Preserving the Multicultural Identity of Atlanta's Buford Highway
By: Michelle Angela Ortiz as part of Living Walls’ BuHi Walk, 2017.
““Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you and me.”
Mission
We Love Buford Highway is a 501(c)3 nonprofit preserving the multicultural identity of Atlanta's Buford Highway.
vision
Curate a multicultural coalition to illuminate how immigrants thrive in an ever-changing South.
Community values
Build Unity from Diversity
We’re all from somewhere. As far as another hemisphere or as near as the next neighborhood. Though our individual identities make us unique, our shared identity makes us unite. Together, we create our home along Buford Highway and celebrate the legacies that brought us here.
Listen and Spark Connection
We start by listening. A community’s roots will not take hold if no one proactively listens to connect with the people who shape it. We prioritize those people and earn their trust. With trust as our currency, we build partnerships, collaborations, and relationships that invite others in, and truly bloom when we make a point to connect.
Put Our Grit to the Test
Grit meets every challenge. The determination to make a better life requires fortitude, especially for immigrants and their families. This courageous resilience, commonplace on Buford Highway, inspires us to roll up our sleeves. We stand with our community as nimble doers, no matter the goal we’re focusing on or the crisis putting our grit to the test.
Guard and Guide Dreams
Dreams are the vessels of our hopes. They’re important to hold onto and strive for especially when things are hard. We guard the dreams of people on the corridor because their ambitions are second to none. And we proudly guide them so that those dreams can become a reality that betters the future for all.
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Collect, archive, and share immigrant experiences to uplift, advocate, and humanize, while actively working against the grains of marginalization. Raise awareness and representation of customs, heritage, and cultural norms to better serve and engage our communities.
Initiatives: Oral History Project, Voices of a Highway Podcast, Community Newsletter, Community-Driven Events Planning, Public Arts, and more.
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Enlighten and uplift the community’s youths through free orchestral music training.
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Directly support immigrant communities who contribute to the corridor’s multicultural identity.
Initiatives: Buford Highway Business Circle, Feeding Families, Buford Highway Restaurant Month, and more.
