Welcome to Atlanta Way 2.0; It’s a movement!

As a native Atlantan, I grew up with a sense of pride in how our city resolved racial conflicts in the 1960s. People often referred to this civic spirit positively as the Atlanta Way .

Over the years, however, the Atlanta Way began to take on different meanings, including behind-the-scenes deals and top-down decision-making and leadership.

That’s why a group of us started a new nonprofit to capture the best of our past. We want to ensure that this civic spirit reflects a more inclusive and participatory way of resolving conflicts and solving problems.

Welcome to Atlanta Way 2.0! It’s a movement. And we would love for all of you to join us.

The goal? Strengthening the civic fabric of the Atlanta region.

Civic leader Ann Cramer, who chairs our board, might be the poster child for Atlanta Way 2.0. She coined the term “activators”. Instead of using a more passive word like ambassadors, our activators commit to being part of the Atlanta Way 2.0 movement by strengthening the civic fabric of their lives and the people they touch.

Here’s how:

• Create links: Introduce people who need to know each other.
• Welcome cart: Welcome newcomers to Atlanta and help them engage in the community.
• Building bridges: Seek to build bridges between people and organizations who are not currently working together.
• Compassion corner: Support people who are going through difficult times personally or professionally.
• Encourage success: Find ways to help people succeed.
• Pay it forward: Encourage the next generation of leaders to be part of the Atlanta Way 2.0 movement.

My personal goal is to experience at least one Atlanta Way 2.0 moment every day. It might be calling someone who is going through a tough time and just telling them I care. It could be me reaching out to a newcomer to Atlanta, introducing them to our city, and connecting them with people they should know. This might mean bringing together a group of committed people to tackle a pressing problem or working on community solutions through collaborations. The possibilities are limitless.

We are excited to officially launch our website: atlantaway.org.

Don’t hesitate to take a look, and maybe you’ll even sign up to become an activator. Amazingly, we already have over 400 people joining us!

Now that we have officially launched, my colleague Britton Edwards will be communicating regularly with our activators and working on ways to connect and contribute to our greater community.

We will also publish weekly columns on the SaportaReport and AtlantaWay websites, featuring stories from people who illustrate how the movement is being implemented and evolving.

People have asked me why we started Atlanta Way 2.0. The short answer is impact.

As a journalist for more than four decades in Atlanta, I realized I could have a greater impact on our community if I intentionally leveraged my knowledge, connections and aspirations. Of course, I’m still a journalist through and through. Having reliable information is essential to strengthening our civic fabric, because an informed person is better able to engage in our community. I view Atlanta Way 2.0 and SaportaReport as complementary with a similar goal: to make our region as strong as it can be.

The good news is that Atlanta Way 2.0 is a group effort that extends well beyond our incredible board of directors and honorary co-chairs. We introduced ourselves to a multitude of organizations and potential partners to collaborate with us. The response was inspiring.

There are so many people I would like to thank, but I will only mention a few in this column.

Bob Hope, a civic-minded public relations executive, was the first person to suggest that we create Atlanta Way 2.0 as a nonprofit. He agreed to serve on our board of directors and his company, Hope-Beckham-Espinosa, helped design our website.

It was Bob who introduced me to Reggie McKnight, who had just moved to Atlanta as head of global social impact for Google. Reggie embraced the spirit of the Atlanta Way’s legacy – getting to know former Mayor Andrew Young, who shared how our city stood out when people worked together.

Thanks to Reggie, Google became a true partner by providing funding to help us launch the Atlanta Way 2.0. Both Reggie and Andy serve as honorary co-chairs alongside former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.

It’s no accident that our Board of Directors and Honorary Co-Chairs understand the special spirit that reigns in Atlanta, and they are dedicated to ensuring that we live up to our true selves. We have an incredibly diverse and engaged Board of Directors, made up of people committed to the Atlanta Way 2.0 movement.

But this is only the beginning.

The real beauty of Atlanta Way 2.0 is that everyone is welcome to join the movement. We look forward to receiving your feedback, not only your ideas, but also your stories about how you are implementing Atlanta Way 2.0.

Thank you all for being part of our journey.

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