Challenging Racism in Atlanta: A Conversation with Nathaniel Smith

Tuesday, March 2
7–8 p.m. (ET)
Virtual Event
Moderated by Jerry Gardner ’58, ’65 (MA), P’96

You’re invited to join fellow alumni, parents, and friends for a thought-provoking discussion with Nathaniel Smith, founder and chief equity officer of the Partnership for Southern Equity. Presented as part of our “Challenging Racism in Atlanta” sessions, these special events showcase Atlanta’s leaders and their commitment to combatting racism in the city.

The Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) advances policies and institutional actions that promote racial equity and shared prosperity for all. Focusing on four key areas––energy, growth, health, and opportunity––PSE has developed strong partnerships and successful policy initiatives that help elevate and enable the communities of metropolitan Atlanta and the American South.

PSE's notable accomplishments include:

• Creating the American South's first equity mapping and framing tool, the Metro Atlanta Equity Atlas.
• Co-authoring numerous reports on economic and employment equity.
• Leading a coalition of diverse stakeholders to support a $13 million transit referendum that expanded Atlanta's metropolitan transit system into a new county for the first time in 45 years.

A child of the Civil Rights Movement and Atlanta native, Nathaniel Smith’s advocacy was instrumental in the development and maintenance of affordable workforce housing within the Atlanta BeltLine. Among his many accomplishments, The Huffington Post named Nathaniel as one of eight “Up and Coming Black Leaders in the Climate Movement" in 2017. He was also honored by Grist magazine (“Grist 50,” 2018), Atlanta magazine (“Atlanta 500,” 2019, 2020), and Georgia Trend magazine (“Most Influential Georgians,” 2018, 2019, 2020). Nathaniel’s work has been featured in U.S. News and World Report, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, The Atlanta Journal––Constitution, and Atlanta Voice among others. He holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Morehouse College and a master’s degree from the New School.

We kindly ask that you register in advance. A link to join the event will be shared in your registration confirmation.

 A special thank you to the Atlanta Network for coordinating this event!

The University of Rochester is committed to providing inclusive experiences and equal access to programs and services. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the access provided, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement using the information below. In all situations, a good faith effort (up until 24 hours before the event) will be made to provide accommodations.