The Road to Displacement: Atlanta’s Highways and the Legacy of Environmental Injustice in Black Communities

By State Representative Mesha Mainor (R-Atlanta)

(785 words)

Atlanta, shaped by a dichotomy of segregation and its identity as the "Black Mecca," is a consequential example of how infrastructure can delineate Black generational wealth to near non-existence. Our city may be too busy to hate, but it's crawling at a snail's pace to address the environmental injustice of living in highway communities.

The harm caused by highway construction projects in the 1950's and 1960's civil rights era has not been rectified. The road to reconciliation begins by recognizing that Black highway communities are negatively impacted by the infrastructure that fuels this international city's economy.

In his New York Times article, "What Does a Traffic Jam in Atlanta Have to Do With Segregation? Quite a Lot," Kevin M. Kruse wrote, "The intent to segregate [in Atlanta] was crystal clear. Interstate 20 was deliberately plotted along a winding route in the late 1950s to serve, in the words of Mayor [William] Hartsfield, as 'the boundary between the white and Negro communities on the west side of town.'"

Once lined with opportunities for Black Atlantans, streets like Hunter Street (now MLK Jr. Drive) became desolate and blight after becoming a highway community. Black families were displaced, and critical transportation routes to commute to work or to shop disappeared. The long-term socioeconomic injustice of creating Atlanta Westside highway communities created massive physical barriers that isolated them from one another, while enhancing the ongoing racial tensions of the civil rights movement because Blacks were also not allowed to enter white-owned establishments or share public spaces with their white neighbors. Now, they are separated from shopping with each other.

The Atlanta highway infrastructure project fragmented Black communities in the midst of them trying to unify themselves to have a succinct voice in government.

As a fifth-generation family of Atlanta's Westside and current state representative for highway communities, I support legacy and current residents with the tools to speak up for themselves and engage their government. Together, the predominately Black highway communities I represent that are fighting for environmental justice and demand that all residents - regardless of race of economic status - enjoy a clean, safe and healthy environment free from preventable urban environmental hazards.

Community-centered urban planning, where residents of historically marginalized neighborhoods have a say in the design and implementation of infrastructure projects, is an essential first step. Atlanta must invest in mitigating the existing environmental hazards, such as installing noise barriers and reducing emissions near residential areas to restore dignity to these communities that have long been disregarded.

Organizations like Smart Growth America show citizens how geographical isolation can limit access to essential services, schools, businesses and cultural hubs. Environmental injustice is a reflection of broader national issues in urban planning, where communities were considered expendable or obstacles to progress. Worse yet, many citizens were disengaged from their government because they didn't know how to get involved.

Lack of civic engagement is detrimental; Black communities can no longer afford to listen to political talking heads. They must do their due diligence and research their elected officials and actions to determine how they impact their households. It is important to be vigilant in revealing silent predators, such as infrastructure projects for communities, to ensure opportunities for the next generation. Paying attention to how city council members, county commissioners and state and federal legislators are making decisions that impact your livelihood can be the difference in the Sweet Auburn district transgressing from the "richest Negro street in the world" to deprivation.

Similarly, Mozley Park, Hunter Hills, Dixie Hills, Ashview Heights, Washington Park, Vine City and other Atlanta Westside highway communities lost their jewels to noisy, polluted expressways due to who was elected at the time. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation survey found that more than seventy percent of Americans do not know how to participate effectively in government.

Once influenced by transportation, race relations and the "Atlanta spirit," Atlantans will add civic engagement to their repertoire. I am pulling a chair out for you to sit at a table where you were once not allowed. Understanding your constitutional rights and how to effectively express grievances from rail, highway and other transportation stakeholders is vital. Let's start anew because Atlanta influences everything on more than just 404 Day. As we memorialize the 60^th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it's time to recognize Atlanta's Westside rich past and historical legacies, like Reverend Samuel Woodrow Williams, Gladys Knights, Lena Horne, Michael Hollis, Dr. Louis A. Sullivan, Charlayne Hunter-Gualt, Hamilton E. Holmes, Carolyn Long Banks, Julian "Nipsey" Russell, Mary Frances Early, Ally Pat, Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, William Alexander Scott, Harmon Griggs Perry, Regi Hargis and many more. The Westside is the best side. "They not like us."

Representative Mesha Mainor represents the citizens of District 56, which includes portions of Fulton County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves on the Education, Governmental Affairs, Regulated Industries and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.

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