BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
Blacks have a complicated love affair with the South.
Their ancestors were enslaved in the region for generations, then Jim Crow laws pushed them to the back of the bus. From inner-city slums to old plantation counties, being Black too often still means a second-class existence.
Yet surveys show Blacks who live in the South are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group — even Whites — to identify themselves as Southerners. It’s a label millions claim with pride and affection, yet uneasiness.
“As an African-American Southerner, I enjoy our culture that includes our famous Southern charm and hospitality,” said Stephen Wicks of Savannah, Ga., co-owner of BlackBusinessList.com, a Web-based company that links minority businesses.
“On the other hand, it’s very hard to walk the streets and see constant reminders of slavery and White supremacy,” he said. “That Confederate statue may simply be a piece of history to my White brother or sister, but to me it represents a very dark period in American history.”
Bryan Stevenson, a Montgomery attorney who specializes in representing death-row inmates, has similar mixed feelings churning within him. A Delaware native educated at Harvard University, Stevenson has lived in Alabama since 1989 handling capital cases.
