Common Ground Sister City Tuskegee/South Berwick
Common Ground Mission
The mission of the American Sister City Project is to afford the opportunity for the citizens of two communities, one predominately black and the other predominately white, to talk with each other, listen to each other and share with each other with the goal of broadening understanding between people.
Common Ground History
In 2016, South Berwick asked Tuskegee to be its “sister.” The two communities share size and
an identity of community pride. The two communities also have histories that overlap.
Both are in states about to turn 200 and both grew under the cotton economy of the 19th
century —Tuskegee as host to cotton plantations and S. Berwick as home to textile mills. In early
2017 Tuskegee said yes and both municipal councils unanimously approved the relationship.
Common Ground Sister City Proclamation
| Tuskegee, Alabama | South Berwick, Maine |
| Indigenous: Creek Nation | Indigenous: Western Abenaki |
| 95.7% African -American | 97.3% White |
| 9,865 population | 7220 population |
| 16.37 sq. miles | 32.6 sq. miles |
| 765 people/sq. mile | 207 people/sq. mile |
| Median age 27.6 | Median age 40.5 |
| Median family income $43,472 | Median family income $59,330 |
| Mayor | Town Manager |
| Incorporated 1843 | Incorporated 1713 |
Core Values for Common Ground Sister City ~ Draft #3
Enrich the people of South Berwick and Tuskegee by building relationships between our communities.
Increase understanding of racial identity through cultural exchange and conversation.
Explore and celebrate our cultural similarities and differences.
Foster and support respectful dialogue about hard history, privilege, fear, and equity in America.