February 15, 2007

Mayor Franklin Announces Formation of Civil and Human Rights Center Partnership Effort, Outlines Staff Positions

Mayor Shirley Franklin announced today, the creation of a partnership to lead the effort to build a major new Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) in Downtown Atlanta.  Consistent with plans outlined by the Mayor’s 2006 Working Group, the CCHR Partnership will coordinate all pre-development activities, including fundraising, center content, and formalizing a permanent organizational structure for the Center.

"The Center for Civil and Human Rights will preserve our civil rights legacy by recognizing the historic contributions of well-known and unsung leaders from Atlanta and Georgia.  It will also present an opportunity for ongoing engagement with today’s human rights struggles, demonstrating how the lessons of the past can help shape a better future here and abroad,” said Mayor Franklin. "This project will stimulate economic growth across the State and build on the city’s broad range of cultural and educational offerings.  I envision a day when integrated transportation networks and cooperative programming enable visitors to move easily among these sites, giving them many options for exploring the stories of our local leaders and heroes.”

“In the last five years, the City has effectively nurtured public-private partnerships to initiate the BeltLine, address our sewer challenges and to re-name the airport, among many other efforts.  This model has proven successful in bringing the best individuals and organizations to help drive efforts like these. I have great confidence that a partnership between CAP and ADA will make the Center a reality,” said Mayor Franklin.

The CCHR Partnership will draw on the expertise of the Atlanta Development Authority and Central Atlanta Progress.  In its first official act, the Partnership has appointed Doug Shipman as Executive Director of the CCHR Partnership. Shipman, a Senior Manager with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and a member of the Mayor’s Working Group, will take a leave of absence from BCG. Cheryl Thomas Strickland, Managing Director–Tax Allocation Districts of the Atlanta Development Authority and A.J. Robinson, President of Central Atlanta Progress will spearhead the efforts of their respective organizations within the Partnership. 

“This is an incredibly important and meaningful project and I am thrilled to lend my energies, along with the resources of ADA, to this effort,” said Strickland.  “There is tremendous momentum right now. Given the current pace of downtown revitalization activities and the City’s successful acquisition of the King Papers, this is exactly the right time to pursue and make the Center a reality.  With the interest and heartfelt enthusiasm expressed by so many businesses and community stakeholders, I expect our efforts will result in a truly noteworthy project that we will view with pride for generations to come.”  

“I am excited to continue the work to build an interactive, inclusive and world-class institution that illuminates the past and engages the future,” Shipman said.  “Over the next few months, we will focus on a detailed plan for the Center content, a process for accepting and archiving materials provided to the Center, and the fundraising effort to support the building and endowing of the Center.  These efforts will require the work of many people across Atlanta and Georgia and I look forward to working with all of those who are inspired to help bring the Center to life.”

 About the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta

The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta will commemorate the groundbreaking contributions of Atlantans and Georgians to the historic struggle for African-American freedom and equality, and also serve as a living center for ongoing contributions to human rights struggles around the world.  The stories and experiences shared at the Center will be united by the following vision:  Throughout the ages humans have sought to secure a decent and just place for themselves in their community or society.  Sometimes to gain that sense of security they have had to fight to change the conditions of their lives. This Center will recognize and tell the stories of the universal search for a secure human existence.

Center for Civil and Human Rights Document Library

Overview of Report
Full Report Recommendations
Appendix