Cascade History

,
Empire Real Estate Board

Pioneering Open Occupancy and Black Suburban Expansion

Introduction: The Business of Civil Rights

In the mid-twentieth century, the physical expansion of Atlanta’s African American community was severely restricted by Jim Crow zoning, municipal barricades, and discriminatory lending practices. To combat this systemic exclusion, Black real estate professionals organized to pool their resources, protect their clients, and challenge the white commercial-civic establishment. Founded in 1939, the Empire Real Estate Board emerged as a foundational institutional force driving Black homeownership in Atlanta.

“Operating under the official motto of ‘Democracy in Housing,’ the organization recognized that civil rights and property rights were inextricably linked. As past president Q.V. Williamson famously articulated, ‘A free man’s most cherished dream is to own his own home, in the place of his choice.’”[1], [2]

The Empire Real Estate Board did not merely sell houses; they orchestrated complex geographic strategies, negotiated with city planners, and financed legal defenses to dismantle residential segregation. By analyzing municipal zoning battles, mayoral correspondence, and the integration of the Cascade corridor, the history of the Empire Real Estate Board reveals how Black real estate brokers successfully engineered the demographic transformation of Southwest Atlanta.

Chapter 1: Founding and the Post-War Housing Crisis

The Empire Real Estate Board (frequently referred to in its early years as the Empire Realty Board) was officially organized in 1939 by a small, dedicated group of just nine charter members.[3] These early pioneers recognized that the severe housing shortage facing Black Atlantans could only be solved through unified professional advocacy.

Because they were systematically barred from joining the white-controlled National Association of Realtors, Black brokers adopted the term “Realtist” to distinguish themselves, affiliating with the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB).[4]

The organization was guided through its formative years by W.H. “Chief” Aiken, who served as president from 1939 to 1944.[5] Aiken was a legendary figure in early Atlanta real estate; a builder of Native American descent who had ties to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Aiken was known to ride a horse from one construction site to another as he developed housing for Black veterans, including the famous Waluhaje Apartments.[6]

Following World War II, the housing crisis reached a critical breaking point. Black leaders and real estate professionals began aggressively lobbying the city for living space. In May 1946, T.M. Alexander, who served as the Board’s president from 1945 to 1953, addressed the influential Hungry Club to publicly discuss the acute housing shortage. Alexander did not mince words; he explicitly stated that provisions in the GI Bill of Rights regarding loans for housing were a “joke” because of the discriminatory practices of the Veterans Administration, which made it nearly impossible for Negro veterans to get certified.[7] He warned of the rising tension created by the “invasion” of Negroes into white communities in the Northwest and Southwest sections of Atlanta, demanding adequate representation on a special housing committee to be appointed by the Mayor.[8]

The advocacy escalated in September 1946, when Alexander and a delegation of Negro leaders met directly with Mayor William B. Hartsfield to demand a plan to halt housing tension, warning the mayor that the Negro housing problem was “many times worse than whites’.”[9] The Board maintained this relentless public pressure campaign for years; in October 1948, Alexander returned to the Hungry Club to lead another major discussion on “Housing Tensions,” noting that the problems involved in settling Negroes were “tremendous.”[10]

By the end of the 1940s and into the early 1950s, the Board had grown significantly in both size and influence, boasting 35 active members by 1949.[11] The Board began hosting sophisticated regional conferences, such as an August 1950 panel discussion with builders and realtors to analyze the role of government in housing.[12]

To overcome the discriminatory lending practices of white-controlled banks, the Board forged deep alliances with Black financial institutions. In May 1949, the Empire Real Estate Board held a strategic meeting at Frazier’s Cafe Society featuring L.D. Milton, the president of Citizens Trust Company, to discuss the critical role of Negro real estate brokers in securing financing and meeting the community’s housing needs.[13] This alliance laid the groundwork for the independent financial network that would soon fund the expansion into Southwest Atlanta.

The Board quickly became a pillar of Black professional life. Members, such as the J.L. Wolfe Realty Co., proudly advertised their dual membership in the “Empire Realty Board and National Association of Real Estate Brokers” to signal trust and ethical standing to prospective buyers.[14] The organization hosted prominent annual banquets that drew local notables and civic leaders, cementing their status as a leading professional coalition. In February 1955, the Board held its 2nd Annual Banquet, featuring prominent speakers like George Harris.[15], [16]

The Board actively celebrated professional excellence within its ranks. In February 1956, Curtis Clark was named outstanding salesman of the year, receiving congratulations directly from George S. Harris, President of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.[17] The following year, in March 1957, W.M. Chivers was chosen as “Real Estate Salesman of the Year” by the Empire Realty Board.[18]

Their civic engagement extended far beyond housing. In 1956, the Board partnered with the Urban League to sponsor vocational campaigns, demonstrating their commitment to broader economic empowerment.[19] Board leaders also anchored other vital community institutions; J.T. Bickers frequently led massive membership and fundraising campaigns for the Butler Street YMCA throughout the 1950s and 1960s.[20], [21]

Chapter 2: The West Side Expansion and Political Muscle

During the 1950s, the Empire Real Estate Board played a critical role in navigating the tense, often hostile expansion of Black neighborhoods. To avoid the overt domestic terrorism of groups like the Columbians and the Ku Klux Klan, Black leaders formed biracial coalitions with white civic groups to negotiate expansion.

This expansion required constant public relations defense. In September 1951, T.M. Alexander wrote a firm letter to the editor of the Atlanta Daily World to correct misleading reports about the racial transition of the Mozley Park area. Alexander defended the ethics of the Empire Real Estate Board, explicitly denying rumors of “disturbances” and asserting that their agents were simply conducting lawful business with willing white sellers. “Our interest is to serve the public according to the ethics of the profession without deviation, interference or intimidation,” Alexander declared.[22]

In the fall of 1952, the Board found itself in the middle of a bitter zoning dispute regarding racial expansion lines. Mayor Hartsfield had proposed erecting a public housing project in the West End to serve as a physical “buffer” or boundary line south of which Negroes would not seek to live. T.M. Alexander publicly rebuked the Mayor, stating his committee had made no such commitment.[23] The Atlanta Daily World published a scathing editorial supporting Alexander, arguing that restricting the movement of Negroes was a violation of economic law that would only “contribute to the development of slums.”[24] The Atlanta Business League publicly backed Alexander and the other officials in the “‘buffer’ row.”[25]

Despite the friction, in December 1952, Mayor Hartsfield formally appointed Alexander to the West Side Mutual Development Committee (WSMDC).[26] Sitting alongside other prominent Black leaders like Attorney A.T. Walden and W.H. Aiken, Alexander assisted in drawing up the agreements that allowed Black residents to take over the Mozley Park area, opening a crucial western corridor for Black suburbs.[27]

The Board also took direct action to protect Black buyers from predatory economic practices during these neighborhood transitions. During the 1954 transition of the Collier Heights community, the Empire Real Estate Board deliberately refused to list houses during a period of intense community dissension. As noted by the Board, this protective measure was taken to prevent Black buyers from being “exploited by paying inflated prices” and to ensure a peaceful transfer of occupancy.[28]

Recognizing that housing policy was dictated by elected officials, the Board began operating as a direct political force. In May 1957, the Empire Real Estate Board paid for display advertisements urging citizens to “LET’S ALL VOTE” to elect T.M. Alexander as Alderman of the 7th Ward.[29] In August 1961, the Board officially endorsed Q.V. Williamson (who served as Board President from 1954 to 1959) for the Third Ward aldermanic race, utilizing their collective influence to place real estate professionals directly into the halls of municipal power.[30], [31] The Board also actively challenged municipal sign ordinances that attempted to ban “For Sale” signs in transitioning neighborhoods, viewing such laws as a direct infringement on fair housing.[32]

Chapter 3: The War Chest and the Dual Economy

As the Empire Real Estate Board pushed into transitioning neighborhoods, its brokers faced immense personal and professional risks from the white establishment. Black real estate agents faced the constant threat of retaliatory lawsuits and licensing trials orchestrated by white civic clubs attempting to revoke their credentials.

To protect themselves and ensure their members could continue operating in hostile territory, the Empire Real Estate Board instituted a mandatory financial defense mechanism. The Board required its brokers to contribute five percent of their commissions from specific sales in transitioning neighborhoods into a dedicated emergency war chest.[33] This financial safety net allowed brokers to aggressively pursue integration without the paralyzing fear of personal bankruptcy.

Chapter 4: The Peyton Road Wall and the Curtis Clark Irony

The Empire Real Estate Board’s most highly publicized battle occurred in the early 1960s during the integration of the Cascade Heights corridor. In October 1961, white residents accused Black realtors of “blockbusting.” J.T. Bickers, who served as President of the Empire Real Estate Board from 1960 to 1962, publicly disputed the charges, calling them erroneous and stating that their members had never participated in or encouraged blockbusting at any time.[34], [35]

The conflict escalated in August 1962 when white aldermen proposed creating a 75-acre “Black cemetery” on Willis Mill Road to serve as an artificial “racial buffer” against Black expansion. Bickers blasted the proposal as a “slap in the face.”[36] The Empire Board sent a stinging telegram directly to Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., declaring: “We do not need burial space, we need living space… we consider this action as an insult and an affront to the Negro community.”[37]

The Atlanta Daily World published multiple editorials demanding the Mayor veto the action, explicitly citing the pleas of the Empire Realty Board and calling the cemetery an “obvious wrong to try and maintain racial zoning.”[38], [39] When Mayor Allen vetoed the cemetery proposal on August 24, the Black community publicly praised his decision, stating they believed he was “keenly aware” of their desires.[40]

However, this goodwill was shattered just months later. When the city subsequently erected the infamous Peyton Road Wall in December 1962 to halt integration, the Empire Board refused to compromise. Mayor Allen invited Joseph T. Bickers and other leaders to a conference to “work out solutions,” but Bickers flatly refused to negotiate while the physical barricades remained standing.[41]

On December 28, 1962, right in the middle of the barricade crisis, W.L. Calloway, who took over as president of the Empire Real Estate Board in 1963, published a blistering op-ed in The Atlanta Constitution. Titled “Realtor Charges Search Again Made For ‘Scapegoat’ in Housing of Negroes,” Calloway fiercely defended Black brokers. He argued that the city was experiencing “growing pains” due to urban renewal displacement, and instead of intelligent planning, the white establishment was simply making Black real estate brokers the “scapegoat” and the “victims.” He pointed out the stark inequity that Negroes constituted 39 percent of Atlanta’s population but were housed on only 17 percent of the land.[42], [43]

Following the court-ordered removal of the barricades in March 1963, the Aldermanic Board requested a new real estate “code of ethics” to control property in transitional areas. Mayor Allen invited members of the white Atlanta Real Estate Board and the Black Empire Real Estate Board to City Hall to formulate the code. The Negro real estate dealers rejected the proposed code of ethics as a “slap in the face,” noting that they were governed by a nationwide code that advocated for “open-occupancy” for all persons, putting them in direct ideological conflict with white realtors.[44]

In retaliation for the fall of the wall, white segregationists enacted a spiteful revenge plot that exposed a fascinating ideological fracture within the Black real estate community itself. The Southwest Citizens Association deliberately boycotted the Empire Real Estate Board, refusing to give their listings to the Black realtors who had fought the barricades. Instead, they gave exclusive rights to sell thirty of their homes to Curtis Clark, a Black realtor who had broken ranks and supported the segregationist plan to build the cemetery buffer.[45] The profound historical irony was that just seven years earlier, in 1956, the Empire Real Estate Board had honored this exact same Curtis Clark as their “Outstanding Real Estate Salesman of the Year.”[46] The white segregationists weaponized their own white flight to financially reward a former Empire Board star who had collaborated with their buffer strategy, while punishing the organization that had defeated them.

Chapter 5: Atlanta Civic Enterprise and the Secret Fund

While the public battles raged over barricades and zoning, the Empire Real Estate Board was quietly executing a massive, back-channel development strategy. By the mid-1960s, the white power structure of Atlanta, including figures like Richard H. Rich of Rich’s Department Store and John A. Sibley of Trust Company Bank, was deeply concerned about the city’s national image. The impending arrival of the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons meant that high-profile Black and Latino professional athletes would soon be moving to the city, and the white establishment feared the embarrassment of these athletes being unable to find luxury housing due to segregation.[47]

Historical Context: The Secret Fund
To solve this problem quietly, the white business elite formed a coalition called “Atlanta Civic Enterprise.” They established a $1 million revolving account and approached T.M. Alexander Sr., selecting him because of his long-standing reputation for integrity. The white coalition offered to finance luxury housing developments, provided the Black developers executed the projects and took the public lead.[48]

Alexander assembled a powerhouse team that included his son, T.M. Alexander Jr., Dr. Hilliard Alphonso Bowen (assistant superintendent of Atlanta schools), and a young, rising real estate executive named Harold A. Dawson Sr. Utilizing the secret funding from Atlanta Civic Enterprise and a massive $800,000 loan from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, this consortium developed the University Plaza Apartments in the Atlanta University Center. The luxury complex, built by Herman J. Russell, featured the famous Birdcage Restaurant and became a premier destination for the city’s Black elite and incoming athletes.[49]

This same consortium utilized the Atlanta Civic Enterprise funds to execute their most famous tactical maneuver. They purchased 52 acres of land on Peyton Road from Dr. J.B. Harris. When they discovered that four of their newly acquired lots were trapped directly behind the Peyton Road Wall, T.M. Alexander Sr. personally telephoned Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. Alexander delivered a “hint to the wise,” informing the mayor that they owned the property behind the wall and fully intended to build homes for four Black families there.[50] This back-channel pressure, backed by the very white financial institutions that controlled the city’s economy, helped force the city to abandon the barricades. The consortium subsequently developed the tract into the Harlan Terrace and Chalet-Peyton Woods subdivisions, creating a gateway for affluent Black professionals to move into Southwest Atlanta.[51]

Chapter 6: The Supreme Court and the Metro Listing Monopoly

Despite the boycotts and the political friction, the Empire Real Estate Board continued to elevate a new generation of Black leadership. From 1970 to 1972, the Board was led by President Harold A. Dawson Sr.[52]

Under Dawson’s presidency, the Empire Real Estate Board fought for the right of minorities to live and sell in places of their choice. The Board’s members continued to fight discriminatory practices in the federal courts well into the 1970s. In 1976, Harold Dawson testified in a major federal lawsuit against Northside Realty Associates (led by Ed Isakson), detailing the specific efforts and difficulties Black real estate executives faced when attempting to place clients in certain neighborhoods due to the “steering” and “blockbusting” practices of white firms. Isakson attempted to defend his firm’s record by citing that he had given sales seminars to Dawson’s firm and the predominantly Black Empire Realty Board, highlighting the ongoing, complex legal battles over fair housing.[53]

Dawson’s leadership eventually propelled him to the national stage. From 1977 to 1979, he served as the 10th president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), where he testified before the U.S. Congress to advocate for fair housing legislation and ensure that financing remained available for minority homebuyers.[54]

The Board’s most monumental legal victory, however, took decades to achieve. For years, Black brokers had been systematically locked out of the Metro Listing Service (MLS) because access was restricted solely to members of the white-controlled Atlanta Board of Realtors. In 1988, three members of the Empire Real Estate Board, E. Pearl Presley (who served as Board President from 1982 to 1983), Wendell White (President from 1987 to 1988), and Fletcher L. Thompson, filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against the Atlanta Board of Realtors and the MLS, claiming the exclusionary rules constituted an illegal monopoly that harmed Black brokers and consumers.[55], [56]

The fierce legal battle escalated all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 1992, the Supreme Court allowed a lower court ruling in favor of the Empire Board members to stand, effectively breaking the white monopoly on real estate listings and commission structures.[57], [58] In 1994, the Empire Real Estate Board officially won full access to the Metro Real Estate Lists, a landmark victory that leveled the economic playing field for Black real estate professionals across the region.[59]

Conclusion

The Empire Real Estate Board was far more than a professional trade association; it was a vital instrument of civil rights strategy in Atlanta. From the early biracial negotiations of the 1950s to the fierce, uncompromising stand against the Peyton Road Wall in the 1960s, the Board consistently prioritized the dignity and economic empowerment of Black homebuyers. By funding their own legal defenses, rejecting discriminatory codes of ethics, and taking their fight against the white real estate monopoly all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the brokers of the Empire Real Estate Board laid the physical and economic foundation for the thriving, affluent Black neighborhoods of Southwest Atlanta today. Their legacy of service continued well into the modern era, expanding to include philanthropic initiatives such as the 1989 “Home for the Homeless” renovation project, proving their enduring commitment to housing equity for all Atlantans.[60], [61]

Appendix: Leadership of the Empire Real Estate Board (1939 to 1988)

  • W.H. “Chief” Aiken: 1939 to 1944
  • T.M. Alexander Sr.: 1945 to 1953
  • Q.V. Williamson: 1954 to 1959
  • J.T. Bickers: 1960 to 1962
  • W.L. Calloway: 1963
  • W.T. Robie: 1964 to 1965
  • Allen Caldwell: 1966
  • J.A. Alston: 1967
  • Otis Thorpe: 1968 to 1969
  • Harold A. Dawson Sr.: 1970 to 1972
  • W.C. Ponder: 1973 to 1974
  • Willie Ware Sr.: 1975 to 1976
  • Willie Jackson: 1977 to 1978
  • Miller Johnson Jr.: 1979 to 1981
  • E. Pearl Presley: 1982 to 1983
  • Alfred Knox: 1984
  • Dorothy Kelly: 1985 to 1986
  • Wendell White: 1987 to 1988

Related Reading:

Footnotes & Citations (Click to Expand)
Citations:
  1. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  2. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  3. “Empire Realty Board Elects Officers,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 18, 1949, 68. ↑
  4. “Realtists’ Banquet Set For Tonight,” Atlanta Daily World, February 17, 1955, 2. ↑
  5. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  6. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  7. “Housing Discussed By Alexander At Hungry Club,” Atlanta Daily World, May 9, 1946, 1. ↑
  8. “Housing Discussed By Alexander At Hungry Club,” Atlanta Daily World, May 9, 1946, 1. ↑
  9. “Plan Asked to Halt Housing Tension: Negro Leaders Tell Hartsfield Their Problem Many Times Worse Than Whites’,” The Atlanta Journal, September 27, 1946, 10. ↑
  10. “Hungry Club Diners Air Housing Ills,” Atlanta Daily World, October 21, 1948, 6. ↑
  11. “Empire Realty Board Elects Officers,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 18, 1949, 68. ↑
  12. “Panel Discussion Highlights Confab Of Builders, Realtors,” Atlanta Daily World, August 29, 1950, 1. ↑
  13. “Empire Realty Board Hears Milton, Whittaker At Frazier’s,” Atlanta Daily World, May 29, 1949, 2. ↑
  14. Display Advertisement for J.L. Wolfe Realty Co., Atlanta Daily World, December 25, 1951, 14. ↑
  15. “Realtors’ Plans For 2nd Annual Banquet Develop,” Atlanta Daily World, February 11, 1955, 3. ↑
  16. “Local Notables Realty Banquet Set To Attend,” Atlanta Daily World, February 12, 1955, 1. ↑
  17. “OUTSTANDING REAL ESTATE SALESMAN,” Atlanta Daily World, February 19, 1956, 1. ↑
  18. “REAL ESTATE SALESMAN OF THE YEAR,” Atlanta Daily World, March 16, 1957, 1. ↑
  19. “Urban League Announces Vocational Campaign,” Atlanta Daily World, February 19, 1956, 1. ↑
  20. “JOSEPH BICKERS TO HEAD BUTLER ST. YMCA CAMPAIGN,” Atlanta Daily World, March 4, 1956, 1. ↑
  21. “HEART OF BUTLER ST. ‘Y’ CAMPAIGN — BOYS,” Atlanta Daily World, March 1, 1964, 2. ↑
  22. T.M. Alexander, “Letters To The Editor: Real Estate Board Explains Position,” Atlanta Daily World, September 30, 1951, 4. ↑
  23. “The Question Of A ‘Buffer’,” Atlanta Daily World, September 18, 1952, 6. ↑
  24. “The Question Of A ‘Buffer’,” Atlanta Daily World, September 18, 1952, 6. ↑
  25. “Business League Backs Officials In ‘Buffer’ Row,” Atlanta Daily World, September 18, 1952, 1. ↑
  26. “NAACP Raps Plan For Buffer Project,” Atlanta Daily World, December 10, 1952. ↑
  27. Kevin Michael Kruse, “White Flight: Resistance to Desegregation of Neighborhoods, Schools and Businesses in Atlanta, 1946-1966” (Ph.D. diss., Cornell University, 2000), 382. ↑
  28. “Realty Board Reveals New Residential Area To Open,” Atlanta Daily World, March 14, 1954. ↑
  29. Display Advertisement for T.M. Alexander, Atlanta Daily World, May 21, 1957, 3. ↑
  30. “Real Estate Board Endorses Williamson,” Atlanta Daily World, August 11, 1961, 1. ↑
  31. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  32. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  33. Maya Brooks, “Climbing for Higher Ground: Race, Class, and Respectability Among Black Atlantans, 1974-2010” (Ph.D. diss., University of Georgia, 2025), 43-44. ↑
  34. Gordon Roberts, “NEREB Disputes Block-Busting Talk,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 8, 1961. ↑
  35. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  36. “Board Of Aldermen Okays Controversial Building Of Cemetery In Atlanta,” Atlanta Daily World, August 21, 1962. ↑
  37. “Voters League, Empire Real Estate Board Seek Mayor’s Veto On Cemetery Petition,” Atlanta Daily World, August 22, 1962. ↑
  38. “Mayor Allen Should Veto Cemetery Proposal,” Atlanta Daily World, August 24, 1962, 4. ↑
  39. “Thank You, Mayor Allen, For This Veto,” Atlanta Daily World, August 25, 1962, 6. ↑
  40. “MAYOR ALLEN’S VETO PRAISED: ‘HE IS KEENLY AWARE’ OF COMMUNITY DESIRE,” Atlanta Daily World, August 26, 1962, 1. ↑
  41. “Atlanta’s Wall Brings Tension,” New York Amsterdam News, January 19, 1963. ↑
  42. W.L. Calloway, “Realtor Charges Search Again Made For ‘Scapegoat’ in Housing of Negroes,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 28, 1962, 4. ↑
  43. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  44. “‘Aldermen Adopt Code Of Ethics’ Resolution Of Mayor Allen After Debate On Peyton Problem Issues,” Atlanta Daily World, March 5, 1963. ↑
  45. “30 Peyton Homes For Sale to Negroes,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 27, 1963. ↑
  46. “OUTSTANDING REAL ESTATE SALESMAN,” Atlanta Daily World, February 19, 1956, 1. ↑
  47. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  48. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  49. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  50. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  51. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  52. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  53. Nancy Lewis, “Isakson Defends Realty Firm’s Record,” The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, September 5, 1976, 2-A. ↑
  54. Harold A. Dawson, Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. ↑
  55. Elizabeth Lesly, “Affirmative-Action Watch: Break for Black Realtors?,” Black Enterprise, June 1992, 48. ↑
  56. “About,” Empire Board of Realtists Official Website, accessed August 2026, https://empireboard.com/about. ↑
  57. Edward DeMarco and Kendra Hogue, “Supreme Court Jockeys With Multiple Listing Service Case,” The Business Journal, October 5, 1992, 18. ↑
  58. Elizabeth Lesly, “The Lawsuit That Could Cut Home Prices,” Bloomberg Businessweek, January 20, 1992, 78. ↑
  59. William A. Fowlkes, “Empire Board Wins Access To Metro Real Estate Lists: Landmark Case Will Benefit Consumers,” Atlanta Daily World, May 19, 1994, 1. ↑
  60. “EREB Begins Renovations On First ‘Home For The Homeless’,” Atlanta Daily World, November 7, 1989, 1. ↑
  61. Cynthia Post, “Empire Board Of Realtist, Inc. Continues Spirit Of Service To Community,” Atlanta Daily World, October 27, 2005, 2. ↑
Comprehensive Bibliography (Click to Expand)
  • Atlanta Daily World. “‘Aldermen Adopt Code Of Ethics’ Resolution Of Mayor Allen After Debate On Peyton Problem Issues.” March 5, 1963.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Apt. Development Praised By Mayor At Ceremonies.” May 28, 1963.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Board Of Aldermen Okays Controversial Building Of Cemetery In Atlanta.” August 21, 1962.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Business League Backs Officials In ‘Buffer’ Row.” September 18, 1952.
  • Atlanta Daily World. Display Advertisement for J.L. Wolfe Realty Co. December 25, 1951.
  • Atlanta Daily World. Display Advertisement for T.M. Alexander. May 21, 1957.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Empire Board Of Realtist, Inc. Continues Spirit Of Service To Community.” October 27, 2005.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Empire Board Wins Access To Metro Real Estate Lists: Landmark Case Will Benefit Consumers.” May 19, 1994.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Empire Realty Board Hears Milton, Whittaker At Frazier’s.” May 29, 1949.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “EREB Begins Renovations On First ‘Home For The Homeless’.” November 7, 1989.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “HEART OF BUTLER ST. ‘Y’ CAMPAIGN — BOYS.” March 1, 1964.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Housing Discussed By Alexander At Hungry Club.” May 9, 1946.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Hungry Club Diners Air Housing Ills.” October 21, 1948.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “JOSEPH BICKERS TO HEAD BUTLER ST. YMCA CAMPAIGN.” March 4, 1956.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Letters To The Editor: Real Estate Board Explains Position.” September 30, 1951.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Local Notables Realty Banquet Set To Attend.” February 12, 1955.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “MAYOR ALLEN’S VETO PRAISED: ‘HE IS KEENLY AWARE’ OF COMMUNITY DESIRE.” August 26, 1962.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Mayor Allen Should Veto Cemetery Proposal.” August 24, 1962.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “NAACP Raps Plan For Buffer Project.” December 10, 1952.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “OUTSTANDING REAL ESTATE SALESMAN.” February 19, 1956.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Panel Discussion Highlights Confab Of Builders, Realtors.” August 29, 1950.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “REAL ESTATE SALESMAN OF THE YEAR.” March 16, 1957.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Real Estate Board Endorses Williamson.” August 11, 1961.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Realtists’ Banquet Set For Tonight.” February 17, 1955.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Realtors’ Plans For 2nd Annual Banquet Develop.” February 11, 1955.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Realty Board Reveals New Residential Area To Open.” March 14, 1954.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Thank You, Mayor Allen, For This Veto.” August 25, 1962.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “The Question Of A ‘Buffer’.” September 18, 1952.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Urban League Announces Vocational Campaign.” February 19, 1956.
  • Atlanta Daily World. “Voters League, Empire Real Estate Board Seek Mayor’s Veto On Cemetery Petition.” August 22, 1962.
  • Black Enterprise. “Affirmative-Action Watch: Break for Black Realtors?” June 1992.
  • Bloomberg Businessweek. “The Lawsuit That Could Cut Home Prices.” January 20, 1992.
  • Brooks, Maya. “Climbing for Higher Ground: Race, Class, and Respectability Among Black Atlantans, 1974-2010.” Ph.D. diss., University of Georgia, 2025.
  • Dawson, Harold A., Sr. (The HistoryMakers A2004.198), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 12, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive.
  • Empire Board of Realtists Official Website. “About.” Accessed August 2026. https://empireboard.com/about.
  • Kruse, Kevin Michael. “White Flight: Resistance to Desegregation of Neighborhoods, Schools and Businesses in Atlanta, 1946-1966.” Ph.D. diss., Cornell University, 2000.
  • Layman, Tonya. “Harold A. Dawson honored for success, service.” Atlanta Business Chronicle, September 19, 2008.
  • Lewis, Nancy. “Isakson Defends Realty Firm’s Record.” The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, September 5, 1976.
  • New York Amsterdam News. “Atlanta’s Wall Brings Tension.” January 19, 1963.
  • Roberts, Gordon. “NEREB Disputes Block-Busting Talk.” The Atlanta Constitution, October 8, 1961.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “30 Peyton Homes For Sale to Negroes.” March 27, 1963.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Empire Realty Board Elects Officers.” December 18, 1949.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Realtor Charges Search Again Made For ‘Scapegoat’ in Housing of Negroes.” December 28, 1962.
  • The Atlanta Journal. “Plan Asked to Halt Housing Tension: Negro Leaders Tell Hartsfield Their Problem Many Times Worse Than Whites’.” September 27, 1946.
  • The Business Journal. “Supreme Court Jockeys With Multiple Listing Service Case.” October 5, 1992.
, , , , ,

Comments

History is a continuous process of discovery. This project relies on historical newspapers, municipal records, and archival documents, which can sometimes contain historical biases, omissions, or factual errors of their era. This site is a living document. If you have primary sources, family records, or corrections that add to this history, please leave a comment or share your knowledge.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *