THE CITIZEN BLOG
THE CITIZEN BLOG
MLK Day 2020 in Review
The 2020 edition of the King holiday fell on a pivotal point in our city’s history. 2020 will bring an election, the census, the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, and more events that will require us, as a community and as a nation, to unite. For us, while incredibly important, that means more than volunteering and serving others. Knowing we’ve got some of the country’s top civic engagement and social justice organizations right here in our backyard, we partnered with The King Center, The National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Morehouse College to deliver over 2 weeks of events and programming.
Hundreds of volunteers planted 200 trees and 5,000 daffodil bulbs. Volunteers were welcomed by Dunwoody Mayor, Lynn Deutsch.
Photo by Paul Ward Photography
The 2020 edition of the King holiday fell on a pivotal point in our city’s history. This year will bring an election, the census, the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, and more events that will require us, as a community and as a nation, to unite. For us, while incredibly important, that means more than volunteering and serving others. Knowing we’ve got some of the country’s top civic engagement and social justice organizations right here in our backyard, we partnered with The King Center, The National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Morehouse College to deliver over 2 weeks of events and programming.
““The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.””
For the King holiday, Atlanta, once again, rose to the occasion and set the standard for how to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King. There have been opportunities to learn, to listen, to serve, to engage, to disrupt and to do. Below are some highlights from the MLK Sunday Supper and our annual day of service. To the changemakers, the corporate community, our partners and everyone who participated in an MLK Day event or program - THANK YOU!
MLK SUNDAY SUPPER
Photos by Steve Swieter Photography
For the 6th year in a row, Hands On Atlanta kicked-off the MLK Day of Service with our annual MLK Sunday Supper. What’s become one of our favorite annual events, this year’s conversation centered around THE defining social justice issue of 2020: women’s rights. With the upcoming election and census, we know 2020 will be a pivotal year for everyone, but it will be specifically pivotal for women. There isn’t an issue…from affordable housing to income inequality, that doesn’t’ dis-proportionally affect women in our community.
The evening’s conversations were sparked by vignettes from Andrea Young, Executive Director of ACLU of Georgia, Cheryl Preheim, evening anchor at 11Alive, and Kwame Johnson, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. The evening’s program was designed in partnership with Civic Dinners, and facilitated by women leaders from across Atlanta.
Highlights of the evening included two incredibly moving performance from the Atlanta Music Project and a motivational challenge for change by Jill Savitt, the CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights!
Day of Service
On the coldest day of the year, tens of thousands of ATLiens turned out for city wide volunteer projects, church services, the King Center’s annual march, and other MLK Day related events and programs. We tallied over 3,000 changemakers, serving almost 10,000 hours at 20 projects hosted by our corporate, nonprofit and school partners across metro Atlanta. Here’s a snap shot of the day:
400 volunteers turned up at Truly Living Well to assist with winterization for the fruit trees, composting, cleaning a pond and re-mulching pathways. Volunteers spread 800 pounds of mulch, built 5 cold frame/mini greenhouses, installed a new garden bed and more!
Our friends at Livable Buckhead hosted about 75 volunteers from Accenture and ADP at Loridians Park, where volunteers helped create a new nature trail and a community education space.
In partnership with Trees Atlanta, 300 volunteers planted 200 trees and 5,000 daffodil bulbs at Brook Run Park! Special guests included Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch, volunteers from project sponsors Coca-Cola, Newell Brands, and The Home Depot, plus the Atlanta-Dunwoody chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
ATLiens strolling down the Beltline stopped at our “pop up” project and helped build 200 STEM kits for students in our partner Atlanta Public Schools.
Volunteers stayed warm by working hard, beautifying 5 partner schools from Atlanta, Dekalb and Fulton County School systems. Projects covered a wide range of needs and included painting, landscaping, bench and picnic table builds, outdoor classrooms, garden beds and more!
More than 200 volunteers stopped into City Hall for the City of Atlanta Day of Service making hats and scarves, no sew blankets and more for City of Atlanta Warming Centers (temporary homeless shelters open during frigid temperatures) and several partner nonprofits.
What’s next
Our official King Holiday festivities began back on January 13 and will conclude on Jan. 31. On Thursday, Jan. 23 from 5:30pm-7:30pm catch Stacey Abrams at the Morehouse College Annual MLK Lecture Series and on Friday, Jan. 31 from 8:30am - 10:00am, grab your seat for an uplifting and engaging talk from Dr. Vicki Crawford at Creative Mornings. Dr. Crawford, the director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Collection at Morehouse College and general editor of the Morehouse College King Collection Series on Civil and Human Rights.
As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The time is always right, to do what is right.” We’ve got you covered to do what is right, all year round:
Find volunteer opportunities to fit your schedule and the issues you can about most!
Explore one of our digital volunteering partners and help someone in real-time.
Host or attend a Civic Dinner.
THANK YOU SPONSORS!
Please join us and toss a high five to the companies paving the way for a more equitable and civically engaged Atlanta! The support from these leaders made the MLK Sunday Supper and Day of Service possible.
Sunshine, Smiles and Service: A recipe for impact for the 2019 MLK Day of Service
The masses were out in full force for another big day of impact for the 2019 MLK Day of Service. Numbers are still trickling in, but about 2,000 volunteers served at 32 projects across metro Atlanta. Backed by a huge turnout from all 20 of our corporate sponsors, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and worked on a diverse and impactful series of projects at our partner nonprofits and schools.
The masses were out in full force for another big day of impact for the 2019 MLK Day of Service. Numbers are still trickling in, but about 2,000 volunteers served at 32 projects across metro Atlanta. Backed by a huge turnout from all 20 of our corporate sponsors, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and worked on a diverse and impactful series of projects at our partner nonprofits and schools.
At Truly Living Well 200 volunteers helped winterize fruit trees, composting, cleaned up a pond and more. Teammates from our title sponsor Coca-Cola were busy at sites like Blue Heron Nature Preserve, getting dirty, removing invasive plants along one of their trails, and with Keep North Fulton Beautiful by unloading and sorting donated goods and helping with customers. There was a pop-up letter writing station outside of The King Center, where visitors could join the Atlanta Legends by crafting encouraging messages to Atlanta Public School teachers.
Not all projects were outside (thankfully) and there was plenty of work to do at both schools and nonprofits. At Stoneview Elementary, volunteers from State Farm and the surrounding community teamed up for a school maker with a ton of paint projects throughout the school and with some brand new picnic tables in the courtyard. At Helping Mama’s, volunteers sorted diapers, ran inventory on donations and bundled clothing by season & size. At Frederick Douglass High School, 50 volunteers helped paint a huge mural (thanks to sponsors Mercedes Benz USA) that was created in partnership by some of Atlanta’s top muralists. At the Amani Women’s Center volunteers helped sort sewing supplies for the classes they teach to refugee women along with interior painting and a few other beautification projects to give the women a nice place to work and learn.
These are just a sampling of the impactful projects accomplished by volunteers today. We can’t thank the Atlanta community enough for showing up and serving for another huge MLK Day of Service! We’re also sending high fives to all of our corporate sponsors for making this massive day of service possible. To all of the project managers, our AmeriCorps members, all of the current and past Civic Fellows, every task leader and each member of our team at Hands On Atlanta - THANK YOU!
See more photos and learn about the impact our volunteers created across metro Atlanta on the 2019 MLK Day of Service on Twitter and Instagram! Did you volunteer? Share your service with us across social media by using #HandsOnMLKDay.
Take a look back at our 2019 Signature Sunday Supper presented by The Coca-Cola Company —>
Sports and Social Justice: A look back at the 2019 Hands On Atlanta Signature Sunday Supper
On Sunday, January 20, almost 300 corporate and community leaders gathered around the dinner table at the College Football Hall of Fame, for an engaging evening of conversation on the intersection of sport and social justice.
Hands On Atlanta Signature Sunday Supper presented by the Coca-Cola Company
On Sunday, January 20, 300 corporate and community leaders gathered around the dinner table at the College Football Hall of Fame for an engaging conversation about sports and social justice.
Slam poet, Poetix, kicked off the night with an energetic and moving performance that set the tone for the evening. Jay Cranman, Hands On Atlanta President and CEO gave a warm welcome to attendees and Alba Baylin, V.P. Community and Stakeholder Relations at The Coca-Cola Company followed with a moving reminder of the importance of “having tough conversations.”
Guests enjoyed dinner before our panel shared their views and roles on social activism in sports. 11Alive’s Cheryl Preheim moderated the panel that included Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and professional football player with the Seattle Seahawks. Nate was a catalyst in Colin Kapaernick's decision to take a knee in protest against police brutality. He shared his eye-opening story and challenged us all to have empathy for others. He shared his eye opening story and how important Dr. King’s idea of listening to others and having empathy for others helped his role in the movement. Nzinga Shaw, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena showcased how the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks are solving a set of diversity challenges. It’s safe to say, there isn’t a more transparent and inclusive organization in all of sports. Reverend Dr. Greg Ellison, founder of Fearless Dialogues and Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Emory University, passionately shared the connectedness of Dr. King’s vision to changemakers making a difference in today’s culture. He also dropped helpful tips for having a tough and sometimes uncomfortable conversation.
The panel was a great place setting for the table conversations, the night’s main course. We partnered up with The King Center and Civic Dinners, to create a series of questions built around the Building the Racial Divide civic dinner. Even more important, our Signature Sunday Supper was the official launch of a huge campaign. Our goal is to ignite the Bridging the Racial Divide conversation, sparking 1,000 Civic Dinners across the country!
Feeling inspired to create change? Join Hands On Atlanta and The King Center by hosting your own Civic Dinner on Bridging the Racial Divide.