Welcome to Shelbyville

Shelbyville, Tennessee: population 16,000. A hub of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, the town also boasts a Tyson Foods facility and a Wal-Mart distribution center. Shelbyville has been pretty quiet since it was incorporated in 1819. But now change has come to America and Shelbyville is coming to grips with newcomers of its own. WELCOME TO SHELBYVILLE examines the challenges of residents old and new as they experience rapid demographic change. Initially, white and African American Shelbyvillians were suspicious of an influx of Latinos; now the town is 15% African American and 15% Latino. More recently, Somalis arrived, seeking refuge from their violent homeland and jobs with Tyson. Clergymen discuss the virtues of broad-mindedness, even as their own skepticism shows. ESL instructor Miss Luci continues to beat the drum of tolerance. A local reporter, initially hostile to the Somalis, is invited to a multicultural gathering and turns out to be a decent guy. Maybe what doesn't kill Shelbyville really will make it stronger. –B.B.