The nationwide protests against racial injustice prompted by the death of George Floyd on May 25 have sparked discussion throughout the country about systemic racism and ways to overcome it. As with other parts of American society, construction’s legacy on the issue of race is checkered, with people in the industry experiencing overt racism in its distant—and not-so-distant— past.
Atlanta is one of many cities where protests over racial injustice have recently occurred. It’s also a city where two different entities—Black-owned contractor H.J. Russell & Co., and the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia—are striving to recruit more Black men and women into the construction industry.