Atlanta is the home to many key leaders in the civil rights movement, including Revs. Martin Luther King Jr. and Andrew Young, congressman John Lewis and Maynard Jackson. It’s fitting then that the city has been chosen as the home for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The late mayor Maynard Jackson’s daughter, Brooke Jackson Edmond, business partner Daniel Halpern and widow Valerie R. Jackson of Jackmont Hospitality Inc. led a large fundraising effort in support of it.
“As an Atlantan, as a mother, as a person with a social conscious, the mission of the Center for Civil and Human Rights appeals to me. The story of how people have worked together to make the world a better place is an important story and how African Americans have managed to do that work for over a century is fascinating and inspiring, offered Edmond, senior VP and founding principle. “I am proud that Atlanta will be home to the center. It is an honor for our community, and I want to be a part of it because I love Atlanta.”
With Halpern and Jackson by her side, Edmond pledged $250,000 in honor of Maynard Jackson’s legacy of encouraging business ownership among African Americans. The Jackmont Hospitality executives then challenged fellow minority- and female-owned business owners to match their gift so they can meet their goal to raise $2.5 million.
“Maynard Jackson had a vision for Atlanta and diverse business ownership was key to achieving it. Our growth into a major commercial and culture hub is to his credit,” said former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin, who serves as board chair for the Center. “It’s wonderful to see the next generation carrying the work forward by supporting the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.”
Jackmont Hospitality joins The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, Newel Rubbermaid, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and The UPS Foundation as partners of the center.
–yvette caslin
For more information, visit www.cchrpartnership.org.
