“I Have A Dream” Exhibition Charts King’s Campaign for Equality
Yesterday, the Atlanta History Center unveiled “I Have A Dream: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection,” which will remain on view until May 13, 2007.
“I Have a Dream” is the first public exhibition of the King Collection. The exhibition is a joint partnership between Morehouse College and the Atlanta History Center to sponsor educational events and exhibitions.
The exhibit includes over 600 of King’s personal items; the entire collection includes more than 10,000 of King’s personal items. Each piece documents the progress of his campaign for equality and justice for all.
The exhibition is organized into ten sections that include: The Measure of a Man, which include some of King’s earliest notes on religion, philosophy; The King Library; Strength to Love: Sermons; Stride Toward Freedom, which includes a comic book that recounts the story of the Montgomery bus boycott; Letter from a Birmingham Jail; and drafts of the I Have A Dream speech.
Admission to the “I Have A Dream” exhibition is free the first weekend of every month, and every Monday. For more information on the Atlanta History Center, visit their website or call 404.814.4000.
The late Coretta Scott King and Mayor Shirley Franklin were honored at the Annual Salute to Greatness Awards Dinner hosted by the King Center. Mayor Franklin was honored for her role in bringing the King Collection to Atlanta. Pictured (l-r): Yolanda King, Mayor Shirley Franklin, and Dexter Scott King.
Mayor Franklin joins (l-r) Walter Massey, the outgoing president of Morehouse College and Ambassador Andrew Young at the King Center Annual Salute to Greatness Awards. Morehouse College is the owner of the 10,000 document King Collection.
Mayor Shirley Franklin (second from left) joins members of the Atlanta consortium involved in bringing the King Papers to Atlanta at the ribbon cutting for the new “I Have A Dream Exhibition” at the Atlanta History Center. |
(top)
BeltLine Continues Momentum with National Award, Fundraising Campaign
The City of Atlanta was recently honored for its collaborative efforts and creativity in the development of the BeltLine project by the Partners for Livable Communities during its “Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit” awards program in Washington, D.C.
Atlanta was one of four cities to receive the “Entrepreneurial American Community Award.” The award acknowledges the civic capacity-building, commitment, vision and entrepreneurial spirit of a community. Atlanta was honored for being an innovative city that has found success in providing unique solutions to local problems.
“The BeltLine’s potential makes it one of the most dynamic urban strategic investments in America. We salute the public-private partnerships for Atlanta’s bold move to reposition itself as a great American city – perhaps the boldest in this era,” said Bob McNulty, president of the Partners for Livable Communities.
To continue the momentum, the BeltLine Partnership, a non-profit advocacy organization, recently launched a $60 million capital fundraising campaign. Mayor Shirley Franklin serves as the campaign’s honorary chairperson. “Every dollar will count as we embark on a $60 million philanthropic campaign to continue the BeltLine project,” Mayor Franklin said during her recent State of the City address.
For more information, visit the BeltLine website.
(top)
New Outdoor Event Ordinance Streamlines Permitting Process
A new City of Atlanta outdoor event ordinance, approved recently by the Atlanta City Council, makes the process for obtaining permits more effective and efficient for event organizers.
For more than year, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events has solicited input from community leaders, event organizers and residents on how to enhance the process for obtaining a permit. Among the changes in the new ordinance are:
- Creation of a one-stop-shop: Event organizers can now submit their event application to the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the application will be internally submitted to the appropriate City departments. This saves organizers days of travel time and allows the Office of Special Events to have a comprehensive list of events happening in Atlanta at any given time.
- Permitting for all outdoor events. Prior, the City only provided permits for festivals. In 2006, more than 100 festival permits were provided.
The Special Events page of the AtlantaGa.Gov website has been updated with the new ordinance as well as other enhancements to make the page easier to navigate.
For more information about the new City of Atlanta Outdoor Event Ordinance, visit here or call the Mayor’s Office of Special Events at 404.330.6741.
(top)
AWDA Programs Help Residents Find Career Direction
In 2006, Atlanta residents found success through the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency’s (AWDA) career development services, offered Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
AWDA programs prepare Atlanta’s current and future workforce for the ever-changing labor demands. In 2006, AWDA served over 66,000 customers. Hundreds of customers obtained employment through AWDA’s weekly job fairs, held every Tuesday. Other programs include GED and SAT preparation courses, resume-writing assistance, job-readiness skills workshops and the Next Step Youth Program.
In 2006, the Next Step Youth Program provided paid summer internships (675), certification training (96), and financial assistance for unmet college needs (726) to hundreds of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) seniors. The City of Atlanta Municipal Courts referred 207 students to AWDA as partners in the YES (Youth Empowerment Services) program. Of those students, 14 have completed the program and are enrolled in college.
Demetrius Morant, a participant in the YES program, is just one example of how AWDA helps residents turn their lives around. YES participants are youth and juvenile offenders between the ages of 12 – 24 who have been directed to the program as an alternate to sentencing and are provided the skills to positively redirect their lives.
When Demetrius first joined YES, he was 20 years old with a GED and considered an “at-risk” youth. He is now completing his second semester at Lincoln University in Missouri, is a member of several school associations and has a 3.5 GPA with dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist.
For more information, visit the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency website.
AWDA customer Adina Mitchell (center, red) was homeless and jobless when she first arrived at AWDA. She has since gained employment with support from AWDA’s job readiness programs. She is pictured with (l-r) AWDA executive director, Deborah Lum, and AWDA staff Dewey McClain and Charlotte Oliver.
AWDA helps customers attain certifications and find employment. Pictured (l-r) Marlon Watson, Paula Minnifield, Ederick Green, and Ed Smith (in back) each completed AWDA’s Industrial Maintenance course. AWDA has since assisted them in gaining entry-level electrical work with TDC Systems Integration.
Next Step YES Program participants Timothy Nickson, Steven Williams and Demetrius Morant. |
(top)
Mayor Shirley Franklin recently joined Georgia-Pacific to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During her keynote address, Mayor Franklin shared how the late civil rights leader and Atlanta native continues to inspire her life. Click here to go to Video On Demand (VOD) webpage where you can watch the event.
(top)
Rave Reviews!
- The official first year results of Mayor Shirley Franklin’s Economic Development Plan show that Atlanta is well on its way toward becoming a best-in-class city by 2009. In the spring of 2003, the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Development Authority – the economic development agency for the City – began preparation for the Plan with pro bono assistance from Bain and Company. In determining the 2009 goal, the City identified goals that, if achieved, would make Atlanta a best in class city. An aggressive plan was approved in 2004 and launched in 2005. Categories include: increasing jobs, in-town property values, affordable workforce housing, high school graduation rates, and parks and greenspace. All areas experienced increases – some as substantial as 113 percent – in the first year. Crime, also a Plan goal, decreased by 36 percent in 2006. For more first year results, visit here.
(top)
Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- Effective this month, AWDA will begin offering two new services: an EarnBenefits program and a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Center. EarnBenefits will provide free screenings for low-income families to determine eligibility for a wide array of government and private benefits. AWDA’s VITA Center will provide “free” electronic income tax preparation for individuals earning $40,000 or less. For more information, visit the For more information, visit the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency website.
(top)
Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
(top)
Weekly Features
Email us at citynewsbytes@atlantaga.gov to provide your feedback about this newsletter or to nominate someone you know for Stakeholder Spotlight.