Summit Rewind: Watch our June 1 Summit, Featuring Local Entrepreneurs on their “Westside Why”`

June 7, 2018

On Friday, June 1st, Westside Future Fund hosted its 11th Summit of 2018. The Summit featured opening speaker Malika Whitley of ChopArt and a panel discussion, “Rebuilding the Westside: Westside Entrepreneurs Share Their ‘Westside Why,’” with Labriah Lee Holt of Sweetroots Hair Bar, Winston Taylor of 960 MLK, and Zachary Wallace of Local Green Atlanta. The panel was moderated by Keitra Bates of Marddy’s Shared Kitchen.

Opening Devotion: ChopArt is an organization that helps homeless youth find dignity, mentorship, and personal expression through art. It was started out of Whitley’s own experience with homelessness and has grown to include programming in Atlanta and New Orleans, as well as Hyderabad, India and Accra, Ghana. In her remarks, Whitley shared some information regarding the mission, vision, and values of the organization and stories about the youth impacted by the programming. Her work has been internationally recognized, as well as highlighted in Atlanta’s local media. Most notably, Whitley has been named in Creative Loafing ATL’s “20 People to Watch,” and ChopArt has been featured in Atlanta Magazine and on WSBTV’s WFF feature.

Attendee Self-Introductions

Westside Future Fund and Community Announcements

Featured presentation: “Rebuilding the Westside: Westside Entrepreneurs Share Their ‘Westside Why’”

In the panel discussion, the entrepreneurs shared deeply personal reflections on their journeys in life and business and about what led them to start their respective ventures. This dialogue —featuring all Atlanta natives — included conversations on how they overcame the typical challenges associated with starting a small business with an emphasis on how they took advantage of second chances to create positive outcomes, how important the community is in their vision, and what it’s like to operate during such a significant period of transition in the city.

Check out our Facebook page for photos from the Summit.

Watch the full Summit below!