Necessity as Invention: Entrepreneurial Labor And the Fight for Economic Agency in Atlanta, Georgia

This thesis employs an oral history narrative inquiry approach to examine the necessity entrepreneurship (NE) journeys of Black men in Atlanta, Georgia, as they navigate systemic professional barriers. By addressing racial inequality in employment and the limited access to traditional career pathways, the research explores how entrepreneurial activity has functioned as a strategy for economic self-determination in the face of structural exclusion. Grounded in Social Justice Theory (SJT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT), the project asks: How have Black men used necessity entrepreneurship to overcome professional barriers in Atlanta from the 1950s to the present? Through qualitative analysis of lived experiences, the study seeks to illuminate how necessity-driven entrepreneurship has served as both a survival mechanism and a pathway to empowerment, agency, and economic citizenship.