Community Corner
Birmingham Public Library: Birmingham At 150—Part 4
At the same time, the institutions in Birmingham struggled with how to navigate a new integrated community.
December 22, 2021
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Even as Birmingham began to come to terms with its racist heritage, new methods of maintaining segregation were explored.
Separate Use statues were passed, ostensibly to boost businesses, but practically created to keep black and white citizens apart. Suburban areas consistently voted against joining the city for fear of further integration of their schools and business districts.
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White Flight, the practice of thousands of residents moving to less integrated areas, led to a recession and poor funding for the city government. Birmingham, which once challenged Atlanta as the hub of the South, shrank.
At the same time, the institutions in Birmingham struggled with how to navigate a new integrated community. The first black police officer in Birmingham, Leroy Stover, joined the force in 1966.
This press release was produced by Birmingham Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.