Poverty In America

America is one of the most developed nations of the world, but regardless of it, about 46.7 million people are suffering from poverty. To understand the concept of poverty, it is important to define the actual living conditions of the individuals that the government believes to be impoverished. America has presented itself as a culture of plenty, but poverty still manages to take a toll on many families. The southeastern United States consists of many pockets of profound poverty in well-known areas such as the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, the Tennessee Valley, and the agricultural areas of Florida. From these selected areas, the Mississippi Delta has shown to be the region that has suffered from poverty the most. Poverty is a plague that
One of the constant barriers in most rural communities is poverty. Though there have been many attempts to reduce the level of poverty, it is still an underlying issue in rural areas like the Mississippi Delta. Poverty disturbs communities by destroying the residents’ ability to support capital improvements, maintain an efficient education system, improve their health, and lessening environmental issues. Michael Harrington implied that poverty is a vicious cycle that will never come to an end. In The Other America, he argued that poverty has created a subculture of its own; it is more than just a state of mind. Poverty is a horrific phase that can continue without proper interventions, such as shelters, fundraisers, educational and job programs. It limits an individual’s ability to go anywhere or do anything, causing him or her to remain in that stage of torment. Consequently, one of the most poverty-stricken areas in Dixie is the Mississippi Delta. The Mississippi Delta has became one of the most impoverished regions in America due to various manifestations of poverty such as slavery, lack of education, politics, decline in health, and insufficient
Poverty does not target a particular race, but poverty population is dynamic and diverse. Unfortunately, poverty in the Delta is particularly dominant among African Americans. Poverty is well known in black communities due to intergenerational poverty. Intergenerational poverty is refers to the poverty induced by the socially and economically challenged background of a person’s parents. African Americans were left behind treated like second-class citizens, so they never developed job-related skills or education to overcome the viciousness of poverty which had a major impact on future generations. Most citizens who lived in poverty desired income to provide for their families and themselves, afford a decent home, receive affordable healthcare, and watch their child attend college to seek a better life. Living under the influence of poverty, families have problem with making ends meet on a day-to-day