ATLANTA — September 2026 — What began 40 years ago as the vision of one Atlanta entrepreneur and 18 of his friends and associates has grown into one of the city’s most enduring organizations dedicated to mentoring, educating and creating opportunities for young people.
In 2026, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. celebrates four decades of working to ensure that a young person’s ZIP code or economic circumstances do not determine the limits of his or her future.
The results of that commitment tell a powerful story:
100% High School Graduation Rate for Project Success students
95% College-Bound Graduates
$8.5 Million in Cumulative Scholarship Awards to graduates
On Saturday, October 3, 2026, the organization will celebrate that legacy — and raise support for the work still ahead — at its 40th Anniversary 100 Honors Gala at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
The black-tie event begins at 6 p.m. and will bring together corporate and civic leaders, educators, philanthropists, community partners, members, alumni and supporters to recognize four decades of service and investment in Atlanta’s young people.
A Vision That Began With 19 Men
The story of 100 Black Men of Atlanta began in 1986, when Atlanta-based entrepreneur Nathaniel R. Goldston III assembled 18 friends and associates to share his vision of creating a community empowerment organization focused on Atlanta’s underprivileged youth.
Goldston had been exposed to a similar concept during a business meeting in New York — One Hundred Black Men of New York — and saw the potential for bringing that model of mentorship, leadership and community engagement to Atlanta.
List of 19 Founders
- Nathaniel R. Goldston, III*
- William "Bill" Campbell, Esq.
- Willie H. Clemons, PhD
- Clarence Cooper, Esq.
- Alonzo A. Crim, PhD*
- Thomas F. Cuffie, Esq.
- Joseph I. Hoffman, Jr., M.D., P.C.
- Dwight E. Jones, M.D.
- Charles Meredith, PhD*
- Leon J. Oldham, III*
- Herman L. Reese, EdD
- Terry J. Reynolds, D.D.S.*
- George K. Robinson
- Dennis Turner, Jr., M.D
- Mack Wilbourn
- Charles "Chuck" Williams*
- Edward "E.B." Williams, PhD*
- Robert "Bob' Williams*
- Walter F. Young, D.D.S.
*Deceased
From that vision, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. was born.
The Atlanta organization became one of eight 100 Black Men organizations operating in cities around the country. Those organizations subsequently joined forces to create 100 Black Men of America, headquartered in Atlanta.
Today, the broader 100 Black Men movement has grown to more than 100 chapters worldwide and more than 10,000 members, while 100 Black Men of Atlanta has become one of the largest chapters, with more than 200 members locally.
What began with 19 men gathered around a shared vision has evolved into a multigenerational network of leaders committed to preparing young people for successful futures.
Four Decades of Leadership and Community Engagement
Throughout its history, 100 Black Men of Atlanta has expanded its reach beyond traditional mentoring to address many of the interconnected issues affecting young people and their communities.
Members have become actively engaged in education, public policy, economic empowerment, social issues, health and wellness, leadership development and community advocacy.
The organization has also become a respected community voice and is frequently called upon to support and lend its influence to initiatives aligned with its mission.
Yet at the center of that expanding work has remained the commitment that inspired Goldston and the organization’s founding members in 1986:
Atlanta’s young people deserve access to opportunity, positive role models and adults willing to invest in their success.
Measurable Impact Through Project Success
One of the clearest demonstrations of that commitment is Project Success, the organization’s signature mentoring and educational initiative.
Project Success is designed to go beyond occasional mentoring. It creates sustained relationships and combines mentorship with academic support, leadership development, college and career preparation and exposure to opportunities that can expand what young people believe is possible.
Its outcomes demonstrate the potential of that model.
100% of Project Success students graduate from high school.
95% of graduates are college bound.
Graduates have received $8.5 million in cumulative scholarship awards.
Behind those numbers are young people who have completed high school, pursued higher education, developed career aspirations and gained access to relationships and opportunities that can influence the trajectory of their lives.
The philosophy behind the organization’s work is captured in the national 100 Black Men motto:
"What They See Is What They’ll Be."
100 Black Men of Atlanta puts that principle into action by connecting students with accomplished professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, educators and community leaders who provide mentorship, encouragement, career exposure and examples of successful leadership.
Reaching Young People Where Opportunity Matters
The organization’s work with students at B.E.S.T. Academy represents that commitment in action.
Mentors provide students with access to professional networks, college and career pathways, educational experiences, leadership development and successful role models.
The organization also supports young people through educational enrichment, scholarships, STEM and robotics programming, health and wellness initiatives, career exposure and other mentoring efforts designed to prepare students for life beyond the classroom.
For many young people, that exposure does something fundamental:
It changes what they can see — and therefore what they can imagine for themselves.
From Mentoring Activities to Measurable Life Outcomes
As 100 Black Men of Atlanta enters its fifth decade, the organization is building upon its history while placing an even greater emphasis on measurable impact.
Success is not defined simply by the number of events held, mentoring hours provided or students who participate in a program.
The objective is to connect mentoring to meaningful life outcomes — academic achievement, high school graduation, post-secondary education, career readiness, leadership and economic mobility.
Project Success provides compelling evidence of what that approach can achieve:
100% graduation.
95% college bound.
$8.5 million in cumulative scholarship awards.
These are not simply organizational statistics. They represent young people moving toward futures filled with greater opportunity.
100 Honors Gala: Celebrating a Legacy, Investing in the Future
The 40th Anniversary 100 Honors Gala will celebrate individuals whose leadership, service and commitment exemplify the values that have guided 100 Black Men of Atlanta since 1986.
The evening will also honor the visionary founders who established the organization, generations of members who carried its mission forward, community and corporate partners who invested alongside it, and the students and graduates whose achievements demonstrate why the work matters.
During this special evening, we will honor the following distinguished individuals and corporations:
- Andrew Young Lifetime Achievement Award – The Coca-Cola Company
- Maynard H. Jackson Community Impact Award – Bentina C. Terry, President and CEO, Southern Linc. and Southern Telecom Inc.
- Nathaniel R. Goldston, III Trailblazer Award – Edwin C. Moses, BS Physics, MBA, Sc.D h.c., OLY, Olympic Champion & Advocate
- John Lewis Emerging Leader Award – Brandon P. Fleming, Founder, The Veritas Schools & Author of MISEDUCATED
- Chairman’s Circle Corporate Responsibility Award – Gas South
- Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Civic Leadership Award – Sidney D. Barron, Founder & Principal, VisionPoint Dealer Advisory & Immediate Past Chairman, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.
- Corporate Community Award – UPS
- Chairman’s Emerging 100 Member Award – Diriki T. Geuka, Senior Associate, Townsend & Lockett, LLC & Immediate Past President, Emerging 100 of Atlanta
The Gala will serve as an important fundraising platform supporting scholarships, mentoring, educational programming and opportunities for Atlanta youth.
Corporate partners, foundations, philanthropists and individual donors are being invited to view their support not simply as sponsorship of a single evening, but as an investment in measurable outcomes for young people and in Atlanta’s future workforce and leadership.
From 19 Men to the Next Generation
The significance of the organization’s 40th anniversary can be measured not only by how far it has come, but by the consistency of its purpose.
In 1986, Nathaniel R. Goldston III gathered 18 men around a vision of empowering Atlanta’s underprivileged youth.
Forty years later, more than 200 local members are carrying that vision forward.
Atlanta has changed dramatically during those four decades. The city has experienced extraordinary population, business and economic growth and has emerged as an important center of corporate leadership, technology, entrepreneurship, entertainment and culture.
Yet access to that prosperity and opportunity remains uneven.
That makes the organization’s original mission as relevant today as it was in 1986.
As 100 Black Men of Atlanta looks toward its next 40 years, it intends to deepen partnerships with corporations, educational institutions, foundations, philanthropists and community organizations; expand college, career and workforce pathways; strengthen its mentoring programs; and continue measuring the long-term outcomes of the young people it serves.
The goal is straightforward:
Ensure that a young person’s ZIP code or economic circumstances do not determine the limits of his or her future.
The members of 100 Black Men of Atlanta remain proud of the organization’s accomplishments and, most importantly, the achievements of its students.
After four decades, they are equally focused on what comes next.
The first 40 years established the legacy. The next 40 will expand the impact.
