How Atlanta went from Mecca to Black Social Elite. (Washington: houses, neighborhoods)

[Big L]

Originally Posted by straightfromatown

The rest of your post seems to be a long winded way of stating that most professionals in Atlanta received degrees from colleges near Atlanta. How is that any different from any other city? People often find it easier to secure jobs in an area were they have contacts from school. Additionally, people in Atlanta will be more familiar with Atlanta area colleges which makes those degrees more valuable in the Atlanta area. If you try taking your GT or Emory degree out West you will likely find that people are not as familiar with the schools. There is nothing right or wrong about this, people just tend to prefer things that they are familiar with.

I agree. Back in Los Angeles, a person with a degree from USC or UCLA would probably have it a little easier than someone from Georgia Tech or Emory. At the same time, people from lesser-known schools like Cal State Dominguez Hills or UC Irvine may still have it easier due to local presence. Local schools tend to have more pull in their area, but that doesn't mean that graduates of those schools are guaranteed to be successful. It also doesn't mean that HR folks (even fellow alums) are just blindly hiring these people without taking their qualifications and skills into account.

I've known successful graduates of well-known schools and some not-so-successful ones. At the end of the day, it is up to the individual to succeed. Name recognition will only take you so far without skills, planning, and drive.

[Nasuba]

Originally Posted by young82

People think Atlanta is run by random black people who openly accept anyone with dark skin color. This is the furthest thing from the truth! Atlanta is run by Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Howard, Hampton, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, and Emory graduates. If your not from one of those colleges, you will have a tough time experiencing the “mecca” you expected. Telling a black Human Resource Exec that you graduated from Morehouse College is the equivalent to saying you graduated from Harvard. It might not be the same thing, per say, but it gets you in the door the same way Harvard graduates get in the door all over the country. The Spelman Women who graduate year after year have no problems finding lucrative jobs in Atlanta. Spelman alumni, who are CEOs, lawyers, doctors, etc; would have it no other way. I know people who went to Hampton University & Howard University undergrad, then went to Georgia State Law School (just because it was in Atlanta) and have jobs in their second year in Law School. I can’t over emphasize how exclusionary Atlanta has become. Its like a secret society for blacks nowadays. The mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin, went to Howard, Mayor Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. (Morehouse Alum), Mayor Andrew Jackson Young (Howard Alum), Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. (Georgia Tech), it goes on and on. Same old schools, same old networks. There are exceptions of course as there are with everything but for the most part: Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Howard, Hampton, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, and Emory run Atlanta. So if one of these schools aren’t listed on you resume, your not someone famous or you don’t have connected family down here; Atlanta will not be the Mecca. This is just the way I see it. If I'm wrong, tell me I'm wrong.

Nobody is crazy enough to think morehouse compares to howard

[BringBackCobain]

So let me get this straight. You are complaining because people who worked hard to get into good schools hold positions of power and get good jobs. And you think that just because you are black and come to Atlanta that you are entitled to a handout? Wow. Talk about a sense of entitlement. Atlanta is just like anywhere else. Work hard=get into a good school=get a good job. This rule applies to all racial groups. Just because you are black doesn't mean that you get some sort of handout in Atlanta.

[Merin]

I went to Howard. This post is very odd.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by young82

Oh the simpletons......



To BringBackCobain: can you read? The only people I'm upset with are the bums who migrate here with nothing to offer. All the people I listed in my post are doing what they're suppose to do. Once we start the gentrification process and move people like you, who can't read (I know your gonna tell me what fantastic college you went to) out, Atlanta will thrive like never before.

.

[young82]

Of course, everybody has a PhD on here. There really is no real reason to post comments on this board. No one even tries to digest what you wrote anyways. As long as you know I have point. The goal here is not "who can write the best engish paper". The gentrification process will occur soon. Housing prices will go up and all the "BET" wannabes will be forced out. Just like what is happening in D.C. But go ahead, comment on everything other than that while you watch another episode of Tyra Banks.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by young82

Of course, everybody has a PhD on here. There really is no real reason to post comments on this board. No one even tries to digest what you wrote anyways. As long as you know I have point. The goal here is not "who can write the best engish paper". The gentrification process will occur soon. Housing prices will go up and all the "BET" wannabes will be forced out. Just like what is happening in D.C. But go ahead, comment on everything other than that while you watch another episode of Tyra Banks.

Huh? I thought your original post was about how only the "social elite" succeed in Atlanta, right?

[Atlantasfinest]

Your right the same thing did happen in D.C. to a certain extent... You have some good points in your 2nd post in this thread where you explained your theory a bit more even though I'm sure you pissed a few folks off....but some can't handle the basic truth that is underlined in your posts.

[straightfromatown]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Forgive my intrusive editing...it's hard to take my English professor hat off sometimes. However, I feel that if someone writes a post that drips with contempt and condescension for those he alleges to be his intellectual inferiors, it ought to at least look like someone with a high school education wrote it.

Signed, Simpleton PhD, Georgetown '82

A++


OP, your argument makes more sense now. I did not understand your position after reading your first post and thought you were arguing that uneducated black people should hold more powerful positions. The title of this topic implies that Atlanta used to be a place where this was the norm. I haven't been here long enough to know if that is true or not so I can't say. But to say that it has become a "Black Social Elite" to me means that people in positions of power got there because of their social connections rather than their academic qualifications. You don't seem to believe this though as you explained that most of the people who run the city do in fact have college degrees.

I think I understand your argument now which is that black people should not expect to be able to show up in Atlanta and get a free pass (good jobs without getting an education). I agree and think that is good advice to anyone who may have such misguided views about the city. The thread title and content of the original post don't make the argument clear.

[BringBackCobain]

Well according to some of the black know-it-alls on this website, "all the rich blacks live in the suburbs." So even if I misunderstood your post, it is probably wrong anyway. Atlanta is mostly composed of poor black people, and middle-to-upper class whites. Im not an authority on the subject, but apparently there is a term for what is happening:
Black flight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, yes blacks will probably continue to be pushed out of Atlanta, but the "elite" you are referring to has probably already left.

And in regards to your original post, Mayor Ivan Allen was white, so him attending Georgia Tech and his mention in your post at all seems irrelevant.