A tale of eight cities: go south to surprises

Ebony, August, 1989 by Roxanne Brown

A Tale Of Eight Cities

BIRMINGHAM, ALA.

TOTAL POPULATION: 286,799 BLACK POPULATION: 160,610 (56 percent) MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $15,210 BLACK MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $11,425

Birmingham, once a hotbed of racial tension and violence, perhaps exemplifies changes that have taken place in the South better than any other Southern city, Mayor richard Arrington, Jr. is serving his ninth year in office. Three years ago Blacks became the majority on the city council when they captured six of the nine seats. The number of Blacks in the state legislature has risen [24 of 140], with the largest delegation [8] coming from Birmingham. In addition, many of the city's boards are headed by Blacks or Blacks hold the majority. "Today, we pride ourselves on being a city with a whole lot of biracial communication," says Mayor Arrington. "Twenty-five years ago we were a rigidly segregated city. There has been a dramatic change in two and a half decades," he says.

CHARLESTON, S.C.

TOTAL POPULATION: 80,786 BLACK POPULATION: 32,318 (40 percent) MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $20,615 BLACK MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $13,486

Once the wealthiest city in the South because of its rice and indigo exports, Charleston is the second-largest city in South Carolina and is a major Atlantic coastal port. Since the signing of the Civil Rights Act, Blacks have made significant gains in representation in city government. Six of the 12 council members are Black. Most of the Black city councilmen have held office since 1975--the year Charleston implemented the single-member district voting system. Also, Reuben M. Greenberg, who is both Black and Jewish, has been the city's chief of police since 1982. An office of minority business has been established to open city contract bidding and procurement to all people. Several programs are in place to encourage the start and retention of Black businesses, which in the past few years have diversified into construction and service-oriented areas.

MEMPHIS, TENN.

TOTAL POPULATION: 652,640 BLACK POPULATION: 307,702 (47 percent) MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $14,039 BLACK MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $9,237

Tennessee's largest city lies on a bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River in much the same way that the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, for which it is named, lay on the Nile River. But the challenges facing Memphis are uniquely its own. Gains for Blacks here have been hard-fought and hard-won. Undeniably, the problems facing the city are sizeable, but there are more Black problem solvers than ever before. Rep. Harold Ford (D.-Memphis) is in his eighth term as congressman of the Ninth Congressional Distribt comprised solely of Memphis. Within the past four years, four Blacks have been appointed as directors of major city departments, including police, housing, treasury and personnel. Director of Police James Ivy says, "The mere fact that I am where I am today is one of the major accomplishments." Memphis also has four Black city council members and four Black county commissioners. This year, construction was begun on the National Civil Rights Museum to e erected at the site of the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated.

NEW ORLEANS, LA.

TOTAL POPULATION: 557,515 BLACK POPULATION: 308,149 (55.5 percent) MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $21,544 BLACKMEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $10,516

The largest city in Louisiana and one of the world's busiest ports, New Orleans offers a unique blending of old and new complete with Mardi Gras and other annual cultural events that attract millions of tourists. Like most major cities, New Orleans is struggling to come to terms with crime, poverty and the need for new city plans, particularly as regards to low income housing. Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, the second Black to head the city's government (Mayor Ernest Morial was the first), says the biggest change in his city since the 1964 Civil Rights Act is involvement of Blacks in the political arena. "We have a Black mayor, the majority of the city council is Black, we have several Black senators and representatives, the schools superintendent is Black, and many department heads are Black." Conversely, Mayor Barthelemy says progress is yet to be made in the private sector. "We had a minority set-aside program that was really beginning to function well," he says, "but the [recent] Supreme Court decision hurt us."

HOUSTON, TEX.

TOTAL POPULATION: 1.7 million BLACK POPULATION: 518,000 (30 percent) MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $18,474 BLACK MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $14,019

Houston is the fourth largest city in the country and one of the fastest growing. Blacks hold major city offices, including directorships of police, health and human services and solid waste management. Four of the 14 city council members are Black. U.S. Rep. George T. (Mickey) Leland, (D., Texas) consider "time" to be the singularly most important and positive occurrence in his hometown: "Time has helped on economic and political planes," he explains. "We've seen more Black appointees, more minority appointees, a greater number of minorities involved in politics and elected to office." Like all major cities Houston has its share of slums. And unemployment, (11.1 percent for Blacks) coupled with rundown housing remain major problems for the city's large Black and Hispanic populations.