The University of Southern Mississipppi
Geography and Economic Development Programs

Economic Development & the Black Community of East Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Spring 2008 semester, the first course developed specifically for the U.S.M. Center for Black Studies focused on Economic Development and Economic Empowerment in the Black Community in the primarily African-American east side of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Students in this class worked hard on research projects focused on a variety of issues related to economic development in Hattiesburg, and each team of students produced their own original 15-minute documentary on their topic. As they all will tell you, this class was a lot of work! But, they have each produced something that will be useful not only to their class experience but to the community as a whole.

Confronting Creosote: Environmental Justice in East Hattiesburg, by Heather Sanchez and Ebony Beverly

Microenterprise in East Hattiesburg, by Mike Fedoroff and Brandon Davis

Hip-Hop Hattiesburg: The Emerging Scene, by Ginger Maddox and Russ Hendley

Building Networks Across Hattiesburg, by Paul Saputo and Matthew Rook

Black Veterans’ Contributions to Hattiesburg, by Gerrelaine Alcordo, Joshua Smith, and LeBrio Turner