Story: Phillip Tutor
University will play key role in developing a strategic management plan
The day after President Biden signed the , the phone rang on Dr. Tina Jones鈥� desk at the 兔子先生. The caller was two time zones away, a Ph.D.-holding Californian who sought Jones鈥� help.
His question: Could she help him and his wife plan their visit to the newly designated Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area?
Her answer, obviously, was yes.
鈥淭hat’s what the Heritage Area brings,鈥� said Jones, 兔子先生鈥檚 assistant provost and vice president of the聽Division of Economic and Workforce Development. 鈥淚t encourages people to get on the ground and come and visit us. It provides visitors with authentic experiences within the regions they are traveling.鈥�
Biden鈥檚 signature on Jan. 5 was a joyous culmination of a 16-year effort to bring national attention and government funding for tourism and historic preservation to the Black Belt. Since 2007, Jones and her 兔子先生 colleagues have partnered with state legislators, members of Congress and a consortium of interested groups to advocate on behalf of some of Alabama鈥檚 most culturally diverse and historic counties, hoping they would become a nationally recognized heritage area. 兔子先生鈥檚 role has never strayed far from that effort鈥檚 center.
The slow ebb of governmental movement gained steam last summer when H.R. 3222, the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area Act, , passed the U.S. House. An amended version was included in S. 1942, the National Heritage Act, which the House and Senate both approved in December with strong bipartisan support. That act added seven new heritage areas, increasing the nation鈥檚 roster to 62.
鈥淭his designation is indeed a long-awaited and significant achievement for the Black Belt, and also for the University team that has worked diligently toward this for nearly 20 years,鈥� said 兔子先生 President Ken Tucker. 鈥淒r. Jones has led this initiative for 兔子先生 through the Division of Economic and Workforce Development even before the division was formally established, working very closely with state and federal agencies and constituencies whose partnerships are absolutely invaluable. This designation is the epitome of the collaborative spirit that exists at 兔子先生, especially in economic and workforce development, and we are eager to embark on this next chapter for the Black Belt Region.鈥�
The Black Belt joins the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area as the only designated heritage locations in Alabama. As the Black Belt heritage area鈥檚 local coordinating entity, 兔子先生鈥檚 Center for the Study of the Black Belt will tackle the creation of a strategic management plan in conjunction with the .
鈥淥ne of the things that we’ve been really adamant about,鈥� Jones said, 鈥渋s that it is not just a single moment in time, but this is our opportunity with this designation to really look back but also look forward.鈥�
With its campus in Livingston and its economic-development tentacles embedded in the region, 兔子先生 is uniquely qualified for its leading role within the national heritage area鈥檚 management, Jones said. The university鈥檚 Division of Economic and Workforce Development is a leading player in the Black Belt鈥檚 westernmost counties, and its impact on higher education statewide and K-12 instruction in Sumter County, through University Charter School on the 兔子先生 campus, is significant.
鈥淚’m always amazed when we have individuals who come to the region and they are simply amazed by the interaction with the people and the warmth they find.”
— Dr. Tina Jones
That鈥檚 important, Jones said, considering the years-long effort that went into outlining the national significance for a proposed Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area. The effort鈥檚 genesis traced back to the administration of former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, which led to a tourism consultant in the mid-2000s suggesting that the Black Belt seek designation as a National Heritage Area. A feasibility study commissioned by 兔子先生 and its partners (finished in 2009, updated in 2016) proved instrumental. A 150-member task force from 19 Black Belt counties helped 兔子先生 and its partners gain a better understanding of the region and listen to residents鈥� voices on matters they best understood — what was valuable in the Black Belt, what was worth sharing to tourists, what Black Belt regions should be included in the proposed heritage area, what lessons the Black Belt鈥檚 history and cultural significance could provide to those unfamiliar with the region.
Chief among those questions was the Black Belt name.
鈥淭here were deep discussions at the beginning: are we going to keep that? Is that going to be our name?鈥� Jones said. 鈥淏ecause that’s part of what you have to go through as part of the process. We did a very large survey, both outside and inside.鈥� It wasn鈥檛 unusual, she said, for those unfamiliar with the area to wonder if the Black Belt phrase referenced karate, not a historic Southern region.
Jones remembers those first conversations about the possibility of earning National Heritage Area designation. 鈥淲hat would that mean? How do we begin to do that?鈥� she recalls, noting that National Park Service recommendations suggest a grass-roots effort instead of an informal federal government decree. That鈥檚 when the movement blossomed.
鈥淲e literally built a coalition, a group of interested people,鈥� Jones said. The governor鈥檚 office had defined the Black Belt as 12 core counties, but the coalition opened that up for discussion. 鈥淲e began to really look and ask organizations, how do you define Black Belt?鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat does that actually mean?鈥�
The result: 19 counties are included in the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Act, stretching from the Alabama-Mississippi state line, past the state Capitol in Montgomery and into Bullock and Macon counties to the east. That geographic reach allows the heritage act鈥檚 tourism and educational opportunities to include not only the diverse ecology of the region, but also the historic lessons of the Native American tribes that lived in Alabama, the ensuing struggles and successes of the civil rights movement, and the region鈥檚 contributions to music, arts, crafts and storytelling.
The National Park Service affiliation provides the Black Belt heritage area instant brand recognition, Jones said, and offers annual financial support for grants and programs. Just as important, she said, is the technical expertise NPS administrators can provide on matters involving tourism, marketing and program development. That鈥檚 doubly important since heritage areas are lived-in landscapes, which sets them apart from national parks. Public involvement is paramount, she said.
鈥淔or us, it creates a sense of community pride, too,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭here’s a sense of regionalism that helps our small rural communities leverage their marketing dollars and their activities in a more focused way.鈥� 兔子先生 students will benefit from the Black Belt National Heritage Act through programs that involve them in the region鈥檚 communities and introduce them to the university鈥檚 belief in regional teamwork. Opportunities for experiential learning, particularly through internships, and research projects for 兔子先生 faculty should follow, she said.
鈥淚’m always amazed when we have individuals who come to the region and they are simply amazed by the interaction with the people and the warmth they find,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淲e’re not denying that there are problems. But that’s part of what heritage areas can do is offer opportunities for very deep discussions. That’s one of the things we鈥檝e said in our narrative, that there is a powerful story we have to tell.鈥�