First, let me begin by thanking you for your interest in E Pluribus Unum. The past 18 months have been some of the most rewarding of my career because of talking with folks like you who continue to inspire and challenge me to do more.
Today, we're launching E Pluribus Unum with the release of a groundbreaking report on race and class in the South that outlines how we are Divided by Design. Our team travelled across the American South unearthing the roots of our divides, the ghosts of the past, and the human experience that binds us all. We've gone to 28 communities across 13 southern states in rural areas and urban ones, in growing metropolitan areas and hallowed out main streets. Over 800 people shared their life stories with us. And we completed a survey of 1,800 southern residents on issues related to race and class.
This week, the E Pluribus Unum Team had the privilege to visit Louisville, Kentucky.
Earlier this spring, we visited cities in towns in eastern Kentucky, from Pikeville and Whitesburg to Hazard and London. Last week, we visited Kentucky again, this time making a stop in its most populous city, Louisville, home of bourbon and the Kentucky Derby.
Last week, the E Pluribus Unum team had the privilege to visit Richmond, Virginia.
Virginia is a state that has informed our nation’s history significantly since our founding.
The E Pluribus Unum team had the privilege to visit the Central Appalachia Region.
As we continue to travel across the South, we decided to branch out a little farther north to listen to local leaders and residents in Appalachia. It’s a part of the country deeply rooted in its own history, identity and sense of place.
The E Pluribus Unum team had the privilege to visit the Mississippi Delta last week.
As we continue to travel across the South to listen to local leaders and residents, we’re hearing about their concerns, hopes, and the work being done to create more equitable communities.
The E Pluribus Unum team had the privilege to visit Jackson, Mississippi for a community visit last month.
As we travel, we’re listening to and learning from leaders in cities across the South about what separates us now in our communities and what unites us as Americans.
The E Pluribus Unum team had the privilege to visit Northwest Arkansas and Charlotte for two community visits in October.
In the past month, we’ve continued our travels across the south. First, we made a stop in Northwest Arkansas to see what’s going on in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale.
The E Pluribus Unum team had the privilege to visit Montgomery in late September for our first community visit.
Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama, is known for its role as the birthplace of both the Confederacy and Civil Rights movement. It is a city deeply rooted in its history.
This can’t be America.
It was a common refrain in response to last year’s torch light rallies, protests and the subsequent murder of Heather Heyer by white supremacists in Charlottesville. High profile events have a tendency to shock the consciousness of our country.
