Poor Atlanta: Poverty, Race, and the Limits of Sunbelt Development

Poor Atlanta examines the poor people's campaigns in Atlanta in the 1960s and 1970s, which aimed to prevent urban violence, staunch disinvestment, check white flight, and amplify Atlanta's importance as a business and transportation hub. Poor families insisted that their lives and living conditions should improve, and antipoverty organizing occurred with regularity from 1964 through 1976.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 15 January 2023
Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Poor Atlanta examines the campaigns of the poor in Atlanta during the 1960s and 1970s, which were closely linked to the city's efforts to build a Sunbelt metropolis. These initiatives aimed to address urban violence, prevent disinvestment, curb white flight, and enhance Atlanta's reputation as a business and transportation hub. Urban leaders promoted the Forward Atlanta program, which aimed to sell the city like a product. However, poor families insisted that their lives and living conditions should also improve. While these campaigns were often overlooked, they provided a consistent and sometimes vocal critique of inequality and Atlanta's uneven urban development.

LeeAnn B. Lands' book, Poor Atlanta, sheds light on the fact that antipoverty organizing (including direct action campaigns, legal actions, lobbying, and other forms of activism) occurred regularly in Atlanta from 1964 to 1976, despite being overshadowed by the Black freedom movement. This study stands out as one of the few citywide examinations of antipoverty organizing in late twentieth-century America.

Through her comprehensive analysis, Lands highlights the strategies and tactics employed by poor families and community organizations to address their economic and social challenges. She explores the ways in which these campaigns intersected with broader social movements, such as the civil rights movement, and the impact they had on shaping Atlanta's urban landscape.

One of the key findings of Poor Atlanta is the persistence and resilience of the poor in the face of systemic inequality. Lands documents the struggles and victories of poor families, who faced discrimination, poverty, and limited access to resources. She highlights the innovative approaches taken by community organizations, such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), to organize and advocate for the rights of the poor.

The book also sheds light on the challenges faced by antipoverty campaigns in Atlanta. Lands notes that these campaigns were often met with resistance and opposition from city officials, who viewed them as a threat to the stability and prosperity of the city. She explores the ways in which poor families and community organizations navigated these obstacles and continued to push for change.

Poor Atlanta is a valuable contribution to the study of urban politics, social movements, and poverty in America. It provides a detailed account of the experiences of the poor in Atlanta and sheds light on the ways in which they have fought for their rights and improved their living conditions. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the history and legacy of poverty in American cities.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780820363295