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WORKFORCE DIVERSITY ADVOCATE AND PIONEERING BLACK FLORIST DIES AT AGE 78 Alice White Bussey was a 6th Generation DeKalb County Resident and Staunch Atlanta Business League Leader (March 05, 2025, Atlanta, GA) When Alice Bussey graduated from high school, she went west to earn an undergraduate degree in sociology from Los Angeles City College. She stayed in California to earn a second degree in urban studies and a master’s in public administraon. Then she came home to the Atlanta area and changed how business was done. Alice le as the tenth of twelve children born to carpenter Oscar Curs White and homemaker Eula Belle Shepherd White. She returned as an educated powerhouse who had worked in the Department of Labor and immediately applied the skills she developed on the other side of the country. She became the first Labor Department federal representave in the state of Georgia. That posion allowed her to manage millions of dollars, develop programs for the elderly, help people who received welfare and high school dropouts. She moved up from there and became the Federal Women’s Program Manager for the eight states in the Southeastern Region. And that was only the first phase of a life that connuously nudged the business community in Atlanta toward more policies of inclusiveness for more than 50 years. Alice altered her career trajectory aer marrying James Bussey, a Morehouse student who became the first Black florist in Atlanta. He started his business while sll taking college courses. Alice threw herself into her husband’s business and their growing family and found a way to impact Atlanta’s economy once again. It began when she became the first woman elected as Atlanta Business League president in 1985. Four years later she helped Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young understand the benefits of leading a trade mission to Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, and Barbados. “Alice Bussey changed the import and export of flowers in the nation,” he explained in an award-winning documentary short about the Atlanta Business League. Andrew Young said that flowers were exported from Europe before Alice Bussey established ties with Caribbean florists. “Whereas we were getting flowers directly from the Caribbean right straight to Atlanta and so instead of flowers lasting you one week these tropical flowers would last a month.”

That trade mission also created another revenue stream for a completely dierent industry. Delta Air Lines established the first flights between Jamaica and Atlanta because of the Atlanta Business League’s trade mission led by Andrew Young and Alice Bussey. She also poured her energy into her own business. Bussey Florist grew from a local and retail operation to one that had international clients. Alice and her husband facilitated that growth by traveling to develop business markets throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. But Alice always had a heart for other Black women business owners. She realized there were no safe spaces that allowed them to share the challenges and triumphs of their unique journeys with each other. Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin agreed with Alice’s opinion on that topic. Shirley also had a great deal of respect for Alice. “Alice Bussey was a dream come true,” Shirley said during an Atlanta Business League podcast interview. “Alice Bussey was one of the few Black businesswomen, or businesswomen of any background, who would show up at City Hall and have a conversation about what she thought was going on. The men would come all the time. The women didn't come. Alice showed up. And Alice Bussey said, we are going to do a Tuesday during the Atlanta Business League’s event dedicated to women. I said,’ I'm in’ I gave her whatever support I could. The money was miniscule compared to what she was doing because the Business League is a historic institution in and of itself. And really, women had been a part of it before, but they had not been a focal point of the work. Just a quick note, we gave the Atlanta Business League $5,000 to host a luncheon that allowed Black businesswomen to network and learn from each other. That luncheon has grown into an established day-long conference called Super Tuesday. It takes place every fall.” In 2025, Alice’s vision, known as Super Tuesday, celebrates its 41st consecutive year and has grown into the largest conference for Black businesswomen owners and professionals in the country. On April 11, 2024, the ABL recognized Alice with an Economic Development Advocate award during the organization’s annual Conference on the State of Black Business in Atlanta. However, the ABL wasn’t the only group that received her attention and wisdom. She remained a member of Poplar Springs Baptist Church which her family helped to found. She continued to volunteer and in 2016 was appointed to DeKalb’s SPLOST citizen review and in 2018 to the group’s oversight committee. Her alma mater in California bestowed an honorary doctorate. However, Alice was most known for her work with the Atlanta Business League and her death has caused many of its leaders to acknowledge her contributions in their lives.

“Mrs. Bussey was a true North Star person for me and a guide to my thinking and actions in many ways,” Milton Jones, Jr. the Chair for the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and former ABL chair said. “She will truly be missed by me and by our community! May she rest in peace.” Harriette Watkins, former foundation president for AGL Resources and a former ABL chair, noted Alice’s dedication to seeing women business owners advance. William “Bill” Clement, former ABL chair and former chair for the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, echoed the opinions of ABL former chairs Albert Edwards, co-founder and CEO of C.E.R.M., Daryll Griin of Accolades and Ryan Wilson, co-founder of the Gathering Spot, all have. “Alice Bussey was a wonderful woman and a real advocate for the ABL and Black business,” Bill said. The current ABL chair, Andrella Kenner CEO of CI2 Aviation, Inc., issued prayers to her family which include an adult daughter and one grandchild. “Alice was one-of-a-kind and kept reminding us that we had to keep pushing for the things we know are right, even when we would prefer to focus on easier objectives,” Leona Barr- Davenport, president and CEO of the Atlanta Business League, said. “We will miss her presence.” Viewing of Alice White Bussey will take place on Friday, March 7th from 4:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. at Poplar Springs Baptist Church, 3796 River Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294. The service is at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 8th at the Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, 1879 Glenwood Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30316.

April 11, 2024, the ABL recognized Alice White Bussey with an Economic Development Advocate award during the Congress on the State of Black Business in Metro Atlanta. Photo: Albert Edwards (left) and Ryan Wilson