When the 141 students in the Russellville High School Class of 2015 walk across the stage in May to receive their diplomas, only 11 of those young men and women will be African-American.
This year's kindergarten class at West Elementary School, 242 students strong, has the same number, 11, of Black students. These declining enrollment numbers are not new. And they mirror changing demographics in Russellville. The city continues to see Hispanic growth, with declines in population of other ethnicities.
U.S. Census figures from 1990 showed Russellville to have a 13.05 percent Black population. That percentage dropped to 11.25 percent in 2000, with 1,009 of the city's 8,969 residents identifying themselves as Black. The most recent census, in 2010, again showed a decline. Among its 9,850 residents, Russellville's Black population was 907, representing 9.2 percent of the population.
Of Russellville City Schools' 2,597 students, only 156 are Black, representing six percent of the system.
With an all-time high enrollment in its school system, Russellville's Black population is disappearing. And when you ask young people, educators, community leaders and professionals, the source of the disappearing act can be traced to one word, more specifically to the lack thereof—jobs.
Leamon Mosley, who works with Russellville youth daily in his job as Chucky Mullins Center director, said it's not just a lack of jobs but a limited supply of good-paying jobs that is leading young Black adults to relocate.
“I really think it's about jobs. I've always said a family of four can't live off $25 an hour," Mosley said. "With mom and dad working, and one of them making $12 and one making $13 an hour, and many local jobs don't pay that much, it's hard to make it.
“There just aren't a lot of Black kids coming up in Russellville now. I don't know if families are all moving out on account of jobs, but it's obvious we see a lot fewer playing sports in school."
Jerry Groce, who serves on the Russellville City Schools Board of Education, said the problem has not escaped the eye of school leaders.
“We've discussed it as a board the past few years. So far, we've not been able to determine what the declining enrollment is attributable to,” Groce said. “Maybe it's related to employment. That's certainly a factor. It's something we're concerned about. We need to come together and devise a strategic plan to reverse this trend and not see this part of our culture disappear."
Mosley, a 1969 RHS graduate who attended Reedtown School through 10th grade, agreed that the local Black community is aware of the problem. But he's not sure what, if anything, can be done about it.
“I'm not sure if we can bring it back," Mosley said. "We are losing our Black community gradually. Many have moved to get better jobs outside of Russellville. Some are going to the Shoals, some to Decatur. The Barton plant and North American Lighting led some families to move closer to where they work.
“We need improvements in the entire community and to find ways to attract new jobs to the city, along with new restaurants and other things to attract young families. If not for the poultry plant, I don't know what we'd look like."
Groce said city leaders are working to improve Russellville's employment base, but the effects of such growth take time to bear fruit.
“I look at this from an anecdotal perspective. Throughout the community, not just the school system, we're losing people," Groce said. "Part of it is people are moving for employment opportunities, and a lot of our kids get out of school and aren't returning here. It's something our city leaders are working on by trying to expand employment opportunities to encourage young families to stay here and when they get training, come back to Russellville for jobs.
“We need a concerted effort throughout the community to find ways to encourage kids to stay here and come back home after they get out of school."
Groce discussed the idea of reaching out to the North Alabama Council of Local Governments in the hopes of building a multi-agency coalition to study and formulate a plan to reverse the declining local Black population. Groce said input would be solicited from local elected officials, industry leaders, educators and community members to look at the issue from different perspectives.
