How Atlanta went from Mecca to Black Social Elite. (Savannah: lawyers, unemployed)

[young82]

People think Atlanta is run by random black people who openly accept anyone with dark skin color. This is the furthest thing from the truth! Atlanta is run by Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Howard, Hampton, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, and Emory graduates. If your not from one of those colleges, you will have a tough time experiencing the “mecca” you expected. Telling a black Human Resource Exec that you graduated from Morehouse College is the equivalent to saying you graduated from Harvard. It might not be the same thing, per say, but it gets you in the door the same way Harvard graduates get in the door all over the country. The Spelman Women who graduate year after year have no problems finding lucrative jobs in Atlanta. Spelman alumni, who are CEOs, lawyers, doctors, etc; would have it no other way. I know people who went to Hampton University & Howard University undergrad, then went to Georgia State Law School (just because it was in Atlanta) and have jobs in their second year in Law School. I can’t over emphasize how exclusionary Atlanta has become. Its like a secret society for blacks nowadays. The mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin, went to Howard, Mayor Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. (Morehouse Alum), Mayor Andrew Jackson Young (Howard Alum), Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. (Georgia Tech), it goes on and on. Same old schools, same old networks. There are exceptions of course as there are with everything but for the most part: Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Howard, Hampton, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, and Emory run Atlanta. So if one of these schools aren’t listed on you resume, your not someone famous or you don’t have connected family down here; Atlanta will not be the Mecca. This is just the way I see it. If I'm wrong, tell me I'm wrong.

[Mishap]

Uh, lawyers are supposed to have their jobs by 2nd year(or at least the good ones). They do most of their interviewing as a 2L and most of my friends had offers by then.

Maybe the # of graduates in power of the HBC's is based on their proximity to the area. You'll find more SUNY Stony Brook grads on Wall St. than Emory even if Emory is a better school. I meet very few alums in ATL given I went to school in the Northeast and name recognition was much better at getting me interviews in NYC than here. Despite the often very good track record of the HBC's, you'll probably find fewer of them on Wall St. than grads of mid range state schools.

Having gone to an Ivy, I have no doubt schools have very strong alumni networks but to assume that you can't have success (very different from power) in Atlanta b/c you didn't go to a well connected school is an overstatement. There may be a successful upper class that tends to attain power (mainly b/c they have the resources to run for office) but that's no different than any race. Walking in the door of HR holding up your diploma will not get you hired in anything but most inept of companies.

There are plenty of anecdotes of Harvard grads (white or black) discovering they're not privy to the upper echelons of "Old Money" run businesses that recruit solely from their family/social circle/fraternity/secret society. It doesn't mean you can't achieve success in Atlanta or anywhere else but claiming that nepotism prevents you from succeeding is a bit of a scapegoat.

[Big L]

I am a Black man in Metro Atlanta and I have not found this to be the case.

I graduated from Southern University. My girlfriend graduated from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Neither of us have ever been held back because we didn't go to Morehouse, Spelman, Howard, Georgia Tech, and so on. Then again, we don't aspire to be a part of the so-called "Black Social Elite".

Some people get so caught up with status and perception that they fail to notice the blessings that may be right in front of them. Once I learned to be comfortable in my own skin (no pun intended), I stopped caring about who has what and the people who may try to look down on me for trivial reasons. If someone has a problem with you because of where you went to school, then they may very well be doing you a favor.

[mrdkb]

I went to Stony Brook.

[brownhornet]

This is totally backwards. I have friends in high corporate positions that went to Savannah State, Georgia Southern, and even a couple that went to Devry. Your future is what YOU make of it.

Many told me I wouldn't succeed because I left school and didn't get my bachelors degree. But what's funny is that now im making around 50k and I only have to go into the office 2 days a week. That's straight in the door from a temp position with no experience. And my job is reimbursing me for online classes through AIU to help excel my career even more.

Hell I was only supposed to be an order processor and ended up as a specialist in a department where im the only one with no degree... why? Because I got in there and did self assigned training on every system in the department and earned a position.

There is no such thing as you can't succeed without connections if you're dedicated. Not even a year ago this time I was unemployed with no major experience in anything.

[anadyr21]

As with any school, name recognition will only get you so far. It may get your resume noticed, but if you can't back it up, then you're stuck. As a Howard grad, yes, I've had cases where the person doing the hiring either perked up, or specifically stated they wanted to meet b/c of where I graduated. My husband is a Morehouse man, and yes, I do believe it helped him too. Is there some degree of elitism? Probably. However, if you're black, graduated from Valdosta State, and have a stellar resume, you too can experience the so called "black mecca". It would be ridiculous to assume you cannot make a good living without a degree from any of the schools you mentioned.

[waronxmas]

To the OP:

I'm not sure if you are aware of it or not, but those schools you listed are some of the best in the entire country. Graduates from those schools run cities/hold key government positions and corporations across the country. I attended Morehouse and the school revolves around creating leaders through a challenging academic regimen. Those people you listed also happened to graduate at or near the top of their class.

When companies see that sort of thing on a resume, it isn't name recognition that gets them immediately in the door, it's the recognition that if you succeeded at such a school then it's a given that you are intelligent and hard working.

The real fallacy with your argument is this:

People think Atlanta is run by random black people who openly accept anyone with dark skin color.

Any one who thinks this way is not going to get far in life. I'm not saying that you specifically think this way, but I have encountered this mentality. Like the other posters have said, the key to success in your career is working hard and nothing else.

I mean, do you really think Maynard Jackson just walked up and was given the key to the city? That election was probably the most contentious in Atlanta's history. Mayor Jackson got to where he did through hard work.

[southgeorgia]

Originally Posted by young82

Telling a black Human Resource Exec that you graduated from Morehouse College is the equivalent to saying you graduated from Harvard.

lmao.

[waronxmas]

^It's true, only not just black HR people in Atlanta. It's any HR person. They know that it's a good school as well as Wall Street as well as the medical field.

[straightfromatown]

Originally Posted by young82

People think Atlanta is run by random black people who openly accept anyone with dark skin color.

I don't know what people you are referring to but I doubt many people think that way. Let's look at all the pieces one by one:

• Atlanta is run by random people

I would not expect Atlanta, or any large city, to be run by random people. Any random person is likely not qualified or capable of doing whatever is needed to run the city. A city is most likely run by people who have the experience needed to make important decisions as well as support from a large number of people who believe they are capable of carrying out the responsibilities associated with the position. In my opinion you will find a great deal of the 2nd in Atlanta government and a great deal of both in business.

• Atlanta is run by black people

Yes, there are a lot of black people in prominent positions, but there are also a lot of black people in Atlanta. This shouldn't be a surprise.

• Atlanta is run by people who openly accept anyone with dark skin color

I don't think skin color has anything to do with acceptance. People are willing to accept others who bring something of value to them. Education, experience, a positive attitude... those are the sort of things that result in acceptance.


The rest of your post seems to be a long winded way of stating that most professionals in Atlanta received degrees from colleges near Atlanta. How is that any different from any other city? People often find it easier to secure jobs in an area were they have contacts from school. Additionally, people in Atlanta will be more familiar with Atlanta area colleges which makes those degrees more valuable in the Atlanta area. If you try taking your GT or Emory degree out West you will likely find that people are not as familiar with the schools. There is nothing right or wrong about this, people just tend to prefer things that they are familiar with.