By Elyse Hammett, vice president, marketing & communications, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Throughout history and across time, people have gathered –to celebrate, to mourn, to share ideas, to rally for justice, to pass laws, and to imagine possibilities. Oprah herself taught us that “The whole barrier exists because most people never come together and sit down at a table… join together, break bread together, and celebrate their differences and their likenesses.”
So, let’s break bread friends. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta is marking a moment in time to bring together you, our community, to engage in ideas and impact change for the better of all of us. TogetherATL, our strategic ethos, reflects our mission to inspire and lead our region toward equity and shared prosperity for all. We do this through partnerships and collaboration, and through gathering in the spirit of welcome inclusivity.
To effect real, lasting change in the region, it will take all of us. Our home, the city where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, remains one of America’s most racially segregated regions and is the nation’s worst for economic mobility. We all own the problem, and we all can take action toward reinvigorating the beloved community for everyone that calls ATL home.
So, where do we start? How do we gather disparate perspectives together and create a sense of belonging? How do we ensure everyone has a seat at the table that calls Atlanta home? We invite you to join us on Thursday, April 21 in a virtual environment for ToGatherATL to help us build a foundation for change that will have real and lasting impact.
We have the privilege of hosting Natosha Reid Rice: attorney, mother, wife, ordained minister, and Habitat for Humanity International’s equity, diversity and inclusion officer. Through wisdom and intention, she will inspire us with possibilities of what equity and shared prosperity mean for our region. By illuminating nuances, Reid Rice will help us all share in the work, the journey and the potential of TogetherATL. In concert with the Community Foundation’s President and CEO, Frank Fernandez, Reid Rice will engage with our audiences and discuss your questions and ideas.
As I write this, I’m told our in-person attendance is at capacity – so please join us virtually via Zoom through this link. Remarks begin at 7 p.m. followed by ample time for discussion among the audience, including virtual participants. To inspire you to join us, please watch Reid Rice’s TEDx talk here. And please follow our TogetherATL journey on the Community Foundation’s website and through our social media channels via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
