This is not the legacy of civil rights in America. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Wednesday he is encouraged by the progress of quarterback Desmond Ridder and the potential of building around the rookie. How best to put it? And my mother was giving him a lecture saying, You realize this is not what your parents would want you to do. Its a story about making bad choices and the impact of young people. At the time, Atlanta liked to call itself The City Too Busy to Hate, but as more African Americans moved to the city the moniker shifted to The City Too Busy Moving to Hate, as more white Atlantans escaped the city to the northern suburbs. We want to see the system that sets up for systemic racism burned to the ground. I mean, I was stuttering when I was senior class president, [and in] student government. I worked with him for over 40 years and we shared the same bathroom for over 30 years, which is more than any of our marriages lasted," said Blank, who's currently valued by Forbes at about $6.2 billion. Minnesota Legislature, What Are You Chewing? With Labels, Listen to Affected Populations, Not Activists, As With Alcohol, Mitigation, Not Prohibition, Is the Answer, It Seems Democrats Are Blundering Badly (Again) with Their All-Abortion, All-the-Time Campaign. If executed improperly, this stadium could continue a long line of broken promises for this blighted community. RELATED:Georgia Secretary of State calls many election changes 'solid'. They all have a great set of values. In 1978, both he and future Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank were fired during a corporate power struggle at Handy Dan. Martin Luther King Jr. once lived in this part of town, but decades of disinvestment and neglect have resulted in over 40 percent of the community living in poverty with an unemployment rate twice that of the rest of Atlanta. The portfolio includes nearly $10 million in grants to 12 nonprofits that represent a diverse set of organizations with a strong presence in Georgia and the Southeast. And so he speaks to people throughout the United States, young people primarily, about that. 3, By 1981, Home Depots stock went public and raised over $4 million. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. We don't have any fans in our building, and this is what we plan on doing: We're going to, you know, promote season tickets for 100 bucks or $10 a ticket. And I remember waiting for, you know, probably two minutes. In that way, I don't think my personality, probably, or my patience level probably is not the level it would have to be to sustain myself in this political atmosphere today. /Height 155 But thus far Blank and those connected to the stadium appear committed to using this opportunity as one to enhance and not exploit this community. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. His professional team Atlanta United FC brought professional soccer to Atlanta beginning in 2017. Blank donated another $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Thats great. But my mother would say to me, You know, what you have to say is important. Arthur Blank is getting more involved in the political process. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. And to be sure, Atlanta is better than what we saw in the actions of a few last night. And Blanks role in this project extends beyond the stadium. He and his brother, Michael, were raised in a one-bedroom apartment. In recent years Atlantas sports teams have attracted controversies that have highlighted the racial disparities that still largely define the city. The Falcons' owner, Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot with a net worth of $3 billion, at first glance certainly fits the bill of your standard billionaire athletic team owner. The Gruden e-mails were leaked from a (way too) long-running investigation of the toxic (i.e. He details the inception and rapid success of Atlanta United, and responding to the NFL protests that began in 2016. meathead) culture inside the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. This is not a protest. But the two subsequent CEOs the gentleman there today, Craig Minear, the CEO and president Ted Decker both live the culture. Support more understanding and be better listeners trying to see how the other people, you know, try to stand in the footsteps of others. It's an inverted pyramid that speaks to our whole orientation and all of our businesses today. I mean, you write a book like this, it's really getting into kind of the political arena. The 79-year-old philanthropist has supported educational projects to promote civil rights and racial justice. Brian Kemp signed the controversial bill, which includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. Download the FOX 5 Atlanta appfor breaking news and weather alerts. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Born on September 27, 1942, Blank owns the Atlanta, Georgia sports teams - the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and Atlanta United of the MLS. 6 0 obj Hopefully we'll get back in the playoffs, but not as well as the first three years. Over the next two years (2021-2023), we will create an inclusive relationship with and among these grantees to share ideas, best practices, lessons and challenges. Then I would not be bashful about asking questions. Well, I shouldn't say I'm not. So that was a low price a lower price than before Michael Vick the star quarterback was born 22 years before that. Max died when Arthur was 15, leaving his mother to grow what became a multi-million-dollar business. I went to a small business school outside of Boston called Babson College I would always sit in the front because I always wanted to pay attention and learn. Since then, they have re-organized their focus areas more specifically into four groups: policy advocacy, organizing and civic engagement, impact litigation, and legal services. To anyone interested in a deeper dive into NFL culture I strongly recommend, Big Game by New York Times Magazine writer Mark Leibovich for an inside-the-suites sense of who says what to who when its more or less just them peer billionaires talking. How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? But in any event, that was part of just being a good listener. Show up at the polls on June 9. So that's really what it was about. In Fall 2021, we launched our new Democracy program area with $10 million in grants designed to strengthen key democracy organizations to be resilient for the long haul of this work. The Braves leaving town also represented an end to the multicultural hub in the heart of the city that was forged by those Olympics. Good Company is billed as a visionary road-map for creating successful businesses. I mean, people were throwing tea off those boats because they were protesting, you know. /SA true Home Depot cofounders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus have long been on separate sides of the fence when it comes to politics. Shrinking from conflict over something as valid, real and life-protecting as a vaccine is not what Id call, manly, brave, courageous or patriotic. He released a statement five days after Gov. GPB intern Eva Rothenberg contributed to this article. They all have a great set of eyes and they're all different. 9. A Handful of Things I Could Not Care Less About, Matt Birk: Rape Victims Are Playing the Rape Card?, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Additionally in 2014, the Atlanta Braves announced that they were building a new stadium outside the city in the northern suburbs, and leaving Turner Field, which was originally the site of Centennial Olympic Stadium for the 1996 summer games. My suspicion is that while Dungy and Tirico and dozens if not hundreds of other NFL leaders may have been surprised by Grudens racist imagery, they arent as unfamiliar with his other boys club stupidity. We had the option of going to a variety of companies, doing a variety of things in a traditional sense of management leadership. If you don't make good choices, you can end up being in really bad places. Michael Vicks published letter, Atlanta, nearly made a whole city cry on the eve of the Super Bowl. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Young you are. I said, Look, I'm going to be a new owner, tell me what I can do to help. Arthur M. Blank is responsible for the sorry state of the Falcons. You know, he uses the phrase community of chaos, that we move away from chaos and towards community and community in a very broad sense, community with each other. 16 Blanks son, Kenny Blank, also sits on the foundations board and is the executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. All Rights Reserved. Steve Bullock, and the Democratic National Committee, to name a few, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. Now, there's no place for violent protest. Nationality: United States Executive summary: Co-Founder of Home Depot. 17. Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. (Confidentiality, you know.) And myself, if you will, I'm at the very bottom of the pyramid as a servant leader and somebody who is there to provide leadership, but also provide whatever that needs to be done for us to be successful. Can We Please Kill Off the Tipping Mumbo-Jumbo? Theres at least one more level to the Jon Gruden disaster that NFL fans should consider about the leagues remarkable influence. They want to have a home-field advantage. During the 2020 elections, Blank contributed $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic Party committees. Together we will rise above this on the strength of what has always made Atlanta great its people, its leaders of past and present and its unique culture that is welcoming to all. Blank retired from the company in 2001 as co-chairman. Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. She was a woman of great principle, great personal authority. Founded in 2010 as the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC), the organization became part of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation in 2014. Among Blanks diverse interests are the nationwide PGA Tour Superstore chain, three guest ranches in Montana, and a family foundation that counts millions in economic development investments on Atlantas beleaguered Westside among its $660-million outlay to date. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said. This isnt just a short-cut, this is a long-term play with significant input and investment into the community and its future, said Scott Jenkins, the general manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, to The Daily Beast. Why Should Tim Walz Even Bother Debating Scott Jensen? /Producer ( Q t 4 . One of the beauties is that when you come to the stadium, it feels like it's the United Nations. During the past year, GALEO staff and volunteers have participated in events at food banks, churches, and schools, where they provide information while assisting with free COVID-19 testing and food distribution. 8 . I have many friends who are no longer fervent Braves supporters. "So, you know, I love him. And, you know, living in poverty, we had friends coming by all the time and what have you. And he recently gave $250,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden, Forbes reported. The Athletic reported that Blank gave $2,800 to Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, on July 1. In total, they anticipate hosting each year 40 to 50 big events and an additional 100 to 200 small events in the neighboring park that will be built where the Georgia Dome currently resides. So it really never defined me. The Falcons were the first pro football team in the South, founded during the civil rights era in 1965. And they found ways to get things done with people who had a little bit a different view but found that commonality that was really important. And so he's used that time since he got out of prison and giving back to community, speaking to young people. But you want your core values to be the same, ideally. And so he carries a weight of authority that somebody who's just called a suit and comes in and talks to them and doesn't quite feel the same, same way.