About E Pluribus Unum

E pluribus unum. Our founding national motto translates to “out of many, one.” It is a statement about our diversity, our connectedness, our interdependence. Although our nation continues to  make progress on race, we have also allowed ourselves to be divided by anger, hate, and fear. That has come at a deep cost for all of us. 

We cannot break down the barriers of race and class as a divided nation. We can only fulfill America’s promise of justice and opportunity if we are united. This work begins in the South, where we have seen the darkest side of America’s history. 

E Pluribus Unum was formed in 2018 with the premise that we must confront the issue of race head on if we are to move forward. We believe our cities and towns will only thrive if they find a way to unite around common purpose. To better understand the ways in which systemic racism and economic inequality impacts southerners, the E Pluribus Unum team traveled the south extensively, visiting 28 communities across 13 states. Our first report, Divided by Design: Findings from the American South, focuses on how residents experience issues of race and class in their communities. The report also identifies 15 key insights that will be used to build a more inclusive South. 

Today, E Pluribus Unum is building programs and initiatives focused on cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, and championing transformative policy change. Through this work, we will create a vision for a more just, equitable and inclusive South, setting an example for the rest of the nation. Together, we can chart a new course for the South- one that centers racial equity and moves towards reconciliation.

About the founder

MITCH LANDRIEU 

Mitch Landrieu is an American Politician, Lawyer, author, speaker, nonprofit leader and CNN political commentator. He served as the 61st Mayor of New Orleans (2010-2018) When he took office, the city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and in the midst of the BP Oil Spill.

Under Landrieu's leadership, New Orleans is widely recognized as one of the nation’s great comeback stories. In 2015, Landrieu was named “Public Official of the Year” by Governing, and in 2016 was voted “America’s top turnaround mayor” in a Politico survey of mayors. He also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Landrieu gained national prominence for his powerful decision to take down four Confederate monuments in New Orleans, which also earned him the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. In his best-selling book, ​In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History​, Landrieu recounts his personal journey confronting the issue of race and institutional racism that still plagues America.

In 2018, he launched E Pluribus Unum, an initiative in the South created to fulfill America’s promise of justice and opportunity for all by breaking down the barriers that divide us by race and class. ​E Pluribus Unum is building a series of programs and initiatives to cultivate courageous leaders who are committed to realizing an inclusive vision for a new South, champion transformative policies to reverse the enduring harms of America’s Jim Crow era past for those who continue to experience them today, and change narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism in order to shift people’s attitudes and behaviors.

Prior to serving as Mayor, Landrieu served two terms as lieutenant governor and 16 years in the state legislature. He and his wife Cheryl live in New Orleans, where they raised their five children.