The Hyatt Regency Atlanta holds a history that is not known to most, but, as the Bureaus founders are Men of Morehouse that history impacts us, as well as the greater Atlanta community deeply. The story below describes how this hotel was the center of providing Black excellence long before the Bureau was established to demand it, that is why they are recognized as a National Better Black Business Accredited Company.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his 1967 Southern Christan Leadership Conference were Hyatt Regency Atlantas second conference meeting customers…
Why & How?
The event was turned away by another hotel, and Dr. King famously looked at the new Atlanta Hyatt and said, “Maybe that will be our hotel of Hope….” In August 1967 Dr.King spoke in HRA Regency Ballroom which is still in use today. HRA continues to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy. His deputies remain loyal partners, including Ambassador Andrew Young and Broadcast Pioneer Xernona Clayton who organized the 1967 meeting. Ms. Clayton recounted HRA’s Civil Rights history for the Atlantic magazine in 2017.
Also in 2017 HRA renamed its executive suite the “Coretta Scott King Suite”. Coretta Scott King founded Atlanta’s King Center and was a pioneering global civil rights activist leader. The HRA Heritage Celebration recognizes our connection to Atlanta’s Civil Rights community and honors key figures in the movement. Honorees have included Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, and many others.
The future relationship between the Bureau and HRA seeks to expand honorees, bring more attention to the Heritage Celebration, and once again promote HRA as the “Hotel Of Hope”.