During the event, Southface’s Rising Star Award was presented to Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief Equity Officer of the Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE), the premier organization in the US that focuses solely on racial equity. A son of Southern Freedom Movement Activists, he champions just outcomes that are sensitive to communities’ needs and circumstances—and an inclusive process that inspires an equitable future where prosperity can be created and shared by all. Under Nathaniel’s leadership, PSE created the South’s first equity-mapping tool and led a coalition of diverse stakeholders to support a $13 million transit referendum that expanded MARTA into a new county for the first time in 45 years. His coalition-building efforts were also instrumental in creating the Justice40 Accelerator, which assists organizations with innovative front-line community climate projects and helps hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable to their executive order to direct 40% of federal climate action funds to disadvantaged communities. Nathaniel has gained recognition and a robust platform for PSE’s message as he works to bring critical racial equity work to scale.