The Atlantic City Lab interviewed Derek Alderman for a story examining public spaces and streets named for Martin Luther King Jr. and the contrast between the name that signifies progress and the deplorable economic conditions of the communities.
“They’re a part of the larger history and geography of racism,” Alderman told the media outlet. “So while you’re celebrating, in effect, the Civil Rights movement which helped overcome some racism, you’re still being reminded of the obstacles that continue to face African Americans.”
Alderman, professor and head of the UT Department of Geography, has studied and written about streets named for Martin Luther King Jr. since the 1990s.
Read the Atlantic City Lab story online.