The city of Atlanta, in the state of Georgia, has suffered a long history of racial discrimination and has been the epicenter of important events in the struggle for racial rights and equality. The city was the center of the civil rights struggle in the 1950s and 1960s, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and has become a world reference in the fight against racial discrimination.
The business ownership gap between whites and blacks in Atlanta has been a persistent problem, and iHeartMedia Atlanta’s Drew Lauter’s commitment to boost the growth of 10,000 black-owned businesses is an important step in trying to close this gap. Their support will consist of donating free audio and video advertising and event inclusion, which was confirmed in a video interview with CBS 46’s Karyn Grier, interviewing iHeart Atlanta’s John Hope Bryant and Drew Lauter, in which the enthusiasm for taking the lead on this initiative was palpable, as they can help bridge the gap between black and white businesses, which is obsolete in the century we live in, with proclaimed universal rights that do not distinguish by race.
This is a multi-year commitment to Atlanta-based Operation HOPE, whose mission is to expand economic opportunity by making free enterprise work for all to reduce economic inequality, financial illiteracy and social injustice in support of its national 1 Million Black Business Initiative (1MBB), which aims to create one million new black businesses by 2030.
It was learned through a press release that Operation HOPE appreciated the significant commitment made by Drew Lauter of iHeartMedia Atlanta, because you cannot have a movement without the right media, and also for supporting the creation of black-owned businesses in the city of Atlanta, ensuring that such leadership in the private sector, helps the city continue to have for the world, the moral strength inherited from the great leaders who fought so hard, for the vindication of civil rights.
As also known, the project was launched in October 2020, with founding partner Shopify, 1MBB aims to remove traditional barriers to black entrepreneurship and encourage more aspiring black business owners to start and thrive by ensuring the tools and resources necessary to achieve success.
These commitments are important in addressing issues of racial discrimination in Atlanta, but there is still much to be done in terms of ensuring racial equality in the city and across the country. The media, like iHeart Media, has an important role to play in the fight for civil rights and racial equality and must be part of the solution to these problems rather than perpetuating them.
