Have Neoliberal Policies Disrupted Atlanta’s Claim as a Black Mecca?

Jennifer Simon, Georgia State University

Atlanta has long been known as a “Black Mecca,” associated with Black political power, cultural prominence, and economic opportunity. Yet recent urban transformations driven by neoliberal policies and growth machine dynamics complicate this narrative. As the population of other racialized groups in the United States grows, an important question emerges: do cities like Atlanta still function as centers of opportunity for Black workers seeking employment? Using longitudinal data from the American Community Survey (ACS), this study analyzes changing worker profiles in Atlanta over a 15-year period following significant external capital investment in key areas of the city. The analysis occurs at two geographic levels. First, it examines the three Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) encompassing Atlanta’s District 2, a Tax Allocation District that received more than 80% of investment resources between 2000 and 2010. Second, it analyzes the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), a 29-county region that includes Atlanta and surrounding communities. Examining both scales allows demographic changes in District 2 to be assessed regionally and helps determine whether shifts reflect broader trends or residential movement within the city. Major projects such as the BeltLine, redevelopment around Turner Field, and investment in District 2 are framed as revitalization but have contributed to gentrification and displacement of long-standing Black communities. Reflecting a neoliberal agenda, these projects commodify urban space and align with Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession,” in which public resources and land are reorganized to facilitate capital accumulation. Drawing on critical race theory, the study shows how historical patterns of racial exclusion continue to shape contemporary urban policy. While Atlanta’s image as a Black Mecca endures, neoliberal development reveals how this identity can obscure persistent racial and economic inequalities while also highlighting the presence of other racialized communities in the city’s changing labor landscape.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 45. Race, Labor, and Inequality in Modern Capitalism