Atlanta Through the Archives

Civil Rights, Demographic Shifts, and “Urban Revitalization” (1960s)

Summary

The 1960s was a decade filled with demographic shifts and policy campaigns from Black Atlantans to gain rights, and white Atlantans to push for urban revitalization that protects business interests while keeping Blacks out of white neighborhoods.

On a national scale, important leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. Were fiercely campaigning for Civil Rights legislation to desegregate schools, shops, and more. A local campaign to desegregate the vendor permits for the Sweet Auburn Curb market proved to be successful. However, the litany of changes occurring in Atlanta at the time made it so white flight was already set in motion, with white Atlantans moving to neighborhoods in northern counties, and Black Atlantans were increasingly displaced due to the zoning changes and highway construction. Collier Heights and West End were two areas that witnessed the greatest levels of increased African American population.