The Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area is a grassroots initiative designed to bring economic development to 19 counties in the Black Belt region. Its mission is to partner with local communities, state agencies, and non-profit organizations to shape a sustainable future for the Black Belt region through the preservation, interpretation, and marketing of unique cultural, historical, and natural assets, and to create a better quality of life for its residents through education and development of community capacity and pride. The Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area is administered by The Center for the Study of the Black Belt at the University of West Alabama, and supported by a Board of Directors and an advisory task force that represents people and organizations across the 19 counties.
The vision of the ABBHA is to empower the people and communities of Alabama’s Black Belt region to build a positive future by collaborating to preserve, enhance, and promote what makes the area unique.