The April 16th Virtual Transform Westside Summit featured a devotional message by Valerie Williams, President of the Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School. Originally, the devotion was to be delivered by Reverend Shalise Steele-Young, Founder & CEO of Repairer of the Breach National Ministries, Inc. and wife to the late Councilman Ivory Lee Young Jr. However, due to technical difficulties on set, Williams’s prerecorded devotion was used instead. The Youngs are a beloved part of our Westside community, and we look forward to sharing Rev. Shalise Steele-Young’s inspirational message at a future summit. A legacy Westsider and Washington cluster parent, Williams offered key takeaways from the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the Bible’s book of Nehemiah as inspiration for the revitalization of Atlanta’s Historic Westside.

When I think about Nehemiah, I think about my advocacy work with my Booker T. High School. When I think about Nehemiah I think about the poor people where I come from. When I think about Nehemiah, I think about the fact that I once left the Westside and had to come back and help rebuild.”

William extended a Bulldog call to action for members of the community to join in the efforts to preserve the spirit and culture of the Westside while uplifting its current and future generations of residents.

Watch Valerie Williams’s full devotion below: