Alabama’s Black Belt

When reading this online news article found here, I couldn’t believe that there was a lack of proper sewage disposal in a developed country like the US. There was “raw sewage flows from homes” and a lack to basic services for the people living in this small town. Unfortunately, the people that live in this region are people who don’t make enough money to live in a healthier environment with a median household income of 30,000 USD. Most of the people living in this black belt region are African Americans and have faced discrimination.

With poor sewage disposal and the unreliable access to clean drinking water are having a major effect on the people living there. The government is failing to do their job and providing the essentials for the people that live in this community. Residents often get sick and obtain illnesses that are associated with extreme poverty like E.coli and hookworm. Because people are consistently living unhealthy lives,they are more likely to take sick days instead of working which can feed into the reason as to why the median household income is low. Many families live off of fixed incomes so there is no extra money that can be used to fix these problems. Along with living in an unsanitary community, several residents reported that they have suffered from racial discrimination. Racist white residents often demonstrate that they want the African American residents to move out of the county. Not only are these people living in an unsanitary environment, but they’re also living in an unwelcoming one. Due to a long history of poverty in this town, it is alarming to me that they government hasn’t taken action to help. This is something that shouldn’t be occurring in a developed country like the United States. The government has procrastinated to help these communities and if no aid is given, this vicious cycle will continue. The people living here will continue to live unhealthy lives and the lack of money will deter them from moving to other places that they can’t afford.

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