Axios Quotes Professor Pruitt on Rural Governments' Challenges Amid Shifting Demographics

Professor Lisa R. Pruitt spoke to Axios for an Aug. 14 story headlined “The majority-minority shift changing rural America.”

“The evolving face of rural America, driven both by immigration and increased mobility, has invigorated communities, increased their diversity — and presented new challenges,” Axios reporters Russell Contreras and Erin Davis write in the story, noting that rapid change can leave rural governments struggling to catch up on resources like interpreters, bilingual election workers and translated election materials.

"Rural, small local governments struggle with service delivery, period,” Pruitt told Axios. “It's a really big challenge for things like court interpreters and any sort of public health information."

Distinguished Professor of Law Lisa R. Pruitt is Brigitte Bodenheimer Research Scholar and former president of the Rural Sociological Society. Her recent work explores the legal relevance of rural spatiality, including how it inflects dimensions of gender, race, and ethnicity. Pruitt's work also considers rural-urban difference in transnational and international contexts. She is the recipient of the law school’s 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award.