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The major differences are the width and breadth of Black American representation in Atlanta across class, occupation, region of origin, etc., Atlanta's Black political and entrepreneurial cultures, the heft of Atlanta's Black institutions (which includes mainstream institutions that have become de facto Black-serving institutions over time), and its status as a magnet for both Black visitors and new residents that confers a sense of actual Black ownership. It could be argued that these things combine to create a robust and prominent Black cultural infrastructure more than anything but given the exceptional nature of this existing in a fully self-governing major city with longstanding Black leadership that's been on the receiving end of waves of new residents for a while now, and the major overlap that exists with respect to mainstream Atlanta culture and Black Atlanta culture, it's hard to recognize that for anything else but an actual cultural phenomenon in and of itself. It may not be as distinctive as a localized Creole dialect, unique cuisine, or faith-based practices or institutions, but, say, the airport doubling as a civil rights and African art museum is an artifact of that infrastructure that can't be trivialized or dismissed.
And of course there are the scrippers and lemon pepper flats fried hard.
I was really focused on the bolded since that was what the OP is asking about. Nobody can deny that Atlanta has a rich history but its culture does not seem particularly distinctive.
Yeah a lot of South Louisiana people consider Shreveport a "Texas" city. Honestly though Shreveport is culturally similar to the area I grew up in (Northeast Texas). It's the unofficial capital of Ark-La-Tex but yeah Shreveport is completely different than South Louisiana. There's just as many Cowboys fans in Shreveport as there are Saints fans. Shreveport has seen better days but I see 50 cent making investments in the city (random as hell) so hopefully this starts a revitalization movement in the city. It's still the city East Texans hit up if they wanna hit up a club, go shopping or go to the "boat" aka gambling.
Yeah, that's why we've been asked to come down there. Part of small business revitalization efforts spearheaded by some bank i don't recall the name of. I did see Fifs studios down there. They said "hes like the male Tyler Perry" LMFAO.
They haven't assigned anyone to the cohort, I doubt it's me. I'm in Chicago, Miami, and Newark this year that'll keep me busy.
I was really focused on the bolded since that was what the OP is asking about. Nobody can deny that Atlanta has a rich history but its culture does not seem particularly distinctive.
It's distinctive, not in the ways highlighted by the OP, but more on an institutional level if that makes sense. For instance, this is what has distinguished the hip hop scene in Atlanta the most relative to its peers.
It's distinctive, not in the ways highlighted by the OP, but more on an institutional level if that makes sense. For instance, this is what has distinguished the hip hop scene in Atlanta the most relative to its peers.
I get that. Atlanta has just never seemed to have much of a sense of place to me. I think that owes to the fact that it was never really a large city prior to suburbanization and the Great Reverse Migration. I would say that the true local culture there is overpowered by transplants in a way that it isn't in DC. But it definitely has more of a sense of place than a city like Charlotte.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, and while there visited the city of LoÃza. This is a place, once very isolated, with the highest African-descended population on the island and a haven for runaway slaves before Emancipation, when PR was still owned by Spain. It’s a smallish place with a marvelous and fascinating mix of African, Indigenous, and Spanish cultures, reflected in dance, art, religion, music, and food. There are the beaches, of course, but also some huge festivals that I missed, but was told can last days. But I did see enough to believe it’s one of the most unique Black cultural scenes in the United States. It’s not far from San Juan, so do check it out if you’re in this US territory.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, and while there visited the city of LoÃza. This is a place, once very isolated, with the highest African-descended population on the island and a haven for runaway slaves before Emancipation, when PR was still owned by Spain. It’s a smallish place with a marvelous and fascinating mix of African, Indigenous, and Spanish cultures, reflected in dance, art, religion, music, and food. There are the beaches, of course, but also some huge festivals that I missed, but was told can last days. But I did see enough to believe it’s one of the most unique Black cultural scenes in the United States. It’s not far from San Juan, so do check it out if you’re in this US territory.
The limo driver who took me back across the island from Mayaguez to the airport in San Juan told me that Spain also had slavery in the 1500s, 1600s and 1700s. The difference was that the Spaniards allowed the slaves to buy and own land. This, he told me, was how Loiza came to be. I would then guess that the fugitives only added to the mix.
It's distinctive, not in the ways highlighted by the OP, but more on an institutional level if that makes sense. For instance, this is what has distinguished the hip hop scene in Atlanta the most relative to its peers.
I agree with this, Atlanta imo feels like the closest thing to a city in Africa in America. Like the fact you see Black people in every facet of society from the highs to to the lows in abundance compared to other cities in this country I think sets Atlanta apart from every other city in America. And I'm talking about a city that's thriving. Where the Black demographic of the city is clearly the engine and heartbeat of the city and every other demographic in the city/metro knows it and is more tolerable of that than any other city I've been to.
I know some people feel as though Houston is the "new Atlanta" somewhat in that way but it's not. Black Houston imo has a pretty good influence and place in the city/metro but it has to share that influential piece of the pie with other demographics who has just as much influence over the area. It's a city where any racial group can find their tribe and be pretty comfortable.
D.C. is also different in that sense because Black D.C. get's overshadowed by the political landscape of the nations capital even if D.C.'s Black culture is more distinct than Atlanta's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
The limo driver who took me back across the island from Mayaguez to the airport in San Juan told me that Spain also had slavery in the 1500s, 1600s and 1700s. The difference was that the Spaniards allowed the slaves to buy and own land. This, he told me, was how Loiza came to be. I would then guess that the fugitives only added to the mix.
Yes Spanish colonist allowed Enslaved Africans to purchase and own land if they converted to the catholic church. They did the same thing in Spanish Florida before the British and eventually the United States took control of their colony. But if you go to St. Augustine, FL you can go visit Fort Mose and see the oldest Freedmen settlement in North America.
I get that. Atlanta has just never seemed to have much of a sense of place to me. I think that owes to the fact that it was never really a large city prior to suburbanization and the Great Reverse Migration. I would say that the true local culture there is overpowered by transplants in a way that it isn't in DC. But it definitely has more of a sense of place than a city like Charlotte.
The local culture is definitely overshadowed by transplants and more than DC. I think that's largely due to the presence of the hip hop/reality TV scenes in Atlanta more than anything. But I've come across some natives with at least a hint of a Black Atlanta accent.
Ironically, some of what you may probably regard as contributing to Atlanta's lack of a sense of place could be things that contribute to its distinctiveness (at least from my perspective), such as swaths of neighborhoods that look like they're straight out of the small-town/rural Deep South. I could only think of one area of Charlotte like that but the area is (or maybe was at this point) mostly undeverloped. Other that that, it just doesn't have neighborhoods with parts that come across to me in the same way.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, and while there visited the city of LoÃza. This is a place, once very isolated, with the highest African-descended population on the island and a haven for runaway slaves before Emancipation, when PR was still owned by Spain. It’s a smallish place with a marvelous and fascinating mix of African, Indigenous, and Spanish cultures, reflected in dance, art, religion, music, and food. There are the beaches, of course, but also some huge festivals that I missed, but was told can last days. But I did see enough to believe it’s one of the most unique Black cultural scenes in the United States. It’s not far from San Juan, so do check it out if you’re in this US territory.
The limo driver who took me back across the island from Mayaguez to the airport in San Juan told me that Spain also had slavery in the 1500s, 1600s and 1700s. The difference was that the Spaniards allowed the slaves to buy and own land. This, he told me, was how Loiza came to be. I would then guess that the fugitives only added to the mix.
Another interesting community is the African American descendant population that is in Nova Scotia, where Birchtown is one of the oldest free Black settlements in North America, with many other predominantly black, rural and urban communities spread throughout those provinces(New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, as well as some in southern Ontario). Many have roots in SC, VA, MD, NY and some New England states but some have roots in the Caribbean too. For instance, this is information about Upper Big Tracadie, a rural community where many of the founders have roots in SC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_...ding_residents
The first female police officer in Canada(if not North America) was Rose Fortune, a black woman originally from VA, but whose family came to Annapolis Royal in NS and was an entrepreneur there in the 1800’s: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia....e/rose-fortune
Many of the black people from this part of Canada came back to the US to places like Boston and Cambridge MA(I believe former College Basketball coach Mike Jarvis may be a descendant, as Jarvis is a big surname in parts of Nova Scotia and many came to Cambridge where he is from), as well as Bangor and I believe Portland ME, among others. A book about Bangor’s Black History that mentions how some came from Canada: https://atlanticblackbox.com/2023/01...ee-on-1-22-23/
Many of the black people from this part of Canada came back to the US to places like Boston and Cambridge MA(I believe former College Basketball coach Mike Jarvis may be a descendant, as Jarvis is a big surname in parts of Nova Scotia and many came to Cambridge where he is from), as well as Bangor and I believe Portland ME, among others. A book about Bangor’s Black History that mentions how some came from Canada: https://atlanticblackbox.com/2023/01...ee-on-1-22-23/
Former acting Mayor Kim Janey's family spent much time in Nova Scotia before coming back down to bosotn at the beginning of the 20th century.
This is true, there are/we a community of African Americans in the Boston with ties to NE Canada, for sure. I know this to be true about Upstate NY too. There are other notable examples of people but I'm forgetting them.
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