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No, it's not. It is not any worse than anywhere else. It's not fair nor wise to put unrealistic, false expectations on anyplace or anything.
And Black Mecca does not have mean - and has never meant - that Blacks in Atlanta would all be non-poor and bathing in milk and honey. This mentality is the problem.
The "Black Mecca" moniker means Atlanta is a place where Blacks have a better chance of thriving and striving while remaining their authentic selves. And...where Blacks are more fully part of the city and Metro dynamic - with a full Black society and social structure/pyramid (upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, lower-middle class, working class, and yes, even an under/poor/poverty class).
It is not all about money.
Eh no offense but I do think he is being very accurate when he is saying that Atlanta is gentrifying (especially in the core areas) while black Atlantan's are being left behind...and I also believe this is very troubling for the metro and the black culture as well.
I'm not trying to start an argument and I agree that Atlanta provides abundance of hospitality for blacks in the cultural department, however; money is a very important resource toward survivability and success. How can a mecca obtain success without resources especially if the city is continuing to drive them away from such resources?
I get that the culture for blacks is very prevalent in Atlanta and its definitely a stronger place where blacks can be accepted but in all honesty from what I have seen its only a place where they are accepted among themselves but not by the majority affluent, or atleast, not in a way that is any different from any other major city. In that aspect I can't see how its majorly advantageous over any other city.
I personally am a black that moved to an all white town, its extremely awkward I will not lie - but it was necessary to recieve the compensation I required. I will admit some of that also came in part of my own self-improvement...but I believe that success for blacks can be found anywhere given the right motivation, ambition, and especially personal dedication.
Eh no offense but I do think he is being very accurate when he is saying that Atlanta is gentrifying (especially in the core areas) while black Atlantan's are being left behind...and I also believe this is very troubling for the metro and the black culture as well.
I'm not trying to start an argument and I agree that Atlanta provides abundance of hospitality for blacks in the cultural department, however; money is a very important resource toward survivability and success. How can a mecca obtain success without resources especially if the city is continuing to drive them away from such resources?
I get that the culture for blacks is very prevalent in Atlanta and its definitely a stronger place where blacks can be accepted but in all honesty from what I have seen its only a place where they are accepted among themselves but not by the majority affluent, or atleast, not in a way that is any different from any other major city. In that aspect I can't see how its majorly advantageous over any other city.
I personally am a black that moved to an all white town, its extremely awkward I will not lie - but it was necessary to recieve the compensation I required. I will admit some of that also came in part of my own self-improvement...but I believe that success for blacks can be found anywhere given the right motivation, ambition, and especially personal dedication.
Very relevant and important points, especially your last two paragraphs. I notice this about Atlanta when I visit family and for leisure. I appreciate what it offers the black community (well all communities), but the lack of social integration was troubling, especially coming from a community that is much more socially integrated despite being less diverse and populated. Success for professionals in many environments includes being comfortable being uncomfortable. I, and some of my colleagues have forfeited certain comforts to make more money and live in a safe community.
Eh no offense but I do think he is being very accurate when he is saying that Atlanta is gentrifying (especially in the core areas) while black Atlantan's are being left behind...and I also believe this is very troubling for the metro and the black culture as well.
I'm not trying to start an argument and I agree that Atlanta provides abundance of hospitality for blacks in the cultural department, however; money is a very important resource toward survivability and success. How can a mecca obtain success without resources especially if the city is continuing to drive them away from such resources?
I get that the culture for blacks is very prevalent in Atlanta and its definitely a stronger place where blacks can be accepted but in all honesty from what I have seen its only a place where they are accepted among themselves but not by the majority affluent, or atleast, not in a way that is any different from any other major city. In that aspect I can't see how its majorly advantageous over any other city.
I personally am a black that moved to an all white town, its extremely awkward I will not lie - but it was necessary to recieve the compensation I required. I will admit some of that also came in part of my own self-improvement...but I believe that success for blacks can be found anywhere given the right motivation, ambition, and especially personal dedication.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakeesha
Very relevant and important points, especially your last two paragraphs. I notice this about Atlanta when I visit family and for leisure. I appreciate what it offers the black community (well all communities), but the lack of social integration was troubling, especially coming from a community that is much more socially integrated despite being less diverse and populated. Success for professionals in many environments includes being comfortable being uncomfortable. I, and some of my colleagues have forfeited certain comforts to make more money and live in a safe community.
I absolutely love Atlanta, but this is one of the national issues that is more obvious in Atlanta. Look at where Atlanta sits, andmore importantly look at who it’s sitting next to. It has already joined the West Coast cities and Atlanta is still seeing strong growth. Gentrification has already started below I-20 and places like Oakland City, where educated folks wouldn’t have even considered are now becoming hotspots. Wasn’t there an article on here in the Atlanta thread last year about homes going up in Bankhead for $400k?
In 2020, nearly all of COA will be for DINKS, high earning singles or the typical Buckhead families.
2018 50 Largest US Cities by Median Income, 2-Earner Families:
$189,493 San Francisco, CA
$182,594 Washington, DC
$161,164 Seattle, WA
$160,121 San Jose, CA
$139,971 Oakland, CA
$134,996 Atlanta, GA
$123,725 Austin, TX
$121,415 Boston, MA
$120,240 San Diego, CA
$119,407 Portland, OR
$115,879 Denver, CO
$113,582 Minneapolis, MN
$108,167 Chicago, IL
$107,273 Raleigh, NC
$104,786 Virginia Beach, FL
$103,759 Charlotte, NC
$103,416 Tampa, FL
$103,188 New York, NY
$101,181 Sacramento, CA
$100,821 New Orleans, LA
$98,041 Baltimore, MD
$95,486 Kansas City, MO
$93,282 Philadelphia, PA
$92,638 Nashville, TN
$92,130 Long Beach, CA
$91,552 Omaha, NE
$91,077 Los Angeles, CA
$89,855 Las Vegas, NV
$88,894 Louisville, KY
$88,877 Fort Worth, TX
$88,264 Colorado Springs, CO
$88,032 Oklahoma City, OK
$87,847 Phoenix, AZ
$86,603 Arlington, TX
$85,839 Indianapolis, IN
$85,460 Jacksonville, FL
$85,027 Columbus, OH
$83,236 Dallas, TX
$83,134 Albuquerque, NM
$82,963 Mesa, AZ
$82,414 Tulsa, OK
$82,123 Houston, TX
$78,376 San Antonio, TX
$76,992 Fresno, CA
$75,606 Memphis, TN
$74,473 Milwaukee, WI
$70,160 Miami, FL
$68,575 Tucson, AZ
$65,767 El Paso, TX
$61,319 Detroit, MI
No, it's not. It is not any worse than anywhere else. It's not fair nor wise to put unrealistic, false expectations on anyplace or anything.
And Black Mecca does not have mean - and has never meant - that Blacks in Atlanta would all be non-poor and bathing in milk and honey. This mentality is the problem.
The "Black Mecca" moniker means Atlanta is a place where Blacks have a better chance of thriving and striving while remaining their authentic selves. And...where Blacks are more fully part of the city and Metro dynamic - with a full Black society and social structure/pyramid (upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, lower-middle class, working class, and yes, even an under/poor/poverty class).
It is not all about money.
Although Atlanta's status as a Black mecca is really about the core metropolitan area and not just the city proper, the rapid gentrification happening in the city which is causing Blacks to comprise a smaller share of the overall population as the years go by is more stark and pronounced there because of its "mecca" status. I think this was demonstrated pretty effectively in the last mayoral race where there was much hand-wringing concerning the outcome among many Black residents and members of the political establishment as a victory by Norwood would have probably indicated that the Black political machine's days were truly numbered due to continuing demographic shifts in the city proper. Similar dynamics in the other Black mecca, DC, explain why many Black residents of that city took a special interest in Atlanta's last mayoral race as it very well could foreshadow a similar contest in their next mayoral races.
Eh no offense but I do think he is being very accurate when he is saying that Atlanta is gentrifying (especially in the core areas) while black Atlantan's are being left behind...and I also believe this is very troubling for the metro and the black culture as well.
I'm not trying to start an argument and I agree that Atlanta provides abundance of hospitality for blacks in the cultural department, however; money is a very important resource toward survivability and success. How can a mecca obtain success without resources especially if the city is continuing to drive them away from such resources?
I get that the culture for blacks is very prevalent in Atlanta and its definitely a stronger place where blacks can be accepted but in all honesty from what I have seen its only a place where they are accepted among themselves but not by the majority affluent, or atleast, not in a way that is any different from any other major city. In that aspect I can't see how its majorly advantageous over any other city.
I personally am a black that moved to an all white town, its extremely awkward I will not lie - but it was necessary to recieve the compensation I required. I will admit some of that also came in part of my own self-improvement...but I believe that success for blacks can be found anywhere given the right motivation, ambition, and especially personal dedication.
Some historical context is needed here. It should be remembered that Atlanta began being popularly referred to as a Black mecca of sorts (I believe Ebony Magazine was the first to do so in the media) around the 1970's when the "Reverse Migration" was just underway and Maynard Jackson was elected mayor, being the first Black mayor of a major Southern city. The 1970s was when Blacks began to suburbanize all across the country due to Civil Rights Act passed in the previous decade, but in Atlanta that phenomenon was accelerated because of a sizable relatively well-established Black middle class in place compared to other cities due to the AUC, a notable entrepreneur/business class, etc and more importantly due to significsnt changes in minority contracting policies and practices at the airport instituted by Mayor Jackson which resulted in a nice chunk of Black Atlantans getting a piece of that pie--which gave Black Atlantans greater means to move to the suburbs relative to other cities. That's how Dekalb became one of, if not the, most affluent counties in the country with a significant or predominantly Black population. So that's really where the story begins when it comes to a declining Black population (at least by percentage) in Atlanta.
Combined, the two factors I referenced that are largely responsible for the size and prominence of (metro) Atlanta's Black middle class are what sets it apart from other cities--factors which were predominantly local in scope. Otherwise, Atlanta was and is no exception when it came/comes to broader nationwide trends in housing, transportation, education, etc which disadvantaged Blacks and mostly advantaged Whites economically. That pretty much means that whether Whites flocked to suburbia (post war era) or urban areas (this century), that's where the bulk of the investment and development went. A successive string of Black mayors (and mostly Blacks in other high profile municipal positions of leadership) isn't nearly strong enough to reverse the effects of a century's worth of federal and local laws and policies that had devastating consequences for Black Americans as a whole. But Atlanta certainly deserves credit for playing the hand it was dealt rather well and then some.
Some historical context is needed here. It should be remembered that Atlanta began being popularly referred to as a Black mecca of sorts (I believe Ebony Magazine was the first to do so in the media) around the 1970's when the "Reverse Migration" was just underway and Maynard Jackson was elected mayor, being the first Black mayor of a major Southern city. The 1970s was when Blacks began to suburbanize all across the country due to Civil Rights Act passed in the previous decade, but in Atlanta that phenomenon was accelerated because of a sizable relatively well-established Black middle class in place compared to other cities due to the AUC, a notable entrepreneur/business class, etc and more importantly due to significsnt changes in minority contracting policies and practices at the airport instituted by Mayor Jackson which resulted in a nice chunk of Black Atlantans getting a piece of that pie--which gave Black Atlantans greater means to move to the suburbs relative to other cities. That's how Dekalb became one of, if not the, most affluent counties in the country with a significant or predominantly Black population. So that's really where the story begins when it comes to a declining Black population (at least by percentage) in Atlanta.
Combined, the two factors I referenced that are largely responsible for the size and prominence of (metro) Atlanta's Black middle class are what sets it apart from other cities--factors which were predominantly local in scope. Otherwise, Atlanta was and is no exception when it came/comes to broader nationwide trends in housing, transportation, education, etc which disadvantaged Blacks and mostly advantaged Whites economically. That pretty much means that whether Whites flocked to suburbia (post war era) or urban areas (this century), that's where the bulk of the investment and development went. A successive string of Black mayors (and mostly Blacks in other high profile municipal positions of leadership) isn't nearly strong enough to reverse the effects of a century's worth of federal and local laws and policies that had devastating consequences for Black Americans as a whole. But Atlanta certainly deserves credit for playing the hand it was dealt rather well and then some.
Yes it does, a lot of credit. Even withstanding the interstate highway effects. Where many cities lost black historical neighborhoods, Atlanta still rose.
No, it's not. It is not any worse than anywhere else. It's not fair nor wise to put unrealistic, false expectations on anyplace or anything.
And Black Mecca does not have mean - and has never meant - that Blacks in Atlanta would all be non-poor and bathing in milk and honey. This mentality is the problem.
The "Black Mecca" moniker means Atlanta is a place where Blacks have a better chance of thriving and striving while remaining their authentic selves. And...where Blacks are more fully part of the city and Metro dynamic - with a full Black society and social structure/pyramid (upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, lower-middle class, working class, and yes, even an under/poor/poverty class).
I disagree. There’s really no excuse for the hood culture in a city like Atlanta.
There is a direct correlation between poverty and crime. Atlanta (and the nation as a whole) hasn’t done enough to address poverty. I think targeted public housing and transit expansion would go a long way toward fixing the divide and providing people with opportunities to build wealth. Our sprawl is part of the reason a ton of Atlantans are poor. It’s hard to reach jobs without a car and inexpensive housing. A ton of the land close to urban centers simply isn’t available to the general public as an investment to build wealth. We need a ton more townhomes on smaller lots and less bungalows on large lots. We also need to quickly expand transit access. Hopefully our new administration passes a good infrastructure bill to do just that across the nation.
I disagree. There’s really no excuse for the hood culture in a city like Atlanta.
What do you mean by that? Every city that has a sizable Black population will have that for reasons we are well familiar with.
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