Headshot of Sharlene Newman: a Black woman with curly hair and glasses, wearing formal attire and pearls.

Sharlene Newman

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Dr. Sharlene Newman leads a university institute at The University of Alabama. Much of her work is embedded in the Alabama Black Belt. Her team partners with local governments and CBOs across the region. The views in her writing for Shelterforce are her own.
An aerial view of a town with lots of greenery and fields and a large rectangular, green lagoon.
Opinion

We Really Need to Talk About Substandard Housing in Alabama’s Black Belt

July 15, 2026 | Sharlene Newman

When this researcher moved back to her home state to direct a research institute, she thought she knew rural Alabama and its needs. But she was wrong. “I found myself unprepared for the extent of the rural housing crisis here.”