January 2015
State of Black Asheville
Design, development, and research.
The State of Black Asheville is the creation of Dr. Dwight Mullen, a professor of political science and Africana studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The project began in 2006 as a response to the question: What would happen if an event similar to Hurricane Katrina hit Asheville?
The research group started as a disparate-impact analysis targetting the hard numbers in policy areas from housing to criminal justice to education. Year after year, each group surfaced data which showed significant disparities by race and gender.
The findings led to the student-led research groups presenting an annual conference for the community, titled The State of Black Asheville. Each year students presented their research to the public, city officials, and various other stakeholders.
In 2013, an initial web presence was launched at StateOfBlackAsheville.org, providing access to student papers, photography, as well as videos from years prior. The organization is now continuing its mission at an updated website, found at www.StateOfBlackAsheville.com.