Fifty years ago, thousands of people from aristocrats to working class Atlantans poured into the city’s Civic Center for a sight that had never been seen before. Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. was on Jan. 7, 1974 sworn in as Atlanta’s — and the South’s — first Black mayor.
The event was indicative of the years to come under his administration: Black and white residents sharing the same level of political and economic opportunity.
No mayor before him had held such a grand event for their inauguration. After being sworn in, the great-great grandson of a former Georgia slave became the city’s youngest mayor ever and, eventually, the only mayor to serve an unprecedented three full terms.
“I don’t think I was old enough to really understand the magnitude of the moment and the trajectory of history,” said Jackson’s eldest daughter Elizabeth Jackson Hodges. “But as I grew older, I was able to recognize it, embrace it and feel it.”
On Monday, City Hall was filled with reminiscences of the history-making inauguration night. Black and white photos of Jackson’s campaign were displayed in the atrium while look-alike campaign pins celebrating 50 years since his election were scattered across the tables.
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Almost all of Atlanta’s living mayors gathered with Jackson’s family and friends to pay tribute to “a lion of a man” who left a legacy of Black economic empowerment that still stands as a core principle of the city leaders who followed him.
“When it comes to history, being the first man sometimes is not as important as being the right man,” said Mayor Andre Dickens. “Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. was indeed the right man at the right time in this city’s history.”
Jackson may be best known for his efforts to increase the number of minority business contracts across the city — especially at the famed Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport that holds the title as busiest airport in the world.
Before Jackson took office and made the decision to move I-85, an entire highway necessary for the expansion of the airport, white business owners held more than 99% of city contracts. Leadership has continued to follow Jackson’s footsteps by pouring dollars toward new airport projects.
“Every single brick at the Atlanta airport, every part of the runways, every single thing that’s there was built and constructed by African American mayors,” said Former Mayor Bill Campbell.
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Dickens’ administration plans to host various events throughout the year that include special film screenings, an art gallery opening and celebration of Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Units — a brainchild of Jackson when he entered office.
Events highlight Jackson’s love for arts and culture and dedication to the education system, especially the admiration he had for Atlanta’s historically Black colleges and universities as a graduate of Morehouse College.
Jackson first ran for office at the age of 30 when he challenged incumbent Herman Talmadge in a race for a U.S. Senate seat. He lost the statewide race but went on to run and win the position of vice mayor in Atlanta in 1970.
Friends and colleagues remember his bid for mayor in 1973 as a beacon of hope for progressive voters who began imagining a future where Black people could build political power in Atlanta.
“He centered the people that he served, that’s how he got elected, that’s why his legacy is enduring and lasting,” U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams told the AJC.
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Black lawmakers at the state level say work to realize Jackson’s vision for a more equitable future extends outside of Atlanta city limits and across the entire state.
Calvin Smyre, the longest-serving member of Georgia House of Representatives and current nominee by President Joe Biden for the role of U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, called Jackson a “stalwart” who set the economic base for Black residents to thrive.
“It’s almost like the philosophical bit: planting seeds to trees for the shade you may never see,” Smyre told the AJC. “Maynard Jackson planted a lot of seeds for the shade he didn’t see and I’m happy to be a part of that.”
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