Last year, singer Ciara celebrated the 20th anniversary of her debut album “Goodies” and performed two shows in Atlanta with Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes as part of their joint Out of This World Tour.
During the first performance, she received plaques for selling millions of copies of “Goodies,” which spawned several hot songs. The following night, July 28, was declared Ciara Day in Atlanta by City Council member Michael Julian Bond.
Exactly a year later, Ciara returned the love to the city where she spent much of her childhood. On Monday, she opened the first Why Not You Center in Atlanta — fittingly, a renovated dance studio at the John H. Harland Boys & Girls Club in the West End.
“I was a little girl who didn’t have much,” the singer, donning thick, curly black tresses and an Atlanta Braves cap, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the event. “But the power of believing is real, so to fast forward to starting from not having much but then being in a space to give as much as I can is a blessing.”
The center is a product of the Why Not You Foundation, the nonprofit founded by Ciara and her NFL player husband Russell Wilson in 2014. Why Not You combats poverty by providing disadvantaged youth with educational and personal development resources. The Atlanta site is the foundation’s second center — the first was launched at a Boys & Girls Club in Pittsburgh last year.
Why Not You plans to open five more centers before the year is over.
Held in the club’s gym, Monday’s event was filled with laughter and dancing. Kids wearing black Ciara Day T-shirts mingled as city leaders beamed with pride.
The presentation began with city, state and county acknowledgments of Ciara’s career and her work with the foundation.
Phillana Williams, director of the Mayor’s Office of Film and Entertainment, served as Ciara’s manager at the beginning of her career. She spoke about Ciara’s unwavering faith and hustle, even as a teenager.
“When Ciara was young, she always spoke about (having a) dance center in Atlanta,” Williams said at the event. “That shows who you are. It shows your heart, your love for the city and your desire to give back to others and to the youth of Atlanta.”
Other speakers included Rep. Inga Willis (D-Atlanta) and City Council member Marci Collier Overstreet. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners also declared July 28 as Why Not You Appreciation Day in the county.
The John H. Harland Boys & Girls Club, established in 1965, was chosen out of need, said Libby Saylor Wright, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
The renovation includes an eye-grabbing design with an outline of the city’s skyline and a picture of Ciara next to the quote “We are on a mission to change the world and impact lives.”
“This is a community effort,” Saylor Wright said. “Everything we do is not only for Boys & Girls Club kids of today, but it’s for tomorrow and the overall community. I just want people to know that we’re here, that we love them. We’re creating safe spaces.”
Ciara, who grew up going to Boys & Girls Clubs, said the clubs always provided a sense of community, especially for an only child like her. She said the current partnership took about a year to form.
“Russ and I felt it was important to give back to our hometown,” Ciara said. “I got to Atlanta first. He’s from Virginia, so we got to get to Virginia at some point. But it’s just so cool to see it all come to life.”
Ciara Day ended with KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Atlanta Collegiate’s Sounds of Royalty Band and Purple Rain Dance Team. They performed to the tune of Ciara’s five-time platinum single “1,2 Step.” Ciara also hit the dance floor herself, doing the viral “I’m So ATL” dance challenge.
Next month, she’ll release her eighth studio album, aptly titled “CiCi.” She described the project as a “labor of love” to the fans who’ve stuck by her for two decades.
In the meantime, she has several other milestones to celebrate. On Monday, she released the single “This Right Here,” featuring Atlanta’s Latto and hitmaker Jazze Pha. The song marks a reunion between Ciara and Pha (who served as executive producer on the album “Goodies”) that she said was “long overdue.”
“Jazze always believed in me, and he always encouraged me to be me. It’s probably been 18 years since we’ve worked together. … It’s a lot of Atlanta love on that record. And Latto has just been on this incredible ride and carving out her own lane. She bought her ATL girl energy and influence to the record.”
And over the weekend, the star received citizenship to Benin, becoming one of the first celebrities to do so. She referenced the recent trip on Monday, sharing she was “full of gratitude.”
Ciara hopes her new center can be an inspiration for Atlanta youth in the same way that the city continues to inspire her.
“I hope that they will really use this space as an outlet if they need but also as a space to create. Because I think that that’s one of the best gifts you can give a kid — opportunity in a space to be who they are.”
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