Community leaders working to ‘bring renewed pride back’ to Atlanta’s westside

ATLANTA — Revitalizing a neighborhood doesn’t start with a promise, and it doesn’t start with new development or freshly paved streets. Leona Barr-Davenport, president and CEO of the Atlanta Business League, said it starts with the people.

“We hope to change the mindset of people in this community,” Barr-Davenport said. “There’s a rich history in this area, and we want to be part of it and continue to be part of it and help raise up our next generation and help stabilize those business owners in the process of growing their businesses.”

The Atlanta Business League is one of the organizations pushing for change on the Westside of Atlanta. Barr-Davenport is working with developers to transform the old Ashby St. Theatre on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in hopes of preserving the area’s rich history of culture and business.

Milton Jones grew up in the area. The former Atlanta Business League president remembers the landmarks and leaders that defined the Westside, and he longs to bring prominence back to what he calls a vital part of the city.

“What we’re talking about doing in this area is something that helps me re-see and will help the community see the economic engine this corridor can be,” Jones said. “This was a center of activity and a place people came to, a true destination. It’s important for us to remember the history but also celebrate the future and create opportunities for growth and economic wellbeing and empowerment as we go forward.”

Restoration expert Jay Scott with Greenrock Partners, LLC said Atlanta is known as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, and it should be preserved with care and intention.

“It’s extremely historical, extremely important in American history, not just civil rights and Black American history,” Scott said. “It really represents the push for freedom beginning right after the Civil War. The more we can restore these properties and bring them back to life and use again – not just have museums but really utilized in the community – the more it’ll benefit this community and all of Atlanta.”

Activism, higher education in the form of historically black colleges and universities, entrepreneurship and financial stability once made the Westside sing. While some of the notes have faded over time, there’s renewed commitment to composing a new song with history and more opportunities standing side by side. Barr-Davenport said they’ll bring renewed pride back to the Westside.

“Our goal is to be an impact in the community, to be a hub where business owners can come and gather and learn,” Barr-Davenport said. “Our goal is to have an impact economically to help bring jobs to the community, to have a place where we can teach and train not only entrepreneurs but students.”