What is Black Atlanta known for?

Black Atlanta is known for its thriving Black culture, Black-owned businesses, historically Black colleges (HBCUs), Civil Rights history, world-class nightlife, music scene, and a booming Black entrepreneurship ecosystem. Atlanta is often called the 'Black Mecca' of America. BlackAtlanta.com is your guide to all of it.

What percentage of Atlanta is Black?

Approximately 51% of Atlanta's city population identifies as Black or African American, making it one of the most Black-majority major cities in the United States. The Atlanta metro area has the second largest Black population in the country.

What are the best Black Atlanta events this weekend?

BlackAtlanta.com is the #1 source for Black Atlanta events — from nightlife and day parties to brunch, networking, concerts, and rooftop events. Visit blackatlanta.com/Scene for the latest Black Atlanta events this weekend.

Where can I find Black-owned businesses in Atlanta?

BlackAtlanta.com hosts the largest directory of Black-owned businesses in Atlanta, GA — including restaurants, bars, salons, fitness studios, professional services, real estate, and more. Visit blackatlanta.com/Guide to browse the full directory.

What neighborhoods are popular in Black Atlanta?

Popular Black Atlanta neighborhoods include West End, East Atlanta, Cascade, South Fulton, Buckhead, Midtown, Downtown, Decatur, and Camp Creek. Each has a vibrant community of Black-owned businesses and cultural events.

The index

Education & HBCUsInstitution

Atlanta University Center

The Atlanta University Center is the largest consortium of private Black colleges in the world — Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Morehouse School of Medicine, clustered together on one side of the city since the 19th century.

Reviewed Oct 25, 2026By BlackAtlanta Editorial2 sources cited

What to take away

1The Consortium was originally formed in 1929 and describes itself as the world's largest consortia of African American private institutions of higher education.
2Its members are Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College, enrolling more than 10,000 students collectively each year.
3Atlanta University was founded in 1865 and Clark College in 1869; the two merged in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.
4Morehouse College was established in 1867 as Augusta Institute and Spelman opened in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary with eleven students.
5Morris Brown College (1881) and the Interdenominational Theological Center (1958) are no longer members but remain part of the AUC's legacy.

Four institutions, one campus cluster

The AUC traces back to schools founded to educate newly freed people after the Civil War. Atlanta University was founded in 1865, Morehouse College in 1867, Clark College in 1869, and Spelman in 1881. Clark College and Atlanta University merged in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine was formed in 1974.

The consortium itself

Originally formed in 1929, the Consortium coordinates work the campuses share: cross-registration, a dual degree engineering program, center-wide career planning and placement, and the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library.

Morris Brown and the ITC

Morris Brown College, founded in 1881, and the Interdenominational Theological Center, founded in 1958, are no longer members of the Consortium, but both remain central to its legacy and to the identity of the surrounding neighborhood.

Why it matters past the campuses

Collectively the member institutions enroll more than 10,000 students each year. The alumni list is a map of Black American leadership across the last century — Martin Luther King Jr., Julian Bond, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Marian Wright Edelman, Pearl Cleage, and Regina Benjamin among them.

Why it matters here

Concentrating these campuses in one place is why Atlanta has a Black professional and political class with institutional memory. Students who came here for school stayed, organized here, and built the city's civic infrastructure.

Where this still needs work

The enrollment figure is the Consortium's own collective "more than 10,000 each year" claim. Refresh it from IPEDS or each institution's current enrollment before quoting a precise number.

Sources

1
History
Atlanta University Center Consortium
2
Atlanta University Center
Wikipedia (secondary) · secondary source

Reviewed Oct 25, 2026 · BlackAtlanta Editorial

Something here is wrong, out of date, or missing a source? An editor checks every correction.

Keep going

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Faith & CommunityInstitution

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NeighborhoodsNeighborhood

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