By Katherine Leigh Thornton Email
It’s the Christmas season in Uniontown, Ala., and the anticipation of this magical day is hard to bear for Dr. Crista Slaton. As she followed members of the Uniontown Cares group into the newly renovated antebellum plantation she knew this Christmas party symbolized the rehabilitation of a town plagued with poverty.
This is the first time any of the African-American members of the community had ever visited this home, built by a slave labor. This holiday party, in 2003, marked the first time residents of Uniontown, both black and white, came to really know each other and confront issues of common concern.
What brought them together was a program supported by the Auburn University Economic Development Institute. Since 1999, Auburn’s outreach in Uniontown, Al., a small community in Alabama’s Black Belt region has, successes, failures and limitations.
Characterized by its economic, social and political poverty, Uniontown appears to be stuck in an era that the rest of the world has left behind.
In 2002, a report in The Birmingham News described Uniontown:
“The once lordly region, born in the days when cotton was king and slaves built the kingdom, has become a blighted land of forgotten promise. It is Alabama’s Third World.”
“We didn’t know where to start so we just started cleaning up the town,” said Dr. Crista Slaton, Auburn University professor of political science. “It was a bumpy road to say the least. The younger members brought unity to the group and named us Uniontown Cares.”
The results of Uniontown Cares include the creation of a group of alarmed residents who are beginning to see themselves as concerned citizens. These citizens participate in group discussions and combine actions that support community development.
Their primary goals were simple -- to bring people of the community together and to help restore Uniontown. With 25 local residents of all ages and races, Uniontown got to work brainstorming ideas for community improvement projects.
The community beautification included cleaning up the library, playgrounds and roadways through downtown. Members also planted trees and installed four welcome signs along the major highways, all with the Uniontown Cares logo displayed.
All the members were thrilled with their efforts and felt great pride in their first accomplishments, but cleaning was only the start of the numerous Uniontown Cares projects.
Uniontown is a community often defined by its failures. Statistics from the U.S. 2000 Census show that 73 percent of grandparents who live in the same household with grandchildren under age 18 serve as the primary caregiver.
Many of the Uniontown Cares members fit that statistic.
Realizing the need for a program to help educate Uniontown’s younger citizens, the group started The Fatherhood and Family Initiative. This project was created to provide male role models, mentors and peer supports networks to male youth in the community.
“Many of these boys have never witnessed positive father figures,” said Amelia Stehouwer, a member of Auburn University’s Economic Development Institute. “Some teens are even encouraged by their family to start having kids early.”
Investing in the education system has to be the number one step to help the next generation.
By providing youth with information about teenage pregnancy and the importance of family relationships, The Fatherhood and Family Initiative is now active.
“Unfortunately, the change was slow,” said Stehouwer. “Trust and motivation were our two areas of concern. People require guidance to achieve more. Continuously being rewarded for being able to prove to the state how little they have leaves little initiative for them to become proactive in their community.”
Since the town’s creation, black and white residents have always live separately. They attend different schools, churches and are even buried in separate cemeteries. According to the 2000 Census, Uniontown has 11.80 percent white residents and 88.20 percent black residents.
Uniontown’s public elementary school sign is an example of the town’s extreme racial polarization.
The white metal letters hang lifeless on the side of the red brick building. They read Uniontown Public Elementary School. In between the words Public and Elementary is a large space where some white metal letters are missing. Even though the letters are gone, the word is still legible because of the rust and dirt their imprints left behind.
The missing word is Colored.
Information gathered from the State Board of Education School Report Card for 2004-2005 for Uniontown Elementary School stated that 97.4 percent of students were approved for free or reduced-priced lunches in the school. The state of Alabama as a whole has 51.6 percent of students approved for free or reduced-price lunches.
After the first few projects were completed the excitement of Uniontown Cares was wearing thin and mistrust was still prevalent because there was still no drastic change in the community. These negative perceptions pushed the Uniontown Cares assistants to come up with a new plan of action to motivate members to become active in the program once again.
Uniontown Cares organized a separate group called the Concerned Citizens. This group’s purpose is to address local political issues.
For years, some politicians and large corporations have wanted to put unwelcomed projects in Uniontown. Some examples like a proposed landfill and a possible prison.
The Concerned Citizens of Uniontown meetings draw 20-30 people each week. Their focus is to raise community awareness and to build relationships between the citizens and the government.
“Because Uniontown Cares and the Concerned Citizens of Uniontown are made up of local citizens, they serve as examples of residents coming together to confront community problems and build on community assets in the ways that the community deems appropriate and effective,” said Emily Blejwas of Auburn University’s Economic Development Institute. “After all, communities should belong to the people who live there.”
The history of Uniontown is intriguing, but the traditions that make up this rich history have been slowly destroying this community for years. Rural communities in the South are often trapped in a cycle of poverty because of their economies. Switching from agriculture to manufacturing economies has not been effective.
Jobs are scarce, which means low income for the families of Uniontown.
Despite the many positive achievements in Uniontown, this is not a success story. The horrendous problems of the Alabama Black Belt remain in this community. The economic growth is hard to calculate in this community. Accomplishing only the easiest tasks is not producing a large economic change.
But the citizens participating in Uniontown Cares remain hopeful. Things are definitely looking better than they did eight years ago. Seeing themselves as citizens of their community has made a huge impact in the survival of this program, organizers say.
“There is hope, and change takes time,” said Blejwas. “When citizens work together and learn from each other, it makes the community a healthier, stronger place.”
Amelia Stehouwer
Amelia Stehouwer believes being able serve others is the most important characteristic about her job with Auburn University’s Economic Development Institute. She is the coordinator for the educational programs and a research and community assistant involved with AU’s Uniontown Cares project.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Samford University, Stehouwer knew her passion was “to help people in need through the Lord”. Her Christian values have had a large impact in the work she does today.
Education was also another large factor in Stehouwer's decision to work with impoverished people.
“Focusing on educating the current generation of youth is the most important goal in economic development,” said Stehouwer. “It is impossible to bring any business industry to a town that has a poor education system.”
The 26-year-old Opelika native said she feels a strong attachment to other citizens in need.
Today, she is a primary point person for AU’s Uniontown Cares outreach work.
As a small community in the state’s Black Belt region, Uniontown is characterized by its economic, social and political poverty.
The process of motivating the community to improve has been frustrating.
“Some people have just simply lost hope,” said Stehouwer. “If they don’t believe in themselves and their community, there is very little we can do.”
Fortunately, Stehouwer still has hope. With her strong faith and belief in education, Stehouwer is still passionate about this forgotten town and realizes that change takes time.
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Last updated May 03, 2007