Deindustrialization Drives Calls for a National Industrial Plan, Ben Jealous Says

On March 25, 2026, former NAACP leader Ben Jealous wrote that deindustrialization has reshaped large parts of the United States, describing a personal drive between his father’s birthplace in Biddeford, Maine, and his mother’s in Petersburg, Virginia to illustrate a broader national trend. Jealous, a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and former president and CEO of the NAACP, argued that many Americans now live in communities once anchored by factories.

In the essay, Jealous cited a figure that since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994 the country has lost more than 65,000 manufacturing plants and factories, and he named multiple contributors to that decline — including automation, China’s rise and corporate consolidation — while noting NAFTA’s role. He linked longstanding plant closures to persistent economic and social harms in affected towns, including rising unemployment and substance-abuse problems, and warned that schools often still prepare students for industries that have largely disappeared. Jealous urged a proactive approach to workforce development and economic planning as artificial intelligence and other changes reshape labor demand.

Framing the issue as one of national planning rather than quarterly profit, Jealous called for coordinated industrial strategies at county, state and federal levels to identify future jobs and train workers accordingly. The essay asks whether the country will accept the status quo or pursue policies to restore opportunity for communities left behind, and it presents his professional credentials as the basis for that appeal.