This is an episode about the second generation of an incredible African American family. We describe the topics discussed as generational continuance.
Herman Jerome Russell founded his Atlanta based construction company in 1952. He made it one of the largest Black owned companies in the United States and then diversified. He owned a beer distributorship. He managed real estate and he raised three children with his first wife, Otelia Hackney Russell.
Those children have run their father's companies for decades. They are not resting on his accomplishments. The awe inspiring futuristic look of Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta and the National Museum of African American Culture and History in Washington, D.C. were erected under the leadership of the 2nd generation of Russells.
But this isn't a podcast about buildings. It's a story about families and what children remember when their father is building an empire.
Michael and Jerome Russell discuss family dynamics, personal aspirations and what it was like to live in one of the most famous homes in Georgia as children.
They also show a level of love and respect for each other and what their father's legacy that's both touching and inspiring.