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

As an Atlanta native, I’ve grown up with a sense of pride for the way our city resolved racial conflicts during the 1960s. People often referred positively to that civic spirit as the Atlanta Way.

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

That’s why a group of us have launched a new nonprofit to capture the best of our past. We want to make that civic spirit to reflect a more inclusive and participatory way of resolving conflicts and addressing issues. 

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

The goal? To strengthen the civic fabric of the Atlanta region.

Civic leader Ann Cramer, who chairs our board, could be the poster child of Atlanta Way 2.0. She came up with the term “activators.” Instead of using a more passive word like ambassadors, our activators pledge to become part of the Atlanta Way 2.0 movement by strengthening the civic fabric in their lives and the people they touch.

Here is how:

• Make connections: Introduce people who need to know each other.
• Welcome wagon: Welcome people new to Atlanta and help them become engaged in the community.
• Build bridges: Seek to build bridges between people and organizations not currently working together.
• Compassion corner: Support people who may be going through tough times personally or professionally.
•  Encourage success: Find ways to help people become more successful.
• Pay it forward: Nurture the next generation of leaders to become part of the Atlanta Way 2.0 movement.

My personal goal is to have at least one Atlanta Way 2.0 moment every single day. It may be calling someone who’s going through a tough time and just saying I care. It can be me reaching out to a newcomer to Atlanta, introducing them to our city and connecting them to people they should know. It can mean convening a group of engaged folks to tackle a pressing problem or work on community solutions through collaborations. The possibilities are endless.

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

Please check it out, and maybe you’ll even sign up to become an activator. Amazingly, we already have more than 400 people who have joined!

Now that we have officially launched, my colleague Britton Edwards will communicate regularly with our activators and work on ways for us to connect and contribute to our greater community.

We also will have weekly columns that will appear in both the SaportaReport and the AtlantaWay websites featuring stories of people who exemplify ways the movement is being implemented and evolving.

People have asked me why we have launched 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 were to intentionally leverage my knowledge, contacts and aspirations. Of course, I’m still a journalist through and through. Having reliable information is key to strengthening our civic fabric because an informed person is better able to be engaged in our community. I see Atlanta Way 2.0 and SaportaReport as being 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 far beyond our amazing board and honorary co-chairs. We have been introducing ourselves to a host of organizations and potential partners to collaborate with us. The response has been inspiring.

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

Bob Hope, a civically minded public relations leader, was the first person to suggest we set up Atlanta Way 2.0 as a nonprofit. He agreed to serve on our board, and his firm — 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 legacy Atlanta Way — getting to know former Mayor Andrew Young, who shared tales of how our city stood out when people worked together. 

Thanks to Reggie, Google has become a true partner by giving us funding to help launch the Atlanta Way 2.0. Reggie and Andy are both honorary co-chairs along with former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. 

It is no accident our board and honorary co-chairs understand the special spirit that has existed in Atlanta, and they are dedicated to making sure we live up to our best selves. We have an amazingly diverse and engaged board — people who are committed to the Atlanta Way 2.0 movement.

But this is just the beginning.

The real beauty of Atlanta Way 2.0 is that everyone is welcome to join the movement. We look forward to hearing from you — not only your ideas but stories of how you’re implementing Atlanta Way 2.0.

Thank you all for being part of our journey.

The Atlanta Way, a concept that dates back to the early days of Atlanta, emerged as a driving force during the Civil Rights era when white and Black business and civic leaders worked together to resolve problems and issues peacefully. The cooperative approach of business and civic leaders helped Atlanta become a beacon of peace and resolution during the 1960s through the early 2000s.

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Atlanta Way 2.0 is a modern-day concept aimed at connecting people and organizations for the greater good of the Atlanta region. Examples include bringing together people and organizations with related missions to work on common goals, introducing executives new to the city and helping them form community ties, and linking regional leaders facing challenges with people who can help them work on tangible solutions. 

Unlike the historic Atlanta Way, composed mostly of powerful male leaders, Atlanta Way 2.0 will strive to be much more inclusive – embracing civic-minded people from all walks of life to become part of the multi-layered fabric that makes up our region.