Is Atlanta America’s Black mecca? Natives and transplants have thoughts.
Credit: Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC
We’ve been asking the question.
It’s one we threw out back in March as part of our monthly original series. So far, we’ve given you a snapshot of numbers behind the Black mecca, reported on mental health care challenges and connected with musicians trying to find their breakthrough.
In just four months, the response from our audiences has been overwhelming.
From social media and emails to the literal streets, folks haven’t held back on sharing their experiences of what life looks like for Black people ITP and OTP.
To no one’s surprise, the feedback reflects the diversity of Black voices who call ATL and its metro area home.
Some folks grew here, others flew here.
Some have found their promised land.
Some say they don’t believe the hype.
Others are still searching.
There are genuine concerns about affordability and proper health care. There are success stories of folks realizing entrepreneurial dreams and finding community. Atlanta, like any city, has layers to dig through when it comes to exploring and excavating its influence on Black residents.
Forever I love Atlanta?
MORRIS BARBER, RETIRED CHEF, ADAMSVILLE: On most days, you can find Morris Barber in Five Points, trading stories with Atlanta OGs about the old Underground Atlanta, what their city is and isn’t. Barber, a towering presence, gets giddy talking about his status as a “Grady Baby” who remembers back when the Five Points MARTA station was built and first opened in 1979.
So does hometown retiree think his city is the Black mecca?
“It most definitely lives up to that title. It’s a place where Blacks have a lot of opportunities to get themselves in a position to be, you know, wealthy,” he said.
Though the 1996 Olympic Games helped put Atlanta on the map, it also drastically changed the makeup of Black communities. Barber welcomes big events in his backyard and thinks, if anything, the forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a boon, not a bust, for Black folks.
“It’s not gonna negatively impact by bringing it,” he said. “It brings business to the whole city. People come and get a real look at Atlanta, see what it’s all about.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
MICHELLE EASLEY, ENTREPRENEUR, SANDY SPRINGS: Fellow native Michelle Easley is honest about her complicated love affair with home. She’s the girl next door from Collier Heights, who went to Frederick Douglass High School, Georgia State and Emory.
“Unfortunately, just as with any love relationship, there are some things that aren’t as lovable. Atlanta is considered a Black mecca by many, but for some, Atlanta is not the promised land of realized dreams, wealth, opportunity and success,” she said.
As an adult now living in Sandy Springs, Easley is worried about locals not being able to afford living in the city.
“It is not easy to find a place to call home here in the city. I appreciate the work and emphasis Mayor Dickens has given to addressing the problem of homelessness, but much still needs to be done to address the issue,” she said.
“Atlanta is a beautiful city with a huge problem: a lack of affordable housing.”
Credit: Elissa Eubanks / AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
CARL ROUTE, ENTREPRENEUR, STONE MOUNTAIN: Speaking of housing, Vine City native and current Stone Mountain resident Carl Route said he comes from a few communities that no longer exist, like Techwood Homes.
He claims to have lived in just about every public housing project in Atlanta from 1985 to 1990.
Route is a self-described “serial entrepreneur” who says Atlanta earned its Black mecca claim thanks to contributions from Black locals. Those same people, whose culture continues to drive nationwide migrations to the metro area, aren’t reaping the benefits of their influence.
“Those days are far gone. Most Black people cannot afford to live in the Atlanta that is today. It speaks to Atlanta’s shift. We have done well in showcasing ‘Atlanta’ to the world. Atlanta was for us by us until recently. Atlanta is now for sale by us,” he said.
Yes, but …
KARMEN KENDRICK, WEB DESIGNER, MIDTOWN: Karmen Kendrick has called ATL home for the past 12 years.
The web designer left her home in Albany, Georgia, driven by one thing: opportunity. Now, living in Midtown, she sees two Atlantas.
Kendrick said she feels conflicted on the topic of Atlanta’s Black mecca status.
“I feel like because of reality TV shows, like ‘Real Housewives,’ and different things that are filmed here, it appears to be that way. But then you hear about news, people are being pretty much priced out of their neighborhood. I guess if you’re rich and famous, then, yes, it’s the Black mecca, but for the average Black person, I don’t think so,” she said.
The influx of developments in and around town is concerning.
“I think the one problem that a lot of people complain about, they feel like their leaders (are) kind of selling them out for, like, big developers to come and build things, and that’s one of the things that’s pricing people out,” she said.
“I definitely think it starts on a leadership level and how we confront new things that come to the city.”
MYLES WILLIS, SOFTWARE TECHNICIAN, DECATUR: Myles Willis says when friends in the tech space want to leave Silicon Valley, he wastes no time in selling them on coming to Atlanta.
Willis brags about the city’s rich HBCU history and traditions. Spellhouse homecoming and the Celebration Bowl have permanent real estate on his calendar.
He applauds its diversity. The Decatur resident also sees some hard truths behind Black mecca data.
“We also have raw numbers that call into question if Atlanta is still deserving of this title, citing the unacceptable Black maternal mortality rate, alarming wealth inequality, rising homelessness, and overall, a city that is increasingly becoming unaffordable and uninviting to the Black residents who once called it home,” he said.
What’s happening in Atlanta, he says, is something happening nationwide.
“Atlanta is the Black reflection of America. Atlanta is the Black mecca and a symbol of Black progress and opportunity in the same way that the American dream remains a symbol of opportunity. In America, you will witness extravagant wealth and riches beyond comprehension while also seeing poverty that should not exist,” he said.
Willis said he doesn’t see enough being done to support marginalized communities stuck in generational poverty.
Then again, Black representation here sticks out more than any other city. “I also cannot ignore the fact that this is a city where my doctor is Black, my dentist is Black, my local leaders are Black, and my favorite restaurants are Black-owned.”
What about creatives?
R.D. MOORE AKA DETROIT DA BARBER, ACTOR/BARBER, BUCKHEAD: R.D. Moore, aka Detroit Da Barber, is an actor who tried to make career inroads in New York City and LA before coming to Atlanta.
Moore would hear about other creatives finding their breakthrough here but wanted to give those cities a shot.
“I did New York, and I did LA already, and I’ve gotten great fruit from doing that. With Atlanta perking up and coming to be that Black mecca, then it’s like, you know what, I need to hit that spot, too,” he said. “This is what I want, so I’m gonna go for it.”
The actor landed a small role on “P-Valley,” a television show. He said his break came from being around and soaking up energy from the city’s creative community.
“I mean, you could find yourself in a better situation because you’re around people that are trying to do more. And when you get around people that’s trying to do more, it automatically gets in you, and now you start seeing doors open where you could do more,” he said.
LAWRENCE WALKER, MUSICIAN, CASTLEBERRY HILL: Vicksburg, Mississippi, native Lawrence Walker is hoping for more. He’s an aspiring musician who performs throughout city streets.
Walker says he’s spent most of his life traveling between Atlanta and his hometown but now lives in Castleberry Hill. Atlanta, he says, offered him simple luxuries not found at home.
“I came back here because, you know, Mississippi has no buses, there’s no resources, so I thought it was better to live here. There’s a transit system, a way to get around, (a) way to get a job without needing help,” he said.
Having lived in other states not known for their large Black communities, Walker said he can see and feel a difference in how creatives who look like him fare here.
“I lived in Nevada, where it’s mostly white people and Hispanics. And man, this is completely different. We get treated way differently there than we get treated here,” he said.
“Other people, they don’t think (Black people are) as awesome in other states and other parts of the country.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
‘Very misleading notion’
PATRICIA HARRIS, NURSE EDUCATOR/PRACTITIONER, BUCKHEAD: By Patricia Harris’ estimate, Atlanta being the Black mecca is a “very misleading notion.”
Why? The Buckhead resident says her feelings stem from her background as a nurse educator and practitioner.
“If it were, how could two major urban hospitals, that served numerous predominantly Black and working-class neighborhoods, close within a year?” she asked.
Harris is referencing the closures of Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center South in East Point and Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward.
“The so-called influential people who live in metropolitan Atlanta are either anemic or apathetic to the needs of those who are the most disenfranchised and susceptible to the negative impacts/outcomes that determine quality health care,” she said.
Folks might tout the moniker, but Harris said as long as health inequities persist, disproportionately impacting Black folks, she’s not sold.
“Atlanta is a mecca for greed, ostentatious behavior, and has lukewarm concern for those who are indigent,” she said.
What students are saying …
FELITTA SANDI, STUDENT, DOWNTOWN: Felitta Sandi was born and raised in Atlanta. Her family is originally from Liberia, but her parents moved here from New York City in 2004.
With her familiarity, the accounting major at Georgia State University said she feels like Atlanta is like any other city. Whether she agrees with the name or not, when Sandi talks to other students, it’s that allure of a better Black life that drew them to her home.
“When you live in Atlanta, you’ll meet a lot of people that’s not from Atlanta, and that’s why they tell you that they moved down here, that it’s the ‘Black mecca,’ and people excel,” she said.
Sandi loves watching other Black folks promote their own.
“Everyone puts each other on down here, just because of the simple fact because you’re Black,” she said.
She also worries about income inequality and lack of housing affordability. “If you price Black people out, then it won’t be no Black mecca,” she said.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
SALEM MUTATA, STUDENT, DUNWOODY: Seeing so many Black faces on Georgia State’s campus gives international student Salem Mutata a sense of comfort. It doesn’t hurt that GSU graduates more Black students with Bachelor’s degrees than any other nonprofit college or university in the country.
“That’s one of the reasons I chose GSU because it’s very diverse and there’s a lot of people from different places, so I liked it. We have a very strong Black community here,” Mutata said. “I’ve learned a lot of different cultures and just being among people who think and look like you.”
Mutata’s family moved here five years ago from Zimbabwe. They’re finding community here, and she has no plans of leaving after graduating.
“You can find a little bit of home everywhere you go. So having that was very much easy for us to adapt,” she said. “I’m glad we did come here first before going another place.”
Flew here but not leaving
DAVID RICHARDSON, SALES EXECUTIVE, SANDY SPRINGS: Admittedly, Philadelphia native David Richardson has had his sights set on Atlanta since the mid-1980s. Back then, he applied for the same jobs in Tampa and Atlanta. He didn’t get the job in Atlanta but kept finding himself drawn to the city.
“I traveled to Atlanta to recruit hires at Morehouse, Spelman and Clark. Each trip to Atlanta reinforced what I already knew. Atlanta, even with all of its flaws, is the ‘Black mecca.’ No U.S. city is without flaws. Each trip to Atlanta only intensified my desire to relocate to Atlanta,” he said.
In 2005, with two daughters at Spelman College, the CEO of National Sales Network finally made the move to Sandy Springs.
“I have never looked back, and every chance I get to ‘sell’ Atlanta as a place to live, I take it,” he said.
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
TIFFANY SCOTT, ENTREPRENEUR, BUCKHEAD: Richardson’s enthusiasm is shared by other transplants like Tiffany Scott.
Scott moved from Washington, D.C., in 2010, back when folks dubbed D.C. “Chocolate City.” Some have argued that D.C. is one of Atlanta’s biggest competitors for the “Black mecca” claim.
For Scott, having lived in both, the crown belongs to ATL.
“That’s exactly why I refuse to leave,” she said, noting the city’s hip-hop scene and thriving Black entrepreneurs.
Scott is an entrepreneur who credits Atlanta with her successfully launching her perfume line, Frances Marie Fragrances.
“Sure, some folks who grew up here feel it’s changed and ‘isn’t as Black as it used to be,’ but there’s still no other major U.S. city where Black culture is so integrated into the soul of the place,” Scott said.
“When you think of Black culture, you think of Atlanta. Period. You won’t find another city that’s this Black, this bold and this alive.”
ABOUT THIS SERIES
“Atlanta: America’s Black Mecca?” is an original content series from UATL that explores that question with data-driven, thoughtful reporting that prioritizes the voices of locals and transplants who call this city home. These stories will appear in the paper, UATL.com and AJC.com each month through January 2026.
Got a Black Mecca story to tell? We want to hear about your experiences. Hit us up at uatl@ajc.com.
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About the Author
Gavin Godfrey is an editor and Team Lead for UATL, the AJC's Black culture franchise. He's an award-winning writer and editor from Atlanta who's covered everything from OutKast to the water boys. Before joining the AJC, Gavin worked for Capital B Atlanta, CNN, and Creative Loafing.
