Birmingham was recently ranked as one of the worst places in the country to raise a child, but one Alabama analyst says the city’s problems are a reflection of statewide issues.

“Regardless of the methodology of any individual study, I would say what we want to do is build a society where people really do have an opportunity to thrive,” said Dev Wakely, a worker policy advocate and former policy analyst for political nonprofit Alabama Arise. “And our state government unfortunately has a pattern of not representing the needs and wants of the people of Alabama. And that’s manifested in centuries of economic exploitation and the separation of working people and the state.”