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Foreword

The Atlanta Business League’s 14th Annual Men of Influence continues the tradition started in 2007 recognizing African-
American men who have made a difference in our community. Whether they have excelled in corporate America or com-
munity organizing, been chosen for public office or public service, made a name in business or entertainment; we know
that Black men are brilliant, and deserve credit for the many contributions they make to improve our society.

While others may fail to recognize their genius, we affirm that African American men are the greatest innovators on the
planet. They have accomplished so much with so little, and there is no limit to what they can do when given the opportu-
nity.

As evidence, our growing list of distinguished gentlemen includes some of the best and the brightest our community has
to offer… bar none.
Tiffany Callaway Ferrell
Board Chair Take for example the Legends Hall of Fame… a who’s who of innovators whose extraordinary achievements are nothing
Atlanta Business League
short of history-making. This is an exclusive club of “firsts” who, in charting their own way out of no way, create a path for
others to follow.

Kenny Leon, joins the legendary Hall of Fame Inductees. Leon is a Tony Award, Obie Award-winning and Emmy-nomi-
nated Broadway and television director. He has directed many acclaimed masterpieces, some of his credits include: the
Broadway premiere of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize winning piece, A Soldier’s Play; Children of a Lesser God; Holler If Ya
Hear Me; A Raisin in the Sun (Tony Award – 2014). Leon serves on the board of New York’s Public Theater and is Artistic
Director Emeritus of Atlanta’s Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company.

In our 14th season, we are naming posthumously three Legacy Honorees, each who played an integral part in the legacy
of civil rights and the improved experience of African Americans in the United States. Our first 2020 Legacy, The Honor-
able John Lewis, a 17-term Congressman who served Georgia’s 5th Congressional District with dedication. As one of the
“Big Six” leaders who organized the 1963 March on Washington, Congressman Lewis was a beacon of hope and progress,
Leona Barr-Davenport forwarding the cause of equality and justice among all peoples.
President & CEO
Atlanta Business League Our second 2020 Legacy Honoree is Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, esteemed minister and Co-Founder of the Southern
Christian Leadership Council (SCLC). Hailed as the “Dean of the Civil Rights Movement” upon his receipt of the NAACP’s
“Lifetime Achievement Award,” Rev. Dr. Lowery assumed and executed a broad and diverse series of roles over the span
of his eight decades: Leader, Pastor/Preacher, Servant, Father, Husband, Freedom Fighter and Advocate.

Our third 2020 Legacy Honoree is Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian, distinguished minister, author and close friend and lieutenant of
Martin Luther King Jr. The Rev. Dr. Vivian founded the Nashville Christian Leadership Council, helping to organize the first
sit-ins in Nashville in 1960. Throughout his career, Rev. Dr. Vivian worked tirelessly to help educate students, founding
several civil rights organizations: Vision, National Anti-Klan Network, and the Center for Democratic Renewal.

You may not see these Men of Influence in the news headlines, but they are our heroes. With this directory, we have taken
on the responsibility of telling the world about the impact of Black men. Let’s give our men accolades while they’re with
us.

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