In this week’s top Atlanta Daily World news items, we highlight the untimely passing of Dexter Scott King; Atlanta Falcons hiring its first Black head coach; André 3000 on tour, and more.
Dexter Scott King Honored In Atlanta
The passing of Dexter Scott King continues to impact the nation. On Jan. 23, Dexter’s sister, Dr. Bernice King, joined family members at the King Center to shed light on her fallen brother’s legacy.
Dexter Scott King, the youngest son and the third child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, has passed.
The King Center announced that Dexter passed after a valiant battle with prostate cancer. He transitioned at his home in Malibu, California.
During the press conference, Bernice provided insight on Dexter’s character and skills as a businessman.
“In 1995, he took the helm of leadership at the King Center in the role as the CEO,” she said. “He had a vision to build something that would bring my father to life through technology. Fast forward today. We understand that people didn’t understand it then. And so he came under vicious attack through the media and others who didn’t understand. They felt his intent was for profit. But Dexter had a prophetic intent. He saw into the future and had that not been disrupted, we would have had something in this nation that could have been very potent and powerful for where we are today. And so that attack may have slowed things down.
André 3000 Announces New Tour
André 3000 is coming home. The OutKast member who traded rap lyrics for Mayan flute notes will perform in Atlanta for the first time in eight years with the “New Blue Sun” tour.
The tour will kick-off on Jan. 29 in Brooklyn, NY followed by a three night residency at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York.
He will make his way to Atlanta on Feb. 27 and do three shows at the Variety Playhouse. On March 2, he will perform at Center Stage which is larger venue.
The last time André 3000 performed in Atlanta, it was in 2016 at the ONE Musicfest. He joined OutKast member Big Boi for the historic Dungeon Family reunion. In 2014, OutKast performed three shows at Centennial Olympic Park for the legendary ATLast concert series.
Since then, André 3000 hasn’t performed consistently and only raps as a feature artists. He’s featured on Killer Mike’s latest album “Michael,” and the both received Grammy nominations for the song “Scientist & Engineers.”
Atlanta Falcons Hire First Black Head Coach
Raheem Morris will stand as the first Black head coach in the history of the Atlanta Falcons. According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Falcons will announce Morris as its new coach after the firing of Arthur Smith.
Morris once served as an interim head coach for the Falcons in 2020 after the team fired Dan Quinn.
In 2023, Morris served as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Ram where the team finished with No. 19 overall defense.
Morris is the third Black head coach to be hired in 2024. The New England Patriots hired Jerod Mayo and the Las Vegas Raiders hired Antonio Pierce.
Grady Hospital Gets $40 Million Boost For Burn Unit
Grady Memorial Hospital is pursuing a $46 million project that includes upgrades to the decades-old burn unit at its Downtown Atlanta campus, according to a state filing.
It would also renovate lab space and add dozens of health care workers. Just over $22 million would be spent on improvements to the burn unit, with the rest going toward renovated labs. About a third of the project would be funded with philanthropic donations.
Grady filed a certificate of need application (CON) this week to renovate the Walter L. Ingram Burn Center and lab space at 953-bed hospital. A CON is the state government’s approval of the creation or expansion of a new health care facility.
Grady serves as a center of the state’s health care system. It operates one of only three burn units in Georgia and is the state’s largest provider of indigent and charity care and Medicaid services, according to the application. Sections of the facility have not undergone significant renovation in many years.
GSU Students Are Heading To Paris For Summer Olympics
A group of trailblazing Georgia State University College of Law students are set to make history as they prepare to head to Paris, France in July for the 2024 Olympic games.
The students are part of the “Legal Life of the Olympic Games” course which gives them the opportunity to study the business and legal issues related to the Olympic experience.
The class is included in the specialized experiential learning curriculum which comes out of the Center for Entertainment, Sports and Intellectual Property Law. Creator, Founding Director and Professor of Practice, Mo Ivory, developed the Legal Life Of… course series in 2019, with a focus on giving students practical and culturally relevant learning opportunities in real time.
“I am beyond excited this semester to teach the business and legal issues related to the Olympic Games. From the structure and governance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to broadcasting sponsorship deals, intellectual property rights, anti-doping regulations, humanitarian issues and more, the students will immerse themselves in the Olympic experience,” said Professor Ivory.
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