BONUS: Forging a Path for Preservation-Based Economic Development

Urban Roots

Lejuano Varnell is the co-founder of the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit, HAANDS, and the executive director of Sweet Auburn Works, which does preservation-based economic development along the historic Auburn Avenue corridor in Atlanta.

We met Lejuano when we were in Atlanta for the first, in-person HAANDS, and were lucky enough to receive a tour from him of Auburn Avenue, which is home to many historic African American sites, such as the Atlanta Daily World building (the headquarters of the first African American newspaper) and the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge (which used to house WERD Radio, the first African American owned radio station in North America). We were really inspired by the work he and the landowners on the Avenue are doing to make sure it remains a hub of African American culture and entrepreneurship moving forward. In this conversation, Lejuano breaks down their approach — which weaves both tactical programs and narrative storytelling — and gives us some insight into the future of HAANDS.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Sweet Auburn Works
• HAANDS
• HAANDs Summit 2021: America's Black Wall Street w/ Dr. Jelani Cobb and Hannibal Johnson
• Sweet Auburn Bread Company
• Main Street America

Credits:

Thank you to Lejuano Varnell. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and Connor Lynch and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

Social Media

Handles

IG: @_haands / @sweetauburnworks

TW: @_haands / @sweetauburnwork

LN: HAANDS / Sweet Auburn Works

Audiogram - Audio

“The more you uplift the place-based narrative … the harder it is to erase it.”

Lejuano Varnell is the co-founder of @_haands — the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit — and the executive director of @sweetauburnworks. Every day, he does whatever it takes to improve his historic Atlanta corridor — and make it a place where small African American businesses can thrive. Listen to our full episode to hear more about Lejuano and how he’s building on the work of his predecessors to strike a path for preservation-based economic development in Atlanta — and beyond.