The True Story Behind Why Atlanta Hasn't Had a White Mayor Since 1974

After the 1968 assassination of Atlanta native Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the city took a moral hit. But a new kid on the block promised hope for Black folks and change for everyday people which would be the start of a historic political run. In 1973, Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. was elected the first Black mayor of Atlanta with 60 percent of the vote. At just 35 years old, Jackson unseated incumbent Sam Massell and changed the course of history.

Jackson’s first term was mostly spent trying to regroup the city following major the racial upheaval of the 50s and 60s. But while he made good on his promise to help Black families in the city, the Morehouse College graduate faced harsh criticism from white Atlantans who said he was going too far, too fast, and being too Black.

Despite the public largely approving of Mayor Jackson, a string of gruesome child murders would forever taint his legacy as many families of the young Black victims said he wasn’t doing enough. Additionally, crime in the city was up with a 69 percent increase in homicides between 1978 and 1979, according to the Census Bureau’s Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, and per usual, the mayor was to blame.

By the end of his second term in 1982, Atlanta’s first Black mayor decided to change directions and pursue a business venture. And in the meantime, another Black democrat would take the spotlight and win over the people’s hearts.

With Jackson out, Andrew “Andre” Young, a pastor and former leader of the Civil Rights Movement, saw his opportunity to hit the Georgia political scene. In 1972, the Howard University graduate became the first Black American elected in Georgia to Congress since Reconstruction. And his success in Congress prompted then-President Jimmy Carter to appoint him to serve as ambassador to the United Nations in 1977.

MLK’s widow, Coretta Scott King, urged Young to throw his name in the mayor election pool. Young won with 55 percent of the vote in 1981, making him the second Black mayor the city had ever seen. And at the end of his second mayoral term, Mayor Jackson encouraged Young to run for office as his replacement “because it was very important that we not go back on the progress that Maynard made,” Young told the AJC, “and the progress that he made was controversial.”

Following in his predecessor’s footsteps, as mayor, Young set out to help Black families and bring businesses back to Atlanta. During his term, Young used his international connections to bring global business back to his city. Eventually, Young ran for governor and lost.

We should’ve known Jackson couldn’t stay away for too long... In 1990, the city’s first Black mayor won back his office just in time to start preparing for the 1996 Olympics coming to Atlanta. Jackson’s third term was all about getting the city ready for an expected economic and population boom. One of his greatest achievements was the completion of Freedom Parkway.

After the reign of Jackson, he endorsed William “Bill” Campbell for mayor. Marking the third back to back Black mayor of the city, Campbell’s contributions to the city included rebuilding the public housing system and modernizing the legal, public works, and water departments. Also, violent crime dropped significantly during his time. According to journalist Douglas A. Blackmon, Campbell was a “post–civil rights movement black politician who would leverage the economic rebirth of Atlanta, build a bridge to white voters, and become a U.S. senator or a Georgia governor.”

By the middle of Campbell’s term, he was facing scrutiny over his handling of Atlanta’s notorious “Freaknik” parties and an even bigger scandal which would lead to his indictment. In 2006, the former mayor was convicted of evading taxes between 1997 and 1999. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison but was acquitted of corruption charges.

By 2002, Atlanta was ready to turn another page in the history books. Shirley Franklin was elected with 50 percent of the vote, making her not only the first Black woman to hold the office but the first woman elected in Atlanta history... ever!

In 2005, Time Magazine named Franklin one of the five best big-city American mayors. Later that year in October, she was included in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Leaders of 2005" issue. Most notably, the Howard University graduate repaired Atlanta’s sewage system, and she was reelected in 2005 with a whopping 90 percent vote. “I have a theory about legacy, which is, if you have to talk about it, you don’t have much of a legacy,” she said to the AJC.

At the end of Franklin’s second term, Atlantans wondered who exactly could fill her huge shoes. Kasim Reed stepped up to the plate— being Franklin’s 2001 campaign manager— and soon began winning people over. In 2008, the Howard University graduate resigned from the Georgia Senate to run for mayor winning only by a few hundred votes.

Soon after winning reelection in 2013, the city was hit with yet another corruption scandal. This time, Reed was at the center of it all after he fired key personnel. During a news conference, Reed insisted “I have never taken a bribe,” and he gave reporters access to over 400 boxes worth of documents which were demanded by federal investigators. Reed was never charged, but still the thought of his connection to bribery haunts his legacy.

We all know her name: Keisha Lance Bottoms. In 2017, she revived Atlanta politics when she was elected mayor. During the height of President Donald Trump’s first term, Bottoms declared Atlanta as a “welcoming city” for refugees targeted by the president. “Our city does not support ICE. We don’t have a relationship with the U.S. Marshal[s] Service,” she said. “We closed our detention center to ICE detainees, and we would not pick up people on an immigration violation.”

Much of Mayor Bottoms’ term was shaded by 2020 BLM protests, a global pandemic, and constant attacks from the president and his supporters. By the end of her term, the FAMU graduate set her eyes on the White House. She took her name out of the reelection cycle and instead drew closer to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In 2022, Biden appointed Bottoms as the director of the Office of Public Liaison, according to Fox News. And in 2023, she moved to the President’s Export Council. Just last month, she was fired by President Trump, and now rumors suggest she could come back and run for reelection as mayor or even take on governor.

When Bottoms dropped out of the race, once again, democrats were scrambling to pick a new candidate. They landed on Andre Dickens who won office in 2022. With the city looking to build “Cop City,” reviews of Dickens are mixed almost three years into his term. Dickens has outwardly supported “Cop City,” according to GBP, and many Atlantans are unhappy with his stance. Still, this isn’t the end for the Georgia State graduate.

Atlanta continues to be a beacon of Black excellence, innovation and drama. Perfectly fusing the traditions of southern culture with modern society, Atlanta not only is home to the world’s busiest airport but also to some of the world’s greatest political minds.