Launching of the Annual Report of “The State of African-Americans in the Black Belt Region” Developing policies for the unique needs and aspirations of the region

Tuskegee University’s 'Carver Integrative Sustainability Center' in partnership with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund is proud to announce the launching of an annual report entitled “The State of African-Americans in the Black Belt Region” (SAABB).

For the most part, legislation that has and continues to guide the evolution and development of the Black Belt Region lacks significant initiatives and input from the African-American community, yet it is they who suffer the most from those policies; as a result, they too often find themselves reacting to unjust policies that are already in place or are in the final stages of development. This has led to the African-American community and its advocates having to spend valuable time trying to mitigate the negative impact of policies, in which they had little or no input, rather than developing and advocating for policies that accurately represent their unique needs and aspirations.

Research Based Information to Address Inequities

The SAABB intends to address this problem by providing policy makers, community leaders and the general public with research-based information that could lead to just and equitable policies. This initiative could also help drive the Black Belt Region’s economic development and create an environment that encourages and supports innovation and sustainability.

Developing a Regional Coalition to Seek Solutions

This undertaking will lead to the development of a coalition of the 1890 university community, other Historically Black Colleges and Universities, community based organizations and the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Center. The coalition will employ an interdisciplinary approach to identify and recommend research-based policies that could positively impact all aspects of the Black Belt Region. SAABB will track and analyze various sectors of the region (land tenure, food access, education, health, agriculture, etc.) on a year-to-year basis and make policy and other recommendations for improvement. The report will also track the Farm Bill, its implementation and how it impacts the Black Belt Region. Because the Farm Bill has the greatest capacity to positively affect the region, the report will offer a comprehensive package of Farm Bill policy recommendations for every Farm Bill cycle.

The report will also provide students from the 1890 and HBCU community with career development and experiences on how to influence and navigate the policy arena and hopefully provide them with an incentive to remain in the region.

The first edition of the “State of African-Americans in the Black Belt Region” will be published in the late Fall of 2022.

Funded by: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation