ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson launched his new “Legacy Corridor Initiative” on the historic sidewalks of Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn district, signaling a highly competitive fight for Georgia’s Black voters. The initiative targets six historic commercial corridors across the state: Sweet Auburn in Atlanta, the Golden Blocks in Augusta, West Broad in Savannah, the Liberty District in Columbus, the Harlem District in Albany and Cotton Avenue in Macon. Under the plan, Jackson promises to support these districts by freezing property taxes, deploying hands-on state navigators, and helping longtime commercial tenants purchase their storefronts. For local business owners like Michael Clark, who has spent 49 years in the Old Fourth Ward, the economic reality outweighs traditional partisan alignments. “We’re looking for change, we’re looking for better,” said Clark, owner of Michael’s Mobile Detailing. Historically known as “the richest Negro street in the world” and the cradle of the Civil Rights movement, Sweet Auburn entered a sharp commercial spiral in the 1980s. Preservation records show the business district was declared critically endangered by 1992. “On a street like this, the wealth is in the deed. Everything else is just rent,” Jackson said during his announcement. “You can run a good business for 30 years and have nothing to pass on to your kids because somebody else owned the building.” Meeting with a Republican candidate in…
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