership with the corporate community.
Why business leaders must act
As someone who has spent my career at the intersection of business and civic life — as former President & CEO of Atlanta Airlines Terminal Company (AATC), and now as Head Coach & Chief Visionary Officer of Keystone Management — we’ve seen firsthand how deeply Atlanta’s business community influences the city’s trajectory.
Atlanta is a city where business and civic responsibility are inseparable. Our corporations don’t just drive profits; they help define the culture, opportunity, and legacy of this region. That is why NBCDI’s mission matters not only to families but also to every business leader invested in the city’s future.
The numbers make it plain. When nearly a third of Black children in Georgia are living in poverty, that is not only a family crisis — it is a workforce crisis.
When Black students are disproportionately excluded from classrooms, it is not only a justice issue — it is an innovation issue. Why? Because every child removed from the classroom is a potential inventor, entrepreneur, or leader whose contributions to science, technology, business, and the arts are lost before they begin. When we fail to invest in the full potential of Black children, we undermine the very competitiveness that has made Atlanta a global city. Because the strength of Atlanta’s economy depends on the creativity, skills, and resilience of its people, and no city can compete on the world stage while neglecting nearly half of its future workforce.
A Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce report found that closing racial and ethnic educational gaps could increase U.S. GDP by 5.8 percent by 2050; for Atlanta, where Black children represent such a large share of the rising generation, the return on investment is direct and undeniable. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, by 2030, more than 60 percent of metro Atlanta’s workforce will be people of color, making equity for Black children inseparable from the region’s long-term economic competitiveness.
This is why we aren urging corporate leaders to act. Equity for Black children is not simply a community priority — it is a business imperative.
A call to action
As NBCDI’s leadership, we speak with one voice: the future of Atlanta and beyond will be shaped by the futures of Black children. When Black children thrive, Atlanta thrives. When their brilliance is affirmed and their opportunities are secured, our city and our nation unlock new levels of innovation, resilience, and prosperity.
This work cannot be left to nonprofits alone. It requires bold, visible, and sustained commitment from corporate Atlanta. We are inviting business leaders to invest in the nonprofits that sustain this city and to co-create a future where equity fuels competitiveness, where every Black child has access to clean air and water, affirming schools, and pathways to lead.
Standing with NBCDI means recognizing that Black children’s futures are not a separate issue — they are the foundation of Atlanta’s civic and economic destiny. Their possibilities are our possibilities. Their realities shape the city we all inherit.
We believe in infinite possibilities. Now is the time to turn them into tangible realities. Dream Forward. Act Now.
