Partnership Aims to Make Birmingham’s Economic Growth More Equitable
Birmingham has gained attention for its downtown rebirth. But the Birmingham area economy still falls behind similar cities, particularly when it comes to job growth. A partnership announced in December between the city and the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. think tank, aims to boost the Birmingham economy with an eye toward making those gains more equitable. Brookings fellow Andre Perry, one of the researchers advising the city, says about half of Jefferson County residents are doing well, but the other half, many of whom are minorities, struggle. Perry says racism and structural inequality drags on the economy and that hurts the entire community.
WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Perry about the project.
Interview Highlights
What the partnership consists of:
“We’ve already engaged in a market scan and in that market scan we’ve found gaps in the economy, areas that we should improve upon. So our job now is to look at those gaps and identify potential solutions. Now the city and the county, there’s a lot of things going on. We want them to have the analytics to really navigate current projects but also to identify other opportunities out there.”
How to make growth inclusive and not just enrich those already in positions of wealth and influence:
“At some point city leaders must take chances in hiring people, in investing in black and brown people and the folks of Birmingham, Alabama, know too well that the tradition of not supporting one another oftentimes reigns supreme. At some point people who have resources must extend them to people who have not been trusted with resources in the past. So, I’m talking about the places like Ensley. I’m talking about black entrepreneurs. I’m talking about other areas in the city that folks just don’t feel those resources are going to be used for growth.”
What’s success for this partnership:
“Obviously we want to see growth in the economy. We want to see more jobs. We would like to see the infrastructure to make that happen. So obviously you need support systems. You need new revenue streams. But more importantly we want a group of civil actors to demand change that will not uphold [the] status quo, that’s willing to take risk that other generations have not. If we can get that mindset change, oh, growth will come.”
What I learned watching every sport at the Winter Olympics
Sit down with pop culture critic Linda Holmes as she watches the 2026 Winter Games. She is exhausted by cross-country, says "ow ow ow" during moguls, and makes the case, once and for all, for curling.
Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill
Drinking water around the District of Columbia hasn't been contaminated. But scientists say the environmental damage could be severe.
Using saliva to detect disease holds promise, but it’s not perfected yet
Easier than a blood test, saliva tests have the potential to detect cavities, infections and even cancer. But a lack of insurance coverage and other obstacles stand in the way of wider use.
What worked and what didn’t with a cellphone ban at a Kentucky school
Keeping students off their devices is the new norm in many schools. We talked to students and educators at one Kentucky school to see how it's working.
Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian American, officials and witnesses say
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Trump says he doesn’t know if aliens are real but directs government to release files on UFOs
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."
