Maynard Jackson's 1973 mayoral election structurally shifted municipal wealth-building toward Black-owned businesses.

When Maynard Jackson was elected as Atlanta’s first Black mayor in 1973, he revolutionized how municipal governments interact with minority businesses. Confronted with a city where Black residents made up the majority but received less than 1% of city contracts, Jackson instituted a groundbreaking affirmative action program during the expansion of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He mandated that 35% of all municipal contracts be awarded to minority-owned businesses, refusing to move forward with construction until white-owned firms partnered with Black entrepreneurs. This policy single-handedly minted a new class of Black millionaires, established robust construction and logistics firms, and created a template for public-private minority wealth creation nationwide.