All this talk about cities with large black populations has got me thinking about the places that have such and the ones that doesn't. Statistically, a place with a large black population is based upon the percentage being 15% or greater of its overall population being considered African American or black. Everyone (and their mother) is familiar with some of places off the top of their head like New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and nowadays Atlanta. However, there are some other cities with some impressive black populations, but overshadowed by the aforementioned places. Here is a list of these places:
Houston
Charlotte
Memphis (which has the highest concentration of any metropolitan area with 1 million+ inhabitants at 43.5%)
Baltimore
St. Louis
Kansas City
Birmingham
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point
Norfolk/Virginia Beach
Richmond
Dallas/Fort Worth
Cleveland
Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach
New Orleans
Here are some ideal places where one can find black culture in the region, but doesn't want to reside in those in the initial list of places like NYC to DC to the ATL.
Showing posts with label Raleigh/Durham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raleigh/Durham. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The dilemma for Black LGBTs
Kudos to Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry on her MSNBC show airing this interesting topic that I have talked about in different aspects over the last few years. The problems that seem to exist between LGBTs and blacks. Now I'm not one to jump to a conclusion, but it was very potent for one of the commentators to point out how if the two groups are to coalesce then both needs active support on both sides. The commentator spoke about the taciturnity of many LGBT interest groups on the Trayvon Martin case, yet almost always expects support from black interest groups on their issues. Human rights are human rights regardless of whom or what is the focus of discussion is about.
The one pause of thought lays with the notion that the Reverend Barber's lack of concern for same-sex unionship equity. At the end of the day, it seems this as close to true coalescent opposition is going to get in this Southern state because there will still be those against same-sex unionship on a legalized basis.
Friday, January 6, 2012
New Year, and one more semester
This year, I embark on the conclusion of my time in Auburn-Opelika area in Alabama and will be moving on afterwards. THANK GOD! I will be finishing up my graduate studies and will be relocating elsewhere. Now I am not totally sure if elsewhere is going to be Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Washington, Orlando, Memphis, or New Orleans. I'm kind of conflicted because I know there is nothing here in Alabama for me and should venture elsewhere because it seems nothing of worth will come from this place for while. However, I am going to try to blog a little more rather than every 4 weeks on the current issues and things that have been going on with myself.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Another suspicious house fire, but this time in North Carolina then the incident in Opelika
Another suspected anti-LGBT hate crime in form of arson has occurred but this time in the Triangle. According to Raleigh-Durham CBS affiliate, WRAL-TV, on February 4th, in suburban Clayton in northern Johnston County, a house fire was reported early morning before dawn. Luckily, the male couple were out of town, but a neighbor reported that 2 other incidents had occurred there before and were reported. However, the Johnston County Sheriff's Department said they knew about it but wouldn't comment.
More anti-LGBT oriented incidents seems to be getting reported more often. I have a feeling this has been occurring for awhile now, but with more technology and vigilant citizen journalism, these incidents
Also I'll speak on the situation that happened in Opelika. About 2 weeks ago, Laura Gilbert and her friend, Shelia Siddell, went to a bar in a rural portion of the Lee County (Alabama), where Gilbert was allegedly attacked by 12 people for being a lesbian. Gilbert mentioned that "I don't think they like my kind there." and was attacked. Columbus (Georgia) CBS affiliate, WRBL, reported about the story and even did a follow-up. Initially, the incident was seen as a joke or fodder by media across the state like the Mobile Press-Register. FYI, Alabama doesn't recognize hate crimes involving sexual orientation or gender identity. Now after so much exposure involving the incident, the Lee County Sheriff's Department is trying to follow up on the crime and apprehend the alleged attackers.
This doesn't bode well for Alabama's reputation since it already seen as a state doesn't respect people of color, but add to this injury to insult is the lack of respect for LGBTs. Considering I'm in the area for school at the moment, the area does strike me as aversive to about anything "different' than the norm of the area...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The continuation of Birmingham's population decline...
Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released their last population estimates before they release the official figures (which are currently being compiled). However, Birmingham population still look as if it is in the ranks of the Rust Belt cities rather than the ones in the Sun Belt. Birmingham has declined by an additional 5% according to figures to 230,130 from 242,840 in 2000. This all due to the poor leadership and political baggage that seems to impede its growth seen in other fellow cities including majority black cities like Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans (although it suffered a huge blow with Hurricane Katrina), and Washington. The only Southern city that has seen continual decline as Birmingham is Baltimore (and for similar reasons).
Meanwhile other fellow Sun Belt Southern major cities like Atlanta (climbed to 540,921), New Orleans (up to 354,850 after Hurricane Katrina's aftermath) Nashville (climbed to 605,473), Memphis (slipped to 676,540), Orlando (climbed to 235,860), Jacksonville (climbed to 813,518), South Florida: [Miami (climbed to 433,136), Fort Lauderdale (up to 184,892), West Palm Beach (up to 99,504)] , Tampa Bay Area: [Tampa (up to 343,890), St. Petersburg (slipped to 244,324)], Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: [Dallas (jumped to 1,299,543), Fort Worth (climbed to 727,575)], Houston (jumped to 2,257,926), Austin (climbed to 759,673), San Antonio (up to 1,373,668), Oklahoma City (up to 560,332), Tulsa (balancing out at 389,625), Louisville (up to 566,503), Charlotte (jumped to 709,441), The Triangle: [Raleigh (jumped to 404,718), Durham (up to 229,136), Chapel Hill (up to 51,247)], The Piedmont Triad: [Greensboro (climbed to 225,061), Winston-Salem (climbed to 229,828), High Point (up to 101,618)], The Upstate: [Greenville (up to 61,782), Spartanburg (balanced out at 40,387), Anderson (up to 27,181)], Richmond (up to 204,451), The Hampton Roads: [Norfolk (balancing out at 233,333), Virginia Beach (balancing 433,575), Portsmouth (slipped to 99,321), Hampton (slipped to 144,236), Chesapeake (up to 222,455), Suffolk (up to 83,659),] The DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia): [Washington, D.C. (climbed to 599,657), Baltimore (slipped to 637,418)].
It's pathetic, but another fact of the Birmingham problem. The city is still losing more residents than gaining them to balance out or increase city population. At the rate it going, it will be a city that will wind up seeing a political coup in the next few years lead by yuppies and wealthy whites because there won't be enough black voters to keep the city the way it is politically. This is all meanwhile the suburban areas in the Greater Birmingham area gaining major population boosts at the expense of the city and the region as a whole. Birmingham is well on its way to becoming a Southern-version of Detroit, where everybody lives in the metropolitan area rather than the racially stratification city proper.
Meanwhile other fellow Sun Belt Southern major cities like Atlanta (climbed to 540,921), New Orleans (up to 354,850 after Hurricane Katrina's aftermath) Nashville (climbed to 605,473), Memphis (slipped to 676,540), Orlando (climbed to 235,860), Jacksonville (climbed to 813,518), South Florida: [Miami (climbed to 433,136), Fort Lauderdale (up to 184,892), West Palm Beach (up to 99,504)] , Tampa Bay Area: [Tampa (up to 343,890), St. Petersburg (slipped to 244,324)], Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: [Dallas (jumped to 1,299,543), Fort Worth (climbed to 727,575)], Houston (jumped to 2,257,926), Austin (climbed to 759,673), San Antonio (up to 1,373,668), Oklahoma City (up to 560,332), Tulsa (balancing out at 389,625), Louisville (up to 566,503), Charlotte (jumped to 709,441), The Triangle: [Raleigh (jumped to 404,718), Durham (up to 229,136), Chapel Hill (up to 51,247)], The Piedmont Triad: [Greensboro (climbed to 225,061), Winston-Salem (climbed to 229,828), High Point (up to 101,618)], The Upstate: [Greenville (up to 61,782), Spartanburg (balanced out at 40,387), Anderson (up to 27,181)], Richmond (up to 204,451), The Hampton Roads: [Norfolk (balancing out at 233,333), Virginia Beach (balancing 433,575), Portsmouth (slipped to 99,321), Hampton (slipped to 144,236), Chesapeake (up to 222,455), Suffolk (up to 83,659),] The DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia): [Washington, D.C. (climbed to 599,657), Baltimore (slipped to 637,418)].
It's pathetic, but another fact of the Birmingham problem. The city is still losing more residents than gaining them to balance out or increase city population. At the rate it going, it will be a city that will wind up seeing a political coup in the next few years lead by yuppies and wealthy whites because there won't be enough black voters to keep the city the way it is politically. This is all meanwhile the suburban areas in the Greater Birmingham area gaining major population boosts at the expense of the city and the region as a whole. Birmingham is well on its way to becoming a Southern-version of Detroit, where everybody lives in the metropolitan area rather than the racially stratification city proper.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
High Speed Rail in the South?
The Southern High Speed Rail Corridor has been a point of discussion through out the 1990s and 2000s, but nothing came of it considering Alabama nor Georgia openly funds public transit since both states have bans on using gax tax revenue towards such things. However, North Carolina and Florida, ironically the only 2 "swing states" in the South, have both struck it big on the Obama administration's stimulus funds for high-speed rail in the South. North Carolina will get some $545 million in federal funds to improve intrastate rail service among 30 other projects that involves commuter and regional rail between the Charlotte metropolitan area and the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham). Also the funds will allow quicker service from Charlotte to Washington, D.C., with the Amtrak Piedmont rail line. Florida will get $1.25 billion in funds to mainly fund a commuter rail between the Tampa Bay area and Daytona Beach, including Greater Orlando. Also a number of these funds can be used for the SunRail commuter rail system proposed for the Greater Orlando area.
Georgia fumbled big time with it majority conservative and Republican General Assembly by only getting $750,000 in federal funds to study it for the state. Whereas, Alabama is still trying to figure out how to put together the economic development and transportation puzzle with the Alabama Department of Economic Development (ADECA) and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), both needs to merged into one agency like Louisiana where the transportation and development departments are one (LDOTD). Alabama did get a few funds to do more studying of high-speed rail like Georgia. Unfortunately, Birmingham and Atlanta will continue to suffer from sprawl and one-tract mindsets of their state leadership since both cities are limited in alternative forms of transportation aside from private automobile (although Metro Atlanta has MARTA, but it is limited to only Fulton and DeKalb counties with limited connections to bus systems in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton counties).
The current rail service in the South, mainly the Deep South, is the Amtrak Crescent Line, that goes through Richmond, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Atlanta, Birmingham, and terminates in New Orleans. The funds on the table that Alabama and Georgia would upgrade their service allowing a high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Atlanta within 45 minutes.
This something leaders in these 2 states need to think about and stop being so damn shortsighted about since this portion of the country is increasingly becoming an urbanized belt.
Georgia fumbled big time with it majority conservative and Republican General Assembly by only getting $750,000 in federal funds to study it for the state. Whereas, Alabama is still trying to figure out how to put together the economic development and transportation puzzle with the Alabama Department of Economic Development (ADECA) and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), both needs to merged into one agency like Louisiana where the transportation and development departments are one (LDOTD). Alabama did get a few funds to do more studying of high-speed rail like Georgia. Unfortunately, Birmingham and Atlanta will continue to suffer from sprawl and one-tract mindsets of their state leadership since both cities are limited in alternative forms of transportation aside from private automobile (although Metro Atlanta has MARTA, but it is limited to only Fulton and DeKalb counties with limited connections to bus systems in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton counties).
The current rail service in the South, mainly the Deep South, is the Amtrak Crescent Line, that goes through Richmond, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Atlanta, Birmingham, and terminates in New Orleans. The funds on the table that Alabama and Georgia would upgrade their service allowing a high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Atlanta within 45 minutes.
This something leaders in these 2 states need to think about and stop being so damn shortsighted about since this portion of the country is increasingly becoming an urbanized belt.
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