On Jan. 15 and 16, Mercedes-Benz Stadium filled with thousands of locals on the center turf field for ‘Fitness on the Field’. Hosted in collaboration by The Home Depot Backyard and the Atlanta Falcons, ‘Fitness on the Field’ made its impact by turning the arena into a safe space for unity through instructor-led yoga and various fitness sessions.
Travis Dalton, a junior at Morehouse College, played a pivotal role in helping organize the event and inviting several AUC organizations to join. The event originally began in 2020 as an effort to deepen community engagement during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Dalton, who served as an Atlanta Falcons intern in community engagement during the summer and fall semester of 2025, said it is a true blessing to host an event that means so much to people at a popular large-scale venue such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We wanted the community to feel like they have a home with us in The Home Depot Backyard and also the Atlanta Falcons,” Dalton said. “It’s so important because we don’t have a foundation with the AUC, and that’s something that I hope to help build and foster.”
The AUC community turnout
Several AUC student organizations, including the Morehouse Junior Class Council, Bonner Scholars, C100, LYTEhouse, Morehouse Motors, AUC Georgia Club, Black Youth Empowerment Network and L.O.V.E. Letters, which partnered with The Home Depot on a monthlong book drive for K-5 students, came together to support and engage in community service, reinforcing the important role of HBCU students in community service.
“Community is unity,” Dalton adds. “I feel like we should have more collaborations with the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Hawks and other sports teams because they have money and resources that we need and don’t have.”
Among organizations present outside the AUC was Raising Expectations, an academic-based youth development and prevention group that has supported Atlanta’s west side for more than two decades since 1995. For Executive Director Tangee Allen, the mission remains as strong and closely tied to her personal commitment to the city.
“Our work is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: Young people rise or fall to the expectations placed before them,” Allen says. “We’ve watched students who were once underestimated grow into college graduates, entrepreneurs, educators and civic leaders.”
Allen emphasized that HBCU students must help spread awareness and stay involved in efforts to support those in need.
“HBCU students are uniquely positioned to lead this work because you bring lived experience, cultural competence and a deep understanding of what it means to navigate systems that weren’t designed with you in mind,” Allen says. “The most powerful way to spread awareness is not just by sharing our name, but by showing up.”
What this means for the community
Co-founder Maria Armstrong adds that Raising Expectations was created with the same long-term goal in mind. Armstrong and Allen created the organization while they were college students together at Georgia State University, serving as a reminder that students have the power to be the change, thy just have to take charge.
“For the past 30 years, we’ve had Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta students being amazing and making a significant impact on the lives of our young people,” Armstrong said. “Your presence is really important. Making sure that you all are engaging and spending time in spaces with our young people, whether it’s a school or a nonprofit group.”
At the “Fitness on the Field” event, art also played a central role. Atlanta-based artist Sway Jones, CEO and founder of Sway Art and Sway Art Supplies, led a collaborative community painting event to create a mural honoring The Home Depot Backyard, HBCUs and the city of Atlanta.
“Art isn’t just for kids, it’s for adults as well,” Jones said. “It’s something that refuels you, relaxes you and has the opportunity to reset you.”
Jones says her ultimate goal is to unite communities and show how art serves as therapy and a way to relieve stress.
“I had anxiety as a child, so art really helped me stay calm when I didn’t know how to,” Jones said. “We wanted to display that through our colors and through a mural that people can resonate with.”
As the event concluded ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the long weekend showed what was possible when students, local residents and nonprofit organizations came together for community engagement and wellness, reflecting shared goals and a commitment to Atlanta’s future.
