The price of poverty is not just economical. The way in which our country is structured is that those with the least amount of wealth have the least amount of influence. This leaves entire communities systematically barred from uprooting their situations. Many people would argue that these aforementioned individuals should just vote, or work harder, or focus on family values. But in Race in America, our course book, the important argument and distinction is made between superficial representation and substantive representation. Even if these communities—many times of color—voted, it is possible that their representation would not have their best interests in mind, with a number of other special interest groups offering an asset that these communities
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In Gwai Boonkeut’s case, he moved to the United States of America from Laos. He has worked hard for decades here, yet he developed heart problems because of the neighborhood he lived in. As the documentary says, “In Gwai’s environment, petrochemical companies release tons of pollutants each year,” his neighborhood has an excess of harmful pollutants in the air. He lives in a community that harms his body, even though he works hard and is an exemplar citizen. Additionally, there is a poverty tax. “According to a Brookings Institution report, buying a car in a low- income neighborhood costs as much as $500 more than in an affluent community. Cashing a check? Add up to 10% more. Furniture, appliances, and even groceries are more expensive,” notes the narrator, as poor communities have to pay more just for living in their neighborhoods. These communities are also the unfortunate recipients of racist federal housing policies from the end of World War II up until the ‘60s, where nonwhites were not given equitable access to housing loans at the same rate as their white counterparts. And as whites usually only move away from an invested-in neighborhood because of jobs, nonwhites move in and therefore have very little opportunities. This leads to high levels of stress. And chronic, or prolonged, stress has dire consequences on a …show more content…
The community started, “Working with Seattle Housing Authority and the public health department, the community won federal grants to rebuild High Point,” and was able to utilize the help from the federal government to reshape their neighborhoods. It is working on empowering its citizens to have the ability to live a healthy life. There are community gardens, and individuals who work in these gardens can sell their fresh produce, as chronic illness and dire illness is caused by an insufficient supply of healthy food. The neighborhood is also tackling the negative effects of environmental racism; it is installing houses that have the ability to filter fresh air for the high rates of people who live with asthma
In Gwai Boonkeut’s case, he moved to the United States of America from Laos. He has worked hard for decades here, yet he developed heart problems because of the neighborhood he lived in. As the documentary says, “In Gwai’s environment, petrochemical companies release tons of pollutants each year,” his neighborhood has an excess of harmful pollutants in the air. He lives in a community that harms his body, even though he works hard and is an exemplar citizen. Additionally, there is a poverty tax. “According to a Brookings Institution report, buying a car in a low- income neighborhood costs as much as $500 more than in an affluent community. Cashing a check? Add up to 10% more. Furniture, appliances, and even groceries are more expensive,” notes the narrator, as poor communities have to pay more just for living in their neighborhoods. These communities are also the unfortunate recipients of racist federal housing policies from the end of World War II up until the ‘60s, where nonwhites were not given equitable access to housing loans at the same rate as their white counterparts. And as whites usually only move away from an invested-in neighborhood because of jobs, nonwhites move in and therefore have very little opportunities. This leads to high levels of stress. And chronic, or prolonged, stress has dire consequences on a …show more content…
The community started, “Working with Seattle Housing Authority and the public health department, the community won federal grants to rebuild High Point,” and was able to utilize the help from the federal government to reshape their neighborhoods. It is working on empowering its citizens to have the ability to live a healthy life. There are community gardens, and individuals who work in these gardens can sell their fresh produce, as chronic illness and dire illness is caused by an insufficient supply of healthy food. The neighborhood is also tackling the negative effects of environmental racism; it is installing houses that have the ability to filter fresh air for the high rates of people who live with asthma