Major Report on The South: Divided by Design

"If we do not reckon soon with our country’s past, we face a future of even greater fissures and failures. The future belongs to open, inviting and inclusive communities. The fact is that America’s racial profile is changing, and we are becoming more racially diverse than at any point in our history. This is especially true in the South. Given our past, I believe that we, as Southerners, have a special obligation to do more."

                                                                                                 New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

HERE is the 46 page report in pdf format.


Montgomery profile:

"Montgomery is the state capital of Alabama. A city deeply rooted in history, it was the birthplace of both the Confederacy and the Civil Rights Movement and includes many landmarks to both periods. Montgomery’s population is becoming more diverse. The city’s white population has decreased by 30 percent since 2000, but it has experienced significant growth among communities of color, putting it on pace to become a city with a people of color majority.57 Montgomery elected its first black mayor in fall 2019. Six of every ten jobs in Montgomery are held by workers living outside of the city limits, and there are wide gaps in earnings by race and gender."

WHAT WE DID & LEARNED

"In Montgomery, we held one-on-one discussions with residents at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Civil Rights Memorial and a community roundtable with civic leaders from the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Focus group respondents were non-college-educated black and white residents."