July 28 marks the 62nd anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, where an estimated 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to hear the civil rights activist call for civil and economic rights on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In honor of that iconic historical moment, The Atlanta Dream — named after the speech — hosted a girls’ basketball clinic at the C.T. Martin Recreation Center.
The clinic and day were made even more special with a community announcement aimed at providing financial freedom for Atlanta-area residents. Atlanta Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker, King Center CEO Bernice King, and Cash App counsel lead Chrysty Esperanza announced that, in partnership with ForgiveCo, they are eliminating $10 million in debt in some of Atlanta’s low-income communities. Three thousand five hundred residents will receive debt relief of up to $80,000.
“It’s really special,” Parker said. “It actually opens up opportunities for their dreams to flourish. So that could mean buying a car or thinking about college. It could mean a down payment on a house, which is game-changing.”
The basketball court was a flurry of motion as over 100 young girls ran drills, enjoyed skill stations and leadership lessons, and played fun games with Atlanta Dream front office staff, players, and representatives from the King Center and Cash App executives. Some of the young girls participating in the clinic were from families that received debt relief.
“This moment is really full circle, because the Atlanta Dream is primarily made up of Black female athletes. The WNBA is 90 percent African American athletes, and it is such a privilege for us to be able to lean into this community and make sure that we’re serving communities that really are places where young girls need to see their heroes; they need to see what they can be. And if they don’t see that, and they don’t feel like that, then they’re not going to be able to break through some of the barriers that exist in their lives,” Parker said.
“This really shows that women’s sports, in particular, are always a catalyst for social change and for community involvement.”
