Climbing for Higher Ground: Race, Class, and Respectability Among Black Atlantans, 1974-2010

This dissertation contemplates the complex dynamics and long-term legacy of Atlanta’s Black mayors in office for the past six decades beginning in 1974. I focus primarily on the administrations of Maynard Jackson (1974-1982 and 1990-1994) and Andrew Young (1982-1990) but also touch on Shirley Franklin’s time in office (2001-2010). What did they achieve in their time in office? How did their administrations harm or help all Black Atlantans? And finally, after their time in office passed, what legacy did they leave? I argue that Atlanta’s Black mayors reflect a century-long tradition of Black involvement in both city and state politics that consistently prioritized an elite Black vision of Atlanta, doing little to address the everyday struggles and realities for most Black Atlantans. Exploring the administrations of Jackson, Young, and Franklin reveals how Black Atlantans of varied classes viewed their city and defined activism for themselves over the course of the twentieth century. All of this paints a picture of the underlying complexity of Black politics in modern Atlanta.