Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Sociology Dissertations Department of Sociology 8-7-2018 Black On Both Sides: An Examination of Race and Class in the Ghetto Mecca Jonathan P. Grant Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss Recommended Citation Grant, Jonathan P., "Black On Both Sides: An Examination of Race and Class in the Ghetto Mecca." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2018. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss/108 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Sociology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. BLACK ON BOTH SIDES: AN EXAMINATION OF RACE AND CLASS IN THE GHETTO MECCA by JONATHAN GRANT Under the Direction of Rosalind Chou, PhD ABSTRACT From Spike Lee’s School Daze to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, mainstream entertainment has portrayed Atlanta as a “black mecca,” largely due to its consortium of black colleges, expansion of minority-owned businesses and growing black middle class. This title is called into question with research showing that Atlanta maintains high levels of poverty and income inequality. While a disproportionate number of blacks in Atlanta and the United States live below the poverty line, 75 percent of blacks in the U.S. report income above the poverty line. However, most research on African Americans emphasizes disadvantaged communities and many stories of the black middle class go unheard. Also, with 57 percent of blacks residing in the south, it is important that research includes stories of minorities across classes in urban southern cities such as Atlanta and its metro area.