UA: Overcoming persistent poverty in the Black Belt needs regional approach with proven programs

Overcoming persistent poverty in the Black Belt will require a regional approach using local programs with proven success.  

That’s the conclusion of a report produced by The University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center and the Center for Business and Economic Research.  

The brief, titled “Halfway Home and a Long Way To Go: Bridging Persistent Poverty Gap in Alabama’s Black Belt,” suggests some solutions to the economic and social challenges in the Black Belt. 

Lead author Dr. Stephen G. Katsinas, director of the Education Policy Center, said that despite industrial growth in the state and millions of dollars invested in the Black Belt, massive economic disparities exist in the Black Belt 60 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act.  

“The Black Belt is at the precipice of opportunity that it will not have for another 50 years,” Katsinas said at a news conference that rolled out the report. “Now is the time for the state to think differently with an approach that is targeted, coordinated and sustained.”  

First, the report states, “It is time for the state of Alabama and federal funders (Delta Regional Authority, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development) to target the Black Belt region as a region. The region contains about 13% of the state’s population, but poverty rates are still rising. Regional approaches are clearly needed.” 

“There is a crucial geographic dimension to understanding persistent poverty in the Black Belt,” the report says. “Rural Black Belt communities and their citizens struggle to access employment opportunities, healthcare and essential services. Population sparsity and historically poor transportation systems point to the need for regionally based, long-term investments.” 

Innovation will require cooperation among local governments, school systems and industrial development authorities. In the Black Belt, the most important entities that cross county lines are hospitals, community colleges and regional universities, the report says. Seven different regional planning councils and four workforce councils serve Black Belt counties.  

“This speaks to the challenge of getting cross-sector entities working together and pulling in the same direction, a special challenge in sparsely populated, persistent poverty counties in Alabama’s Black Belt,” the report states. 

The next step is to scale up local programs “with solid track records.” The report cites the Alabama Student & Parent Instructional Enrichment for Summer (ASPIRES) program, the Alabama College Advising Corps and the Black Belt Leadership Academy as examples of successful programs that could be expanded to better serve the region.  

The ASPIRES program has been run by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama for 30 years and could expand into Dallas, Wilcox and Perry counties, according to the report.   

The Black Belt Leadership Academy shows area leaders how to apply for grants and navigate the maze of federal and state programs, which could bring more money to their towns. The BBLA will meet in Selma in April.  

The report notes the familiar litany of the region’s economic and social woes.   

“Sadly, our analysis reveals that 19 of the 24 Black Belt counties, which include all 11 of Alabama’s majority-minority counties, remain in persistent poverty,” the report says.  “Persistent poverty is a burden for those who live it, but also a negative for the economic advancement of the state. Can Alabama be satisfied with this for another 60 years?” 

The report states, “In 1970, all 24 Black Belt counties were in persistent poverty. In 2023, 19 were.  While recent years have brought new investments in automotive manufacturing and infrastructure, persistent poverty remains far too high. The Black Belt’s poverty rate rose from 23.8% in 2020 to 24.6% in 2023, as the state's overall poverty rate declined.  A new approach is needed.” 

The report notes: 

•Stark racial disparities persist, with 33.2% of Black residents in the region living in poverty compared to 12% of white residents. 

•Youth poverty is acute, with 34.9% of Black Belt residents ages 5-17 living below the poverty level. (The statewide average is 20.4%.) 

•The Black Belt's poverty rate increased since COVID from 23.8% in 2020 to 24.6% in 2023, while state’s rate fell from 17.6% to 15.6%. 

•Black Belt labor force participation still lags. 

•Educational attainment lags, with only 24% of Black Belt adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. (The national average is 44%.) 

The report also notes some opportunities.  

•Automakers including Mercedes, Honda and Hyundai made major investments in electric vehicle production in/near the Black Belt. However, suppliers have not utilized the Black Belt’s underutilized labor force.  

•The federal government invested $1.2 billion in projects in the Black Belt.  

•The state has invested $320 in Rebuild Alabama, $500 million in broadband and the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences in Demopolis is scheduled to open in Demopolis in 2026.  

“The State of Alabama has demonstrated this leadership in recent years in the transportation and broadband infrastructure, workforce and apprenticeship spaces,” the report concludes. “Alabama now should pursue “second-tier,” holistic approaches to economic and community development in Alabama’s Black Belt, approaches that recognize sparsity of population and the need for targeted, coordinated and sustained strategies to address persistent poverty across the ENTIRE state.”