The firing in 1978 was a political situation primarily between my partner Bernie [Marcus] and a gentleman, that has passed away now, who was his boss. Of the other 60% who do come, half are rooting for the other team. So I understood what they were saying: They just wanted support noise. When I left [Home Depot] in 2001, [it] was the second largest retailer in the world, second only to Wal-Mart. You know, dig in [your] heels and it becomes, "My territory, your territory," etc. A study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020 showed Blank is a bipartisan contributor to political campaignsbut contributed more to Democratic candidates from 2012 to 2020. "Obviously, it's a tragic time in the history of the. Minnesota Legislature, What Are You Chewing? In 2022, they plan to connect with over 1 million voters/ potential voters through phone banking, text banking, in-person canvassing events, and going door to door. } !1AQa"q2#BR$3br And thats despite our recent record, which hasn't been, you know, one I'm particularly proud of, but we'll get better. He came out of the prison system as a changed person for the positive, not for the negative. And being a good listener, it's an art form that we all can possess. The Falcons' owner, Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot with a net worth of $3 billion, at first glance certainly fits the bill of your standard billionaire athletic team owner. Do it in November. In recent years Atlantas sports teams have attracted controversies that have highlighted the racial disparities that still largely define the city. The Home Depot co-founder, Arthur Blank, candidly shares details of an impromptu meeting in an airport hangar when he was asked to step down, the company's short-term mistake of replacing him. Arthur Blank is getting more involved in the political process. ATLANTA Protests over the death of George Floyd have been gaining national attention. And so he's used that time since he got out of prison and giving back to community, speaking to young people. Young you are. Seventy-threethousand stood up and clapped, gave him a great hand. That coming the day before the New York Times dropped the bomb(s) about Gruden calling the NFL commissioner a faggot, ripping the leagues concussion protocols, (in other words, Grudens pro-concussion) and trading nudie pictures of cheerleaders. He's committed to his wife now, his children. /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB His percentage of giving back from his estate will be equal to mine and some of his philosophies don't exactly match mine. It's an inverted pyramid that speaks to our whole orientation and all of our businesses today. I think when the president [Donald Trump] in the fall of 2017 commented during his speech in Alabama about I don't want to use the words, you know what they were but he termed the players that were kneeling, in my view, in a very derogatory way. I listen to what he says and sometimes I'll cringe. And there are two [robbers] and they want to know, "Where's the money, where's the cash?" But We Aint Seen Nuthin Yet. In that way, I don't think my personality, probably, or my patience level probably is not the level it would have to be to sustain myself in this political atmosphere today. 5) 9, Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. One where guys like the Vikings' Mark and Zygi Wilf and Arthur (Home Depot) Blank of the Atlanta Falcons come off as comparatively rational. And so think about the implications of the choices you're making for yourself and for your loved ones, etc. But staying in the city and trying to work with the community definitely beats the usual stadium construction scam and unwanted racial division that has become far too common in sports today. And somebody knocked on the door. 1, I think at that time I didn't probably fully appreciate the environment, the communities and neighborhood that Michael was raised in, an area called New Newport News. A message sent to Arthur Blank from President Obama in 2018, thanking him for his commitment to affordability at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Blank cut concession prices by 50%. My suspicion is that while Dungy and Tirico and dozens if not hundreds of other NFL leaders may have been surprised by Grudens racist imagery, they arent as unfamiliar with his other boys club stupidity. We had the option of going to a variety of companies, doing a variety of things in a traditional sense of management leadership. /ca 1.0 And then he came up to my suite afterward and it was like 10, 15 minutes later, his face was just full of tears and he said that he was so moved by it. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He fielded multiple quarterback-related questions and spoke glowingly of Ridder, who. "People are coming from different places, which is okay, but it's not okay when they're disrespectful; it's not okay when they're not kind. Our history of voting rights is a constant struggle, a repetitive cycle of expansion followed by restriction. Bernard Marcus - Wikipedia And at the top of that is who is being served comes first. Who knows how successful theyll be, and many residents worry that economic growth could facilitate gentrification. During the 2020 elections, Blank contributed $300,000 to Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic Party committees. We believe the right to vote is sacred and should be protected, so that we can have an active and engaged citizenry that participates in our democracy year-round, not just during presidential election cycles. Georgia businessman Arthur Blank joins with voting groups on Democracy Class Atlanta The Jolt: Arthur Blank teams with voting groups to forge 'Democracy Class Atlanta' Caption Credit:. We want to see the system that sets up for systemic racism burned to the ground. But that was typical of my mother. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. His is another example of how well powerful systems, in this case, the almighty NFL, can throw a PR cocoon around people and project to the public only the parts of its culture that serve its business interests until they dont. I, like almost everyone else, had already started celebrating at halftime. /SA true The 79-year-old philanthropist has supported educational projects to promote civil rights and racial justice. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images), WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), >> Go home. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. But tell me what I can do to help? And they said, Well, you know, the reality is about 40% of our stadium is empty. And now their story is a page-turning novel. The Falcons leadership knows how to play politics. /Producer ( Q t 4 . We believe that voting rights are critically important, and our home state of Georgia is at the center of the struggle. A documentary surrounding Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian's surrogacy journey is set to air on RT on March 13. How could Trump possibly have lost re-election? At the time, Atlanta liked to call itself The City Too Busy to Hate, but as more African Americans moved to the city the moniker shifted to The City Too Busy Moving to Hate, as more white Atlantans escaped the city to the northern suburbs. ', We have to be better than this moment. Atlanta rapper, advocate Killer Mike has message for protestors https://t.co/zb3oMHK7sx, "You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. Support more understanding and be better listeners trying to see how the other people, you know, try to stand in the footsteps of others. If executed improperly, this stadium could continue a long line of broken promises for this blighted community. And the great political leaders in the past, they were civil and they were good listeners. "This grant will help The Center add to its existing . And my mother was giving him a lecture saying, You realize this is not what your parents would want you to do. Citizens and municipalities have for far too long believed these baseless claims, paid for the stadium, and watched them lie dormant during the offseason as the new businesses never came. It is in effect protecting the teams owner, a guy regularly reviled by sportswriters, players and fans as a (very wealthy) toxic idiot. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images). This is not the legacy of civil rights in America. What Does Hamline Not Understand About Academic Freedom? In Fall 2021, we launched our new Democracy program area with $10 million in grants designed to strengthen key democracy organizations to be resilient for the long haul of this work. Blank Launches New Voter Education Project - Atlanta Jewish Times And to be sure, Atlanta is better than what we saw in the actions of a few last night. /BitsPerComponent 8 Arthur Blank - Forbes How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? If you don't make good choices, you can end up being in really bad places. Arthur Blank releases statement on Georgia voting rights . You need to figure out something else to do for the rest of your life. And after a while, he said, Would you please shut up? And she never did. In order to put this grinding pandemic behind us once and for all? It is time to hold mayoral offices accountable, chiefs and deputy chiefs. Martin Luther King Jr. once lived in this part of town, but decades of disinvestment and neglect have resulted in over 40 percent of the community living in poverty with an unemployment rate twice that of the rest of Atlanta. And I think we got disconnected. Because It Delivers Comfort, Status and Cash. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said. 12, Blank has been married three times. Among Blanks diverse interests are the nationwide PGA Tour Superstore chain, three guest ranches in Montana, and a family foundation that counts millions in economic development investments on Atlantas beleaguered Westside among its $660-million outlay to date. So, then we opened up The Home Depot. American professional sports owners have contributed nearly $47 million in federal elections since 2015, according to research by ESPN in partnership with FiveThirtyEight, including $10 million. But the level where this Gruden idiocy touches the countrys perilous moment is where the NFL arguably one of the most popular and therefore influential organizations/corporations in the country could and should use Grudens buffoonish racism and sexism to make unambiguous statements to its fans, which is to say just about everyone in the country. If you go to a Home Depot shareholders meeting, they start out every single meeting for 42 years now with this value wheel that we developed. We have to be better than burning down our own homes because if we lose Atlanta what else do we have?, I want you to go home. ~B?/"J()NF =|Z|&t?jCJw)C 0H>~9 ( 81c2fO=a>}@#y}~9]jqCZ'}*x:qj@PTj+2>dm?aU2 8'z?mWm)yt7,?:99=, +oG6 <4!I lg, ]6vDT2zu9~1bA'px#?)X&,:irv.q'/U:~]{tf&[eR|ozKD-sCEAMnO e=#MguofhNFT1vMfH# Q,e_oZdb_47OatAYs2=LJr~R1# gwg],Xs7q72 f) _n:R-r9-:Q`Mg?_t*"v8? There was a six-year period in there, when things went a little south. So, I think the great political leaders and the great spiritual leaders, in my view, have always, always opened up their arms and included everybody. Owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Flacons reacts before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on November 10, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. And they found ways to get things done with people who had a little bit a different view but found that commonality that was really important. So that's really what it was about. By Bob Bahr October 12, 2021, 5:48 pm. So when we started, MLS was ranked like 22nd among all the leagues in the world. In 1978, both he and future Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank were fired during a corporate power struggle at Handy Dan. They all understand it's, you know, you have an opportunity to be here on Earth and how do you want to leave it? And if I stop talking now for two minutes, you realize just how long two minutes is. And part of that is reducing our environmental impact.. Liz Cheney Aint Going Nowhere in This Republican Party, Jensens Abortion Ban Promises Come Back to Haunt Him, Thanks to Oppo. Arthur Blank is firmly in Joe Biden's corner. w !1AQaq"2B #3Rbr I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. Their frustration is real, and it must be acknowledged and addressed. Arthur Blank on Trump policies: 'Troubled by anything that "I think one of the things that is wrong with America today that we can work on and become better at is that we need to become better listeners to each other and we need to be better about understanding where people are coming from," Blank said. Arthur Blank gives $17M to National Center for Civil and Human Rights He would say, I don't need to be cut any slack, you know. And if you go to the Museum of Equal Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, [Equal Justice Initiative Director] Bryan Stevenson says the same thing: We need to recognize [that] these 5000 lynchings took place in the United States[a 2019 Report from the EJI documents more than 4440 racial terror lynchings in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950]. With Labels, Listen to Affected Populations, Not Activists, As With Alcohol, Mitigation, Not Prohibition, Is the Answer, It Seems Democrats Are Blundering Badly (Again) with Their All-Abortion, All-the-Time Campaign. Think about How do I listen to the people that are actually trying to serve and how do we put results in place that would give them the very best chance for equality and for success and for fair treatment? And I think we have to strive more for that. /Width 625 Arthur Blanks brother, Michael, and his father, Max, are photographed outside the OES Pharmacy family business, in 1940. He details the inception and rapid success of Atlanta United, and responding to the NFL protests that began in 2016. Stop feeding fear and anger every day. Our Family Foundation and the rest of our businesses here in Atlanta and elsewhere remain committed to being part of the solution., Together for Atlanta. Currently, over 200 Westside residents are working on the stadiums construction and the foundation has funded, among other things, Westside Works to help residents find employment and learn job training skills. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is married to Angela Macuga, his third wife. For the last two decades, sports have united this largely racially divided city, and partially due to the actions of the Hawks and the Braves, the Falcons could ill-afford to have a stadium plan that was not only racially inclusive, but also worked to incorporate the surrounding community. You can do whatever you choose to do. Through their work, we envision a social movement in which communities of color are fully empowered, active in civic life, and working together to promote equity, fair treatment, and self determination for all. %PDF-1.4 If you sit in your homes instead of burning your home to the ground, you will have time to properly plot, plan, strategize and organize and mobilize in effective ways., Two of the most effective ways is first taking your butt to the computer and making sure you fill out your census so that people know who you are and where you are.