This article was originally published by NPQ online on March 26, 2025 at https://nonprofitquarterly.org/our-task-ahead-reclaiming-revolutionary-struggle-in-atlanta-and-the-south/. Used with permission.
State of the Movements is a recurring NPQ column dedicated to tracking the pulse of social movements and the solidarity economy in 2025.
“As goes the South, so goes the nation.” This maxim may not yet be standard among political analysts, but its truth is undeniable. Nowhere is this more evident than in Atlanta, a city steeped in both radical history and corporate reinvention.
Beyond the familiar narratives of a “Black Mecca” or a Democratic stronghold, Atlanta is a battleground where grassroots movements, labor struggles, and corporate influence collide. The city holds a strategic position, not just geographically but in the broader political landscape of the South, where movements for economic justice, racial equity, and abolitionist futures take shape and fight for survival.
Atlanta occupies a unique position in the South, both as a site of historical Black economic and political power and as a contested space for social movements.
As the present contradictions of racial capitalism sharpen and the cracks of neoliberal solutions give way to reveal the facade of racial progress, communities are searching for solutions transcending business-as-usual identity-based social justice driven by national nonprofits. There are unique lessons in Atlanta about sustaining movements beyond philanthropic support. The urgency of the moment demands that we learn lessons from the past and embrace radical solutions.
Atlanta as Bellwether—Or Anti-Revolutionary Bulwark
Jerome Scott, a longtime labor organizer and cofounder of Project South, embodies the tradition of Southern radical resistance. His experience, from being fired from Chrysler to organizing with the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, shaped his perspective on the necessity of independent, working-class struggle. His experience early on helped him to realize not all skinfolk are kinfolk, and he found a sophisticated strategy in entering the hospitality workforce across from the factory that fired him—allowing him to connect and organize across races.
In a recent conversation with NPQ, Scott reflected on the founding of Project South and the challenges of maintaining movement integrity in an era of increasing co-optation by philanthropy and electoral politics. “We didn’t even apply for a single grant during the early years…we were clear on our values and the threat of capture,” he explains.
Project South was born out of necessity, created to serve as a space for political education, movement building, and base development among Southern communities. Unlike many organizations that rely on large foundation grants, Scott and his cofounders were intentional about rejecting funding that came with restrictions. Their decision was rooted in the understanding that corporate and philanthropic interests often seek to domesticate radical movements, making them palatable to power rather than effective tools for