Atlanta – Day 5

Plans change and with the coronavirus outbreak CNN canceled all public tours for the time being. In turn we were able to experience more of Atlanta’s rich history and culture. The opportunity to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park was powerful. This park encompasses The King Center, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Freedom Hall, the eternal flame for a world of justice, peace, and equality and the home where MLK was born and raised. In this Atlanta neighborhood that has been preserved for history MLK began to move hearts and minds in his leadership as a catalyst for social change. Walking the same streets and listening to recorded sermons in his church you could feel the passion and strength of his leadership all around you.

The next portion of our day brought us to the campus of Georgia Tech Research Institute where we met Dr. Lauren Ledbetter Griffeth, the Director of Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry. AGL’s program resembles the CALP model closely. Our class enjoyed being able to bridge our similarities with another state’s AG program. Dr. Griffeth shared with us her leadership journey along with a few details on her dissertation studying women and their specific leadership learning which we were all interested to learn more about.

While at GTRI we were fortunate to hear from three researchers in technology advancements relating to agriculture. Gary McMurray, Colin Usher, and Dr. Jie Xu shared their fascinating developments in technology including robotics uses in live animal environments such as poultry houses and the data analysis of volatile organic compounds in leafy greens.

Our final stop of the day brought us back to downtown Atlanta for a tour of the National Museum of Civil and Human Rights. This is the most powerful collection of historical facts and experiences that any of us had ever seen. The museum encompasses the American Civil Rights Movement which equipped marginalized groups with the language to articulate their plights. Again we saw the vision of MLK for the world to triumph over oppression and unite humankind as one family. Followed by a display on worldwide human rights and the battles continuing today. The significance of history while recognizing the continuing need for change is a significant message for all leaders to witness and understand. This is a must see exhibit when in Atlanta.