On Monday, May 9th, 2016, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart, Bill Rogers, Chairman & CEO of SunTrust Banks, Richard Smith, Chairman & CEO of Equifax, Ambassador Andrew Young, and a prominent host committee that included Darryl G. Harmon of Wells Fargo & Co, Atlanta Police Chief George Turner, Ed Martinez of UPS, and Donta’ Wilson of BB&T Bank held a leadership luncheon at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
A special, unplanned addition to the program was a fireside chat around equity and financial and economic inclusion that was introduced and framed by Ambassador Andrew Young, and included a wide ranging give and take conversation between Mayor Kasim Reed and myself.
Operation HOPE also announced our new and focused Atlanta Uplift 2020 initiative, focused on introducing and opening 100 offices of empowerment — youth and adult — focused on empowering and uplifting all of Atlanta’s citizens and communities, through year 2020. You can see the Atlanta Uplift 2020 video (and Like the page to continue to get updates on our ongoing work) here.
You can find well written articles on our new move to Atlanta here at the Atlanta Business Chronicle and here at the Saporta Report.
With a prominent room like this, it is dangerous to begin naming names, but suffice to say that a good representation of Atlanta’s top business leaders were in room, including some of Atlanta’s moral authority leaders — including my dear friend Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center, and a member of the Operation HOPE Southeast Board of Directors.
A special thank you to City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, who (representing the entire Atlanta City Council) presented the Operation HOPE family with a proclamation formally establishing May 9th, 2016, as Operation HOPE Day in Atlanta.
Commendations to my incredible Operation HOPE team, without which this growing Silver Rights Movement simply would not be possible (some key leaders are not included in the below photos). A special acknowledgement goes to our HOPE Atlanta Market President Louis Negron, who is doing an incredible job, supported by Ms. Tara Dennis, Market Vice President, here in our new home city.
