Introduction
Five years since our founding, E Pluribus Unum’s commitment to breaking down the barriers that divide us to build a new, more equitable South grows stronger each day. Initial connections from our earliest years have begun to ripple across the South.
Relationships forged over our foundational journey in 2018 have led to new partnerships and initiatives on leadership acceleration, policy change, and narrative change. Fellows selected in 2020 and 2021 are now implementing ambitious equity-based projects with the help of our team of policy advisors. We embarked on a deeper dive into the Southern tradition of storytelling, with better understanding from our research on how stories can create change. EPU utilized a firm of behavioral scientists to ground the data and research to design messaging that would be the most effective. A new research and programming partnership on faith and race has deepened our work on memorialization and Confederate symbols in public spaces.
How We Make An Impact
For EPU, 2022 was a year of strategic growth and change. When EPU’s founder Mitch Landrieu began a new role in the Biden Administration, it was another opportunity for the organization to grow. Our understanding of how to dismantle generational systems of racism and oppression has deepened, and we are more certain than ever that our work in leadership, policy and narrative change must build on one another to propel us forward, no longer just working in pillars or silos but in an interconnected system. The stories we tell, the policies we promote, and the leaders who guide us must all articulate a clear vision and pathway for an equitable South and ultimately an equitable America.
Introduction
Five years since our founding, E Pluribus Unum’s commitment to breaking down the barriers that divide us to build a new, more equitable South grows stronger each day. Initial connections from our earliest years have begun to ripple across the South.
Relationships forged over our foundational journey in 2018 have led to new partnerships and initiatives on leadership acceleration, policy change, and narrative change. Fellows selected in 2020 and 2021 are now implementing ambitious equity-based policy and narrative change projects. We embarked on a deeper dive into the Southern tradition of storytelling, with better understanding from our research on how stories can create change. EPU utilizes a firm of behavioral scientists to ground the data and research to design messaging that would be the most effective. A new research and programming partnership on faith and race has deepened our work on memorialization and Confederate symbols in public spaces.
How We Make An Impact
For EPU, 2022 was a year of strategic growth and change. When EPU’s founder Mitch Landrieu began a new role in the Biden Administration, it was another opportunity for the organization to grow. Our understanding of how to dismantle generational systems of racism and oppression has deepened, and we are more certain than ever that our work in leadership, policy and narrative change must build on one another to propel us forward, no longer just working in pillars or silos but in an interconnected system. The stories we tell, the policies we promote, and the leaders who guide us must all articulate a clear vision and pathway for an equitable South and ultimately an equitable America.
Introduction
Five years since our founding, E Pluribus Unum’s commitment to breaking down the barriers that divide us to build a new, more equitable South grows stronger each day. Initial connections from our earliest years have begun to ripple across the South.
Relationships forged over our foundational journey in 2018 have led to new partnerships and initiatives on leadership acceleration, policy change, and narrative change. Fellows selected in 2020 and 2021 are now implementing ambitious equity-based policy and narrative change projects. We embarked on a deeper dive into the Southern tradition of storytelling, with better understanding from our research on how stories can create change. EPU utilizes a firm of behavioral scientists to ground the data and research to design messaging that would be the most effective. A new research and programming partnership on faith and race has deepened our work on memorialization and Confederate symbols in public spaces.
How We Make An Impact
For EPU, 2022 was a year of strategic growth and change. When EPU’s founder Mitch Landrieu began a new role in the Biden Administration, it was another opportunity for the organization to grow. Our understanding of how to dismantle generational systems of racism and oppression has deepened, and we are more certain than ever that our work in leadership, policy and narrative change must build on one another to propel us forward, no longer just working in pillars or silos but in an interconnected system. The stories we tell, the policies we promote, and the leaders who guide us must all articulate a clear vision and pathway for an equitable South and ultimately an equitable America.
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
— Robert F. Kennedy
Where We Make An Impact
In 2022, we got back out on the road, criss-crossing from Texas up to Washington, D.C. The ability to meet people where they are, in their local communities, and see firsthand how groups and individuals are bridging divides in real time is an awesome privilege, and is essential to our work. Beyond city visits, EPU connected with policymakers and local officials at the National League of Cities and National Black Caucus of State Legislators to bring awareness to our organization and the policy resources we offer to support the advancement of equity in the South. Between our visits and communities where our fellows are making an impact, we’re creating Progress with Purpose in over 50 communities across the 13 Southern States.
In 2022, we got back out on the road, criss-crossing from Texas up to Washington, D.C. The ability to meet people where they are, in their local communities, and see firsthand how groups and individuals are bridging divides in real time is an awesome privilege, and is essential to our work. Beyond city visits, EPU connected with policymakers and local officials at the National League of Cities and National Black Caucus of State Legislators to bring awareness to our organization and the policy resources we offer to support the advancement of equity in the South. Between our visits and communities where our fellows are making an impact, we’re creating Progress with Purpose in over 50 communities across the 13 Southern States.
Leadership Accelerators
E Pluribus Unum empowers courageous leaders who are focused on building a more equitable and inclusive South. Research shows that Southerners place significant hope in our local political leadership and especially those who put importance on building more inclusivity. Through a number of leadership accelerators, E Pluribus Unum continues to uplift and invest in those leaders who step up to this important task.
Policy & Research
E Pluribus Unum’s policy work is centered on developing actionable tools and resources for policymakers on ideas that can accelerate change to create equal access to opportunity, justice, and democracy at the local, state, and federal levels.
Narrative Change
Our data shows that it is often uncomfortable or difficult to discuss the impacts of systemic and interpersonal racism openly and honestly, and as a result of that many people lack an understanding of the scale of racism in America. People must be able to talk openly about racism and inequitable impacts in order to create change. Simply put, you cannot change what you do not acknowledge. EPU’s narrative work continues to create opportunities for discussion on the lasting impact of racism on people and institutions and, as a result, moves the nation forward in its pursuit of racial equity.
Moving Forward
Our work in 2022 provides EPU with renewed momentum for the year ahead and beyond.
A ripple begins with a simple drop of water, building on itself, moving energy further and further out from its center. The thing about ripples is that they do not start on their own. There must be something that activates them. And that is the work EPU continues to do. A drop here. A ripple there. All extending their reach to the next person and community, spurring new action and change. We will keep working until these ripples create waves of change, reaching forward to reject the old and bring forth a new, more equitable South.