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The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks

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Our mission: 
To advance the awareness of diversity and equality through public art and community outreach.

Non-profit status: While The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks seeks non-profit status (501 (c)(3) non-profit organization status), we will be partnering with Georgia Equality, allowing donations to be considered charitable donations/tax deductible.

How many times have we given money to charities or projects and never knew where the money really went? 92% of donations (GoFundMe takes 8% for there cost) will go directly to the implementation and completion of The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks. A tangible, visual, neighborhood enhancing public art project that will advance the awareness of diversity and equality, with plans of community outreach and interaction with the development of a non-profit organization. Please give what you can! 

Your donations will go towards:

Crew, labor, equipment: $13,185.00
Color Safe 'MMA' paint system: $4,888.00
Start up fees, nonprofit certification, legal fees, etc.: $1,927.00

 Financial records

If you are interested in being a Corporate Sponsor, please contact us: [email redacted]

The plan: To paint the crosswalks at 10th St. and Piedmont Ave. in the colors of the Rainbow flag symbolizing the diversity of our community, whilst spreading a visual message of acceptance, unity and tolerance that represent the diversity of our community. This will be a tangible, visual, neighborhood enhancing public art project.

Local impact: 
These crossings have demonstrated significant economic, social and cultural benefits. Most importantly, the symbolic crossing will positively promote Atlanta with expected benefits for you from tourism and retail activity in the area. Also, Atlanta’s Pride festival, being the largest in the South East is expected to draw upwards of 300,000 participants to Atlanta with most of the activists happening around this location.

The install: 
We plan to install the crosswalks at night when traffic is low on the dates of October 3rd – 5th, which is the week before PRIDE 2015, (these dates may change). This project should only take 2 nights to install

The paint: 
The colors will be; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple. This is NOT paint, this system is called, Color-Safe and is an MMA based resin that’s mixed with an aggregate and hardeners. This product has been used by the City of Atlanta for the green bike lanes and other public projects. This product is the best product currently available for this type of project. It takes years to fade, its UV resistant and very easy to maintain. Grip and traction is ideal for a pedestrian crossing. The city of Atlanta wants this project to be a permanent part of the city’s public art collection, so the materials used will will last for years go come.

The story:


The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks will be a historic public art project in the City of Atlanta and now you have a chance to be part of a legacy!

The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks is the brainchild of Robert Sepulveda Jr., an Interior Designer/Community activist based out of Atlanta, Ga. He originally contacted the City of Atlanta in August of 2014, with the proposal of installing The Rainbow Crosswalks at the 10th St. & Piedmont Ave. before PRIDE 2014.

The journey of this project has been filled with many joyous moments of progress, as well as moments when we he thought we h couldn’t go any further. Navigating city bureaucracy and red tape can be an overwhelmingly daunting feat to accomplish; paperwork to file, meetings to attend, departments to be approved by and weeks of hearing nothing back. , but here we are today, approved by every department, paperwork filed and PRIDE 2015 a little over 2 months away!

The 10th St. & Piedmont Ave. intersection has long been the epicenter of the LGBT community with pioneering LGBT business such as the notable Out Write book store and coffee house that was established in 1993, being the first LGBT bookstore in the city of Atlanta. Not only does the PRIDE parade route pass over the 10th St. and Piedmont Ave crosswalks, but the most high-profile LGBT locality in Atlanta is Midtown. Also, Atlanta is home to one of the highest LGBT populations per capita, which is third among major US cities behind San Francisco and Seattle. 12.8% of Atlanta's city population identify themselves as LGBT.

Atlanta would be joining a group of world cities that have already implemented these crosswalks in places such as; Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, Philadelphia, West Hollywood, Seattle, Northampton, Massachusetts, as well as international cities such as; Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, Tele Aviv and Iceland. These crossings have demonstrated significant economic, social and cultural benefits. Most importantly, the symbolic crossing will positively promote Atlanta with expected benefits for tourism and retail activity in the area. Also, Atlanta’s Pride festival, being the largest in the South East is expected to draw upwards of 300,000 participants to Atlanta.

What I’d like you to know is that, this is not just an LGBT issue and these are not just painted crosswalks; The crosswalks themselves will bring the advancement of unity and awareness of human rights through public art and the foundation built around, The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks will reach deep into the Atlanta community with plans community outreach and interaction. We all know Atlanta is in the center of the Deep South with religion being at the core of many family bonds as well as very rural areas only minutes away from Midtown. My mission behind these crosswalks are for everyone
to know, whether they are just coming out, closeted, bi, trans, having difficulty accepting themselves; whether they are too afraid to share who they really are or to afraid be who they really want to be; those that family members disowned or shunned; and like many of us that have faced discrimination because of who we love and how we were born, that yes, you are welcome here, you are safe here and you will be treated with respect and dignity and the City of Atlanta itself stands behind you.

It’s a very small gesture with a very large effect.

Your donations will help bring awareness to diversity and equality as well as helping build a foundation that will better service the community of Atlanta. Your donations will also be helping make LGBT history!

Donations 

  • katie kilgore
    • $30 
    • 9 yrs
  • Joel Kelly
    • $1,000 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • The Robert & Polly Dunn Foundation
    • $5,000 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • Donations from Georgia Equality
    • $16,126 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs

Organizer

Robert Sepúlveda Jr.
Organizer
Atlanta, GA

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