By Special to the Daily World
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights recently announced that the late Mayor Maynard Jackson’s daughter Brooke Jackson Edmond, partner Daniel Halpern and widow Valerie R. Jackson are leading an effort among 10 minority business owners to raise $2.5 million for the Center. Their company, Jackmont Hospitality Inc. presented a $250,000 check Tuesday, May 17, in honor of Mayor Jackson’s legacy of encouraging business ownership among African Americans in Atlanta and beyond.
“Maynard Jackson had a vision for Atlanta and diverse business ownership was key to achieving it. Our growth into a major commercial and cultural hub is to his credit. It’s wonderful to see the next generation carrying his work forward by supporting the National Center for Civil and Human Rights,” said the Honorable Shirley Franklin, board chair of the Center, who also served as Mayor Jackson’s chief of operations.
Jackmont Hospitality is one of Georgia’s top minority-owned businesses. It joins prominent philanthropic and corporate partners of the Center, including The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, Newell Rubbermaid, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and The UPS Foundation. The Company’s donation of $250,000 is the largest philanthropic contribution it has ever made to any non-profit entity. Jackmont’s leadership hopes the gift will inspire nine other minority-owned businesses to match its contribution to help reach its overall goal of $2.5 million to benefit the Center.
“We are very proud to assist in mobilizing Atlanta’s business community in support of the Center. This institution will be valuable to our city as we celebrate our shared history and apply the lessons in today’s world,” said Jackson Edmond, SVP and founding principal of Jackmont Hospitality. “My father and great-grandfather, John Wesley Dobbs, both knew Atlanta would become the capital of the new American South and a shining beacon of civil and human rights for the world. We make this gift in honor of Maynard’s tireless and visionary work and hope other companies will join us in this effort.” The check was presented at a press conference breakfast held at the downtown Ritz Carlton.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights will display The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection (King Papers), the award-winning Without Sanctuary lynching exhibit and serve as a hub for ongoing dialogue, attracting world-renowned speakers and artists who work on a variety of human rights topics. Located in downtown Atlanta at Pemberton Place and equipped with broadcast and event space, the Center will host civil and human rights conversations among scholars, organizations and the public. For more information, visit www.cchrpartnership.org.
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Halpern, Brooke Jackson Edmond, and her father, the late former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson Jr., Jackmont Hospitality is a full-service foodservice company.
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