About Alabama Poverty Project

Founded in 1993, the Alabama Poverty Project began as a small circle of concerned citizens who wanted to take action against poverty in Alabama. APP’s founders--Wilford Bailey, Wayne Flynt, Eulene Hawkins and Earl Potts--assembled a board of directors representing all regions of Alabama. The board determined the group’s mission and structure and obtained initial development grants.

The primary purpose of APP is to provide information that promotes a better understanding of the nature of poverty--its complex causes, prevalence and persistence in Alabama. APP is especially interested in facilitating coalitions between religious, business and higher education organizations dedicated to empowering the poor and eliminating poverty.

Contact Information:

Physical Address:

Southside Baptist Church

1016 19th Street South

Birmingham, AL 35205 (directions)

Mailing Address: Phone: 205/939-1408

P.O. Box 55058 Fax: 205/933-7774

Birmingham, AL 35255

Meet the Staff

Nick Foster, Executive Director
Becky Blalock, Executive Assistant
Laura Buckner, Hess Fellow

On this page:
Mission Services Higher Education Partners Board of Directors About the Photographs

Mission

The Alabama Poverty Project (APP) Mission is to inspire moral and civic responsibility of citizens to work together toward the elimination of poverty. In order to accomplish this mission, the APP will:

foster, conduct and publish research into the causes and consequences of poverty;
encourage and facilitate the formal study of poverty in Alabama schools and colleges;
educate opinion-makers and the general public on the causes and consequences of poverty; and,
cooperate with agencies, religious groups, educational institutions, community organizations and advocacy groups that endeavor to alleviate and eliminate poverty in Alabama.

APP Services

APP researches and reports the causes, magnitude and consequences of poverty in Alabama
APP provides links to the many organizations--local, regional, national and international--promoting economic justice
APP provides speakers and/or pre-packaged presentations upon request

Higher Education Partners

*See full list

Board of Directors

James "Ike" Adams, Dean, University of Alabama School of Social Work

Mark Berte, Grassroots Education Director, Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform

Stephen Black, Director, Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, The University of Alabama

Robert Corley, Director, UAB Center for Urban Affairs

Thomas Corts, President Emeritus, Samford University

Elizabeth Dotts, Public FA

Scott Douglas, Executive Director, Greater Birmingham Ministries

James Evans, Pastor, Auburn First Baptist Church

Sean Flynt, Electronic News Editor, Samford University

Wayne Flynt, Auburn University Professor Emeritus, History Department

Kimble Forrister, State Coordinator, Alabama Arise

Leon Frazier, VP for Admin. Services, Alabama State University

Mart Gray, Pastor, Covenant Community Church

Johnny Green, Dean of Students, Auburn University

Susan Pace Hamill, Professor of Law, The University of Alabama School of Law

Debra Thomas Jones, Chaplain, Dept of Corrections, Birmingham Work Release Center for Women

Sue H. McInnish, Executive Director, Alabama Civil Justice Foundation

Carolyn McKinstry, 16th Street Baptist Church Foundation, Senior Program Manager, Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative

David Potts, President, Judson College

Susan Yvette Price, Vice Chancellor, Alabama College System, Department of Post Secondary Education

Isabel Rubio, Executive Director, Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama

Nancy Francisco Stewart, Assistant Professor, Jacksonville State University, Department of Sociology & Social Work

Carlissa Strong, Preferred Client Officer, Compass Bank

Linda Tilly, Executive Director, Voices for Alabama’s Children

Carol Ann Vaughn, Director, Christian Women's Leadership Center, Samford University

Anne Warren

Carol Prejean Zippert, Co-Publisher, Green County Democrat

Carole Zugazaga, Assistant Professor, Auburn University, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work

About the Photographs

The historic images of Alabama poverty used to illustrate the APP site are from the Farm Security Administration (FSA) collection in the U.S. Library of Congress. These images, generally copyright free, provide a visual record of the nation during the Depression years of the mid-to-late 1930s. They remind us not only of how far we have come in 70 years, but also how far we have yet to go. The people and places they document still seem all too familiar.