Race in 2016: Trying to open doors in a house divided

Shootings of black civilians by police seemed to move like a plague from city to city in 2016.

Atlanta, Charlotte, Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, Dallas, Tulsa … this somber and growing list reminds of us of how much race still divides America.

AJC 2016 Must Reads

The killings themselves, and the massive demonstrations that often followed across the country, were a recurring theme throughout the year for AJC reporters. But there were others.

The opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington was joyous and sorrowful at once.

The fact that such a museum even exists is a monument to enormous racial progress in the past 60 years. But for all the celebration of noble perseverance and brilliant accomplishment, the museum contains countless reminders of slavery, lynching, segregation and more.

But in important ways, the museum symbolizes hope.

And so do some of the stories we wrote about race in 2016.

Take the Atlanta 5-year-old who surprised his kindergarten teacher with what he wanted to be when he grows up: a black man.

Or the AJC’s exclusive poll of Georgia, which found overwhelming numbers of people who believe the next president should make improving race relations a “major focus” of his administration.

Top social issues stories of 2016