The Legend of the Black Mecca: Politics and Class in the Making of Modern Atlanta

by Maurice J. Hobson

For more than a century, the city of Atlanta has been associated with black achievement in education, business, politics, media, and music, earning it the nickname "the black Mecca." Atlanta's long tradition of black education dates back to Reconstruction, and produced an elite that flourished in spite of Jim Crow, rose to leadership during the civil rights movement, and then took power in the 1970s by building a coalition between white progressives, business interests, and black Atlantans. But as Maurice J. Hobson demonstrates, Atlanta's political leadership--from the election of Maynard Jackson, Atlanta's first black mayor, through the city's hosting of the 1996 Olympic Games--has consistently mishandled the black poor. Drawn from vivid primary sources and unnerving oral histories of working-class city-dwellers and hip-hop artists from Atlanta's underbelly, Hobson argues that Atlanta's political leadership has governed by bargaining with white business interests to the detriment of ordinary black Atlantans.
In telling this history through the prism of the black New South and Atlanta politics, policy, and pop culture, Hobson portrays a striking schism between the black political elite and poor city-dwellers, complicating the long-held view of Atlanta as a mecca for black people.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Politics

321 pages, Hardcover

Published November 27, 2017

Reviews

[Jarred Goodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although one could argue it reads as one large research paper, Dr. Hobson backs his thesis with gobs of evidence, for which I learned a lot. I met Dr. Hobson last summer in Atlanta at a workshop, and I love what he stands for, along with the enthusiasm he brings to his work and studies. I enjoyed reading his work and recommend it anyone looking to learn more about the history and politics of the South.

[Kenja McCray]

See my podcasted interview with the author at https://kenjamccray.com/podcasts/

[McCain Library]

This title is available at McCain Library in Browsing. Call number: E185.615 .H53 2017

Follow the link to check availability, access the ebook, and for more information: https://agnesscott.on.worldcat.org/oc...

If you need help locating it or requesting it for pickup, just ask a librarian or visit the Circulation Desk!

[Myles Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hobson paints a sobering reality on the idea of Atlanta that many have fallen in love with (myself included), compared to the reality of Atlanta, a city with alarming income disparity that markets itself as a black mecca while ignoring the needs of the black masses. I still love Atlanta, I love rocking my 96' Olympics retrofits, which has become extremely popular amongst 90s babies now enjoying adulthood in the city, I love going to sporting events or Yuppie social spots and seeing a lot of people that look like me (which is far from the norm in other major cities), and I love the culture of the city that always find itself in a position of influence from social justice to pop culture. However, this book has served as a reminder that while Atlanta symbolizes a lot of hope, especially for black Americans living in other regions, it must be challenged to ensure it lives up to its Black Mecca imagery. Too often, despite black leadership in key positions, Atlanta falls short on serving the needs of the black poor and working class. Many of the events discussed in this book is all too familiar today. Atlanta's preparation for the 96' Olympics and overall pursuit of becoming a major US city and international player came with the displacement and overpolicing/harassment of the black working class living on the margins within the city. Today, we are seeing similar efforts as the city prepares for the World Cup and other major events. The Red Dogs have been disbanded but Cop City is coming. The mayor, much like Maynard Jackson, has the relatable upbringing matched with an elite resume, however the "for the people" rhetoric is being questioned as moves are being made that seem to be more focused on serving the needs of the white business elites who could care less about the conditions of public schools, healthcare, transportation and job opportunities that the black masses are relying on. Hobson leaves room for me to continue loving Atlanta, while also inspiring me to not be afraid to criticize the city in hopes that it lives up to its mantra of Black Mecca, or Wakanda.
This book served as a logical follow up to Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn. In summary, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn takes you from the Civil War to the hopes and dreams of a "New South". The Legend of Black Mecca picks up from the New South and defines the Dirty South. My only complaint from Hobson's work is why is FreakNik only mentioned once?!?

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My initial, skeptical impression was that this was written by an academic looking through a Marxist lens of history.

But as I made my way through the chapters I came to appreciate the information presented and the analysis put forth, even when I didn’t agree with it. Basically the book argues that Maynard Jackson and Andy Young, despite being the first black mayors of Atlanta and consolidating black electoral power, did nothing to help poor or blue collar African-Americans, and maintained the pro-business approach of the old white establishment. It further depicted Maynard Jackson as too slow to react to the Atlanta child murders of the early 1980s based partly on classism.

Yet the book also acknowledges at length how important Jackson & Young’s political victories were in attracting additional talented African-Americans to move to Atlanta. A lot of this was set before my time, and now I know a lot more about my own hometown than I did before reading this informative book.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgia State University professor of African-American Studies Maurice Hobson makes a case that the emergence of an African-American majority in Atlanta and election of a series of African-American officials has done little to benefit the large number of poor African-Americans in the city. An interesting and sobering book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read like a dissertation, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But at times I felt the author could have done a better job with cohesiveness in the manuscript. Overall, really good overview of Atlanta's recent political history. While I knew of most events presented, I was surprised by several of the details.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and fairly academic history of Black Atlanta, focusing on the second half of the 20th century, especially the “Olympification” of the city in 1996. Tells the tale of two Atlantas – that of poor Blacks in the “ghetto” and the elites/rich that ran big businesses and politics. Interesting and thorough, I learned a lot. I especially enjoyed the chapter on rap music.

[Kelly-Jeanne Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was informative to me as an atlanta transplant. It’s dense and full of numbers and statistics that back up every point and reads like a textbook, but one definitely worth reading. Not lowering the book rating but the audiobook narrator mispronounces a couple of key place names repeatedly, which seems like would have been easy enough to research beforehand or fix prior to publication.

[Alex Gehring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating insight into Atlanta history particularly post 1960. As someone interested in learning about the history of the city, this was a great book to get started with. Last chapter focuses on the Atlanta music scene which was really interesting.

[Tara Daas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read on the 20th century history of race relations of Atlanta.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool to learn about all of the activists and leaders that most of our streets are named after

[Langston Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is almost like a case study of class issues within the black community.