Knowledge Bank

There are countless ways that inequity impacts the South. But there are also countless ways to dismantle racist and inequitable systems. The mission of this Knowledge Bank is to surface and share exactly this kind of systems-changing, equity-driven work being done all over the South. Here, you will find information and inspiration on how elected officials, community leaders, organizations, and individuals are launching ideas, programs, and system fixes to create permanent, equitable change to address systemic issues and strengthen communities across the South. This is a living page. We hope it will inspire, encourage, inspire, and connect you to new ideas, resources, and peers as you, too, work to build a better South.

Resources for Achieving Equity

EPU Policy Tool Kits: The policy tool kit shares recent examples of successful policy changes enacted throughout the South. We’ve gone behind the scenes to: 

  • Outline the required steps
  • Identify the best practices used
  • Capture the lessons learned
  • Share the equity lens applied

These toolkits will offer you tactical inspiration for how you could get started on your policy change in your state or district.



Monthly Legislative Update: Here are high-level overviews of legislative achievements and ongoing challenges faced by Southern states across healthcare, education, the criminal legal system, economic equity, democracy and voting, environment and climate, infrastructure, and housing.

Policy Advisors: Would you like tailored 1:1 support? EPU offers Senior Policy Advisors who can support elected leaders. This includes providing research, analysis, technical assistance, policy development, and other resources that encourage actionable steps to accelerate positive change.

Reports: We offer original, commissioned research that explores how residents of the American South experience issues of race and class in their communities. Specific reports include:

  • Creating More Inclusive Public Spaces: The study provides important insights into how Americans view Confederate monuments, their attitudes toward creating inclusive public spaces, and their beliefs about the role of race and racism in America. Data from the report indicates that while few Americans want to leave Confederate monuments as they are, the divisions over solutions persist by party, race, and religion.
  • Divided by Design: This report shares data gathered from an 1800-person survey of people across the South. It focuses on learning about what separates us and what can bring us together as we seek bold, effective solutions to tackle the modern legacy of Jim Crow and birth an inclusive new South.
  • Two Histories, One Future: The Legacy of Confederate Memorials and the Promise of Public Spaces: This report explores data gathered from a series of twenty-six focus groups across thirteen Southern states. The conversations reveal how residents think about public spaces in their communities and about the legacy and future of Confederate monuments. 

Survey of the South: This annual public opinion research will help you track attitudes on race, class, and equity, as well as pertinent national issues and policies.

  • 2022 Survey of the South: This survey reveals a growing openness by Southerners on issues such as reparations for African Americans and accurate education on slavery and racism in schools.
  • 2021 Survey of the South: This survey finds significant divides by race on a range of issues and perspectives. This includes attitudes on Critical Race Theory, COVID-19, the causes of poverty, whether systemic racism exists, voting rights, police reform, and more.
  • 2020 Survey of the South: This survey finds significant divides by race on a range of issues and perspectives. This includes attitudes on COVID-19 vaccine usage, how to address the pandemic, causes of poverty, equality of opportunity, access to healthcare, whether systemic racism exists, and race relations.
  • 2019 Survey of the South: This survey finds clear racial divides around perceptions of the economy and personal financial situations. It also reveals fundamentally different views on the causes of socioeconomic discrepancies in America.

The Unum Academy: The Unum Academy is a leadership accelerator program. It supports the growth and development of young people who have a desire to change their communities through educational workshops, mentorship, and entry-level professional experience. The goal is to cultivate youth leaders that can confidently advance equity on their campuses and in their communities.

Unum Fellows: Unum Fellows offer leaders the opportunity to gain or expand upon their understanding of how to address racial and economic equity within communities. Each Unum Fellow will learn from nationally recognized experts, consult with peers across the South, and design and implement an equity-based project that will create sustainable, meaningful change.

Survey of the South: This annual public opinion research will help you track attitudes on race, class, and equity, as well as pertinent national issues and policies.

  • 2022 Survey of the South: This survey reveals a growing openness by Southerners on issues such as reparations for African Americans and accurate education on slavery and racism in schools.
  • 2021 Survey of the South: This survey finds significant divides by race on a range of issues and perspectives. This includes attitudes on Critical Race Theory, COVID-19, the causes of poverty, whether systemic racism exists, voting rights, police reform, and more. 
  • 2020 Survey of the South: This survey finds significant divides by race on a range of issues and perspectives. This includes attitudes on COVID-19 vaccine usage, how to address the pandemic, causes of poverty, equality of opportunity, access to healthcare, whether systemic racism exists, and race relations
  • 2019 Survey of the South: This survey finds clear racial divides around perceptions of the economy and personal financial situations. It also reveals fundamentally different views on the causes of socioeconomic discrepancies in America.

Conversations for an Equitable South: Conversations for an Equitable South brings together thinkers, activists, advocates, and leaders on the issues of race and equity in the American South. 

  • The Women Series: These conversations with women leaders focus on the roles of women in the fight for racial justice, especially white women and mothers.
  • The Racial Colorblind Series: These conversations provide a space to discuss the lasting impact racism has had on people and institutions. 
  • The Bold Leadership Series: These conversations focus on what bold leadership looks like, both locally and in the corporate sector.

Truth. Action. Reconciliation Series: These conversations ask some of our country’s brightest minds and most effective leaders to share insights and learning. How did we get to where we currently are on criminal justice, health equity, economic opportunity, and democracy? And how do we create an America that is worthy of her promise?

Divided by Design: Mitch Landrieu and advocates, historians, and experts help us better understand what systemic racism looks like in America today.

Hometown Heroes: Conversations with people from the South asking what they love most about their hometown.

The Power of Storytelling Partnership: A narrative project illustrating how storytelling can be used to unite people and create positive social change around issues of racial equity. Captured at the 50th Anniversary of the National Storytelling Festival, it shares wisdom from some of the South’s greatest professional storytellers.