Will Atlanta ever lose its title as the Black Mecca? (Harlem: university, gated)
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I think you're right up to a point. There is a great fear and bitterness within some parts of Atlanta's Black community about neighborhoods that have been historically Black for the past 50 years now reverting back to their pre-white flight status (ie. West End, Cascade Heights, Adair Park). Gentrification isn't necessarily about racial demographics more than economic, but race and the historical economic inequities and violence some have experienced adds a layer of complexity to the issue of diversity. There's a Facebook group called Skip Mason's Vanishing Black Atlanta where you'll see this fear played out every day on several posts; especially when someone posts a Zillow listing for a $600K house that was maybe $120K just a few years ago. "Don't sell Grandma's house!" is the rallying cry.
There's also just a fear of the loss of Atlanta's original Black culture. Much of what has made Atlanta the Black Mecca for business, music, religious and educational institutions was born out of these neighborhoods. I think the focus may have shifted out of the core to the burbs where now most of the hip-hop and rap artists on the charts aren't from the City of Atlanta but the metro in general. Because of the national trend of Black families leaving the Rust Belt cities for the South, Atlanta will be the new Ellis Island of sorts acting as a beacon of opportunities that are in the South whether it's in Charlotte, Nashville, Houston, Raleigh/Durham or Miami(?). All those cities are trying to catch up to what Atlanta is and will be great alternatives for families and new graduates to move to. New York Times columnist, and new Atlantan, Charles Blow makes an excellent case in his book The Devil You Know for African Americans to leave the northern cities where Black American's are experiencing the worst outcomes in most categories along with police brutality and reclaim their place in the American South.
Those are excellent points you make about the fears of many native-born and legacy Black Atlantans of the ongoing effects of gentrification on Atlanta’s historically black urban core neighborhoods.
Though, I probably should clarify that my comments about Atlanta’s increasing diversity effectively not being a deterrent to Black newcomers were describing Black people in various other city/metros throughout the country who may be planning to move to the Atlanta metropolitan area in very large part because of Atlanta’s image as the leading ‘Black Mecca’ that is the leading relocation destination for African-Americans.
It is very understandable that many legacy Black Atlanta city proper residents (whose families have been in the city for generations) would fear the adverse effects of the ongoing white gentrification of Atlanta’s historically Black neighborhoods.
But many (most) Black people moving to Atlanta most likely are going to be moving to the Atlanta suburbs if only for the simple reason that there physically is so much more of the Atlanta suburbs (several thousand square miles) compared to the City of Atlanta proper (only about 136 square miles).
There will be many Black newcomers who do relocate into the City of Atlanta proper either to be educated at postsecondary institutions like the schools of the AUC/Atlanta University Center, Georgia State University, or Georgia Tech; and/or to work at jobs in major central regional employment hubs like the Atlanta Airport, Downtown Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta, Buckhead, etc. But for the most part, many Black Atlanta newcomers will be relocating to the Atlanta suburbs and will have no emotional ties to the historic Black Intown Atlanta neighborhoods facing growing pressures from gentrification.
Some irony appears to be that as legacy Black Atlantans appear to be losing political, social and cultural influence in the City of Atlanta proper, Atlanta’s Black community appears to be gaining much political, social and cultural influence in the seemingly ever-expanding Atlanta suburbs.
I think you're right up to a point. There is a great fear and bitterness within some parts of Atlanta's Black community about neighborhoods that have been historically Black for the past 50 years now reverting back to their pre-white flight status (ie. West End, Cascade Heights, Adair Park). Gentrification isn't necessarily about racial demographics more than economic, but race and the historical economic inequities and violence some have experienced adds a layer of complexity to the issue of diversity. There's a Facebook group called Skip Mason's Vanishing Black Atlanta where you'll see this fear played out every day on several posts; especially when someone posts a Zillow listing for a $600K house that was maybe $120K just a few years ago. "Don't sell Grandma's house!" is the rallying cry.
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Yeah, the only thing about Skip Mason's page is that most of the people complaining about gentrification left the city a long time ago and never came back. I've been telling people to buy intown for a minute -- particularly on the west side. And some act like it's not good enough for them until it is no longer affordable.
In my opinion, you can't really complain about the score if you are scared to play the game...
Those are excellent points you make about the fears of many native-born and legacy Black Atlantans of the ongoing effects of gentrification on Atlanta’s historically black urban core neighborhoods.
Though, I probably should clarify that my comments about Atlanta’s increasing diversity effectively not being a deterrent to Black newcomers were describing Black people in various other city/metros throughout the country who may be planning to move to the Atlanta metropolitan area in very large part because of Atlanta’s image as the leading ‘Black Mecca’ that is the leading relocation destination for African-Americans.
It is very understandable that many legacy Black Atlanta city proper residents (whose families have been in the city for generations) would fear the adverse effects of the ongoing white gentrification of Atlanta’s historically Black neighborhoods.
But many (most) Black people moving to Atlanta most likely are going to be moving to the Atlanta suburbs if only for the simple reason that there physically is so much more of the Atlanta suburbs (several thousand square miles) compared to the City of Atlanta proper (only about 136 square miles).
There will be many Black newcomers who do relocate into the City of Atlanta proper either to be educated at postsecondary institutions like the schools of the AUC/Atlanta University Center, Georgia State University, or Georgia Tech; and/or to work at jobs in major central regional employment hubs like the Atlanta Airport, Downtown Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta, Buckhead, etc. But for the most part, many Black Atlanta newcomers will be relocating to the Atlanta suburbs and will have no emotional ties to the historic Black Intown Atlanta neighborhoods facing growing pressures from gentrification.
Some irony appears to be that as legacy Black Atlantans appear to be losing political, social and cultural influence in the City of Atlanta proper, Atlanta’s Black community appears to be gaining much political, social and cultural influence in the seemingly ever-expanding Atlanta suburbs.
Atlanta's rapidly growing suburbs are becoming increasingly black, further proving that "Atlanta" is the Black Mecca! Particularly among successful blacks moving in from all over the country.
Atlanta's rapidly growing suburbs are becoming increasingly black, further proving that "Atlanta" is the Black Mecca! Particularly among successful blacks moving in from all over the country.
Those are excellent points.
Though, along with becoming increasingly Black, it’s probably important to note that Atlanta’s suburbs overall are becoming increasingly diverse and minority as a whole.
North metro outer-suburban Forsyth County, a jurisdiction that only about 4 decades ago had a population that was recorded as being effectively 100% white, now stunningly appears to be speeding towards becoming a ‘majority-minority’ county within about the next 10-15 years or so.
Black residents were recorded as making up only about 4.4% of Forsyth County’s population, but even with a relatively very small Black presence, the county still is very quickly diversifying because of the area’s exploding Asian and Hispanic populations.
Forsyth County’s tortured past history with race, particularly as an area that was extremely unwelcoming and even outright hostile to Black people, continues to this day to make it a significantly less appealing relocation destination for Black newcomers than many other parts of the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
But Asian and Hispanic newcomers have no meaningful ties to Forsyth County’s tortured past racial history as a place that was most unwelcoming to Black people, so many (if not most) of the county’s Asian and Hispanic newcomers are completely unfazed by that negative history.
Yeah, the only thing about Skip Mason's page is that most of the people complaining about gentrification left the city a long time ago and never came back. I've been telling people to buy intown for a minute -- particularly on the west side. And some act like it's not good enough for them until it is no longer affordable.
In my opinion, you can't really complain about the score if you are scared to play the game...
Good points.
In addition to white flight during the 1960s-80s, there was also a lot of black flight after about 1980.
That is a good point that Atlanta still very much has the feeling of being a leading ‘Black Mecca,’ if not the leading ‘Black Mecca’ as of 2022.
I also agree that the rising (spiking) living costs maybe potentially might could affect Atlanta’s status as the leading ‘Black Mecca. That’s particularly as affordable housing appears to become more expensive and difficult to find in an Atlanta metro area where housing historically often has been relatively very affordable compared to other parts of the country.
Though, I don’t know if the growing level of diversity alone would or could change Atlanta’s status as the leading ‘Black Mecca.’
I say that because throughout Atlanta’s history, it often has been Black Atlantans who (along with ambitious forward-looking white Atlanta civic leaders) have been leading advocates for the increased diversification that the Atlanta city and metro now so commonly experiences.
Even with the exponential increase in the population of other races and ethnicities in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Atlanta has continued to be a top (if not the top) relocation destination for African-Americans in the U.S.
Even with the continuing steady decline of the Black population within the corporate boundaries of the City of Atlanta proper as the area grows as a relocation destination for young white professionals (due to the national trend of the increasing gentrification of urban core/inner-city neighborhoods), metro Atlanta as a whole is continuing to be a top (if not the top) relocation destination for African-Americans... With most of the continuing rapid growth of Atlanta’s Black population shifting to Atlanta’s seemingly ever-expanding suburbs.
(The City of Atlanta proper is an area where many Black Atlanta newcomers would settle during the earliest days of Atlanta’s status as a leading national ‘Black Mecca’ back in the first few and several years after the end of the Civil Rights Movement.)
Black people don’t seem to be even the slightest least bit deterred from moving to Atlanta by metro Atlanta’s very fast-growing level of racial and ethnic diversity.
Heck, for the relatively very few Black people who notice or care, the increasing diversity likely may make Atlanta even more of an attractive relocation destination than it already was.
Fear of or aversion to racial and ethnic diversity is not really at all much of a thing in African-American culture as it might be in some extremely deeply conservative white cultural circles.
Those in West End certainly aren't tossing that phrase around anymore. It comes out in a particular context but there's been plenty conversation around Atlanta as a tough place for black people, by black people. Check out any social media platform, but of course, controversy is easier to discuss than whatever's good.
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
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Originally Posted by ronricks
This has nothing to do with BLM. These signs were being displayed in SW Atlanta way before BLM ever existed. I do agree with your segregation comment. No place for it regardless of who is doing it. It was wrong 60 years ago and it is wrong now.
Thewre were no signs in the SWATS telling people to NOT frequent non black busniesses. You should really check yourself with the covert racial rhetoric you spew in different topics bruh. Its abhorrent and spreading false and misleading information.
I wouldnt be surprised if you one day, or actually have, stated that TP Studios has subliminal posts on the dark web you seem to surf stating that black people should only watch his content and not go to white movies.....stop it bruh.
I think you're right up to a point. There is a great fear and bitterness within some parts of Atlanta's Black community about neighborhoods that have been historically Black for the past 50 years now reverting back to their pre-white flight status (ie. West End, Cascade Heights, Adair Park). Gentrification isn't necessarily about racial demographics more than economic, but race and the historical economic inequities and violence some have experienced adds a layer of complexity to the issue of diversity. There's a Facebook group called Skip Mason's Vanishing Black Atlanta where you'll see this fear played out every day on several posts; especially when someone posts a Zillow listing for a $600K house that was maybe $120K just a few years ago. "Don't sell Grandma's house!" is the rallying cry.
There's also just a fear of the loss of Atlanta's original Black culture. Much of what has made Atlanta the Black Mecca for business, music, religious and educational institutions was born out of these neighborhoods. I think the focus may have shifted out of the core to the burbs where now most of the hip-hop and rap artists on the charts aren't from the City of Atlanta but the metro in general. Because of the national trend of Black families leaving the Rust Belt cities for the South, Atlanta will be the new Ellis Island of sorts acting as a beacon of opportunities that are in the South whether it's in Charlotte, Nashville, Houston, Raleigh/Durham or Miami(?). All those cities are trying to catch up to what Atlanta is and will be great alternatives for families and new graduates to move to. New York Times columnist, and new Atlantan, Charles Blow makes an excellent case in his book The Devil You Know for African Americans to leave the northern cities where Black American's are experiencing the worst outcomes in most categories along with police brutality and reclaim their place in the American South.
I really believe Atlanta is much more in competition with the North Carolina cities and Nashville than Houston. Houston's focus is more on competing with Dallas/Fort Worth. It is its own center for AA success. I think many people don't realize Texas Southern and Prairie View enrollment are the 2nd and 4th largest of HBCUs. Houston's had several black mayors and other significant politicians in congress. They're numerous black businesses. Texas has the largest black population of any state and draws not only from the north but western states.
I read this thread and I don't believe the OP actually defined the term "black mecca."
The TLDR on what I've written below is that I suggest having a "heritage" is permanent but being a "mecca" is more temporal.
Atlanta has a "black heritage" as one part of its identity due to Atlanta's historical significance with regard to civil rights, leadership, and HBCUs. When I hear the term "black mecca," I interpret that as meaning a location that blacks see as having a high level of cultural significance. That's my interpretation. You may have a different one.
Atlanta will always have a "black heritage" as part of its identity because it reflects history and you can't write that out of the textbooks (well, you can try but that's another matter). Whether it is or continues to be a "black mecca" will depend on a variety of factors such as jobs, cost of living, and cultural trends that are more temporal. Other areas known for ethnicity, for example Chinatowns, have come and gone but that doesn't erase the heritage aspect of those locations.
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