Our focus on the Deep South

 

The Deep South has a long history of resistance, which continues to inspire and drive change throughout the nation.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Legacies of slavery and colonization have created high rates of mass incarceration, police brutality, missing or damaged infrastructure, food insecurity, poverty, disease, poor health outcomes, environmental extraction, and toxic pollution throughout North America, but most acutely in the Deep South.

These systemic injustices fuel a pattern of exploitation that influences how philanthropy operates in the region. The South receives less than 3% of philanthropic dollars nation-wide. (Source: Grantmakers for Southern Progress)

Black, Brown, and Indigenous people are especially underfunded, yet they are also the most impacted by these injustices.

DSSF is dedicated to funding Southern Black, Brown, and Indigenous individuals, institutions, and infrastructure that are in right relationship with their people and places.

 
 

State by state statistics

Below are key statistics that shine a light on the disparities that exist in the Deep South and punctuate the significant level of oppression in the region.

  • ・Third highest maternal mortality rate, 36.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

    ・Third highest infant mortality rate, 7.89 deaths per 1,000 live births.

    ・Seventh highest poverty rate, 16.7% people living below the poverty line.

    ・Seventeenth highest incarceration rate, 417 per 100,000 people.

    ・Sixth (or seventh) highest rate of STD’s.

    ・Third lowest life expectancy.

    ・Median household income: Sixth lowest at $50,536.

  • ・Second highest maternal mortality rate, 48.4 per 100,000 live births.

    ・Eighth highest infant mortality rates, 6.89 deaths per 1,000 live births.

    ・Eleventh highest poverty rate, 15.1% people living below the poverty line.

    ・Eighth highest incarceration rate, 500 per 100,000 people.

    ・Seventh (or eighth) highest rate of STD’s.

    ・Fourteenth lowest life expectancy.

    ・Median household income: 21st lowest at $58,700.

  • ・Highest maternal mortality rate, 58.1 deaths per 100,000 live births.

    ・Second highest infant mortality rate, 8.07 deaths per 1,000 live births.

    ・Second highest poverty rate, 19.2% people living below the poverty line.

    ・Highest incarceration rate, 683 per 100,000 people.

    ・Second highest rate of STD’s.

    ・Seventh lowest life expectancy.

    ・Median household income: Fourth lowest at $49,469.

  • ・21st highest maternal mortality rate, 20.8 deaths per 100,000 live births.

    ・Highest infant mortality rate, 9.07 deaths per 1,000 live births.

    ・Highest poverty rate, 20.3% people living below the poverty line.

    ・Second highest incarceration rate, 638 per 100,000 people.

    ・Third highest rate of STD’S.

    ・Lowest life expectancy.

    ・Median household income: The lowest at $45,081.