Post 3: "Poverty Amid Prosperity"

"Poverty Amid Prosperity"- Omaha World Herald April 15, 2007

“Poverty amid prosperity” is a story that was in the Omaha World Herald back in April 2007. This article highlights the sad situation that exists in Omaha, Ne. Omaha is the home to one of the poorest black communities in America.


This is an issue that I feel very close to because I feel that there is something that we can do about it. I focused my final senior research project on this topic because I felt like many teens in Omaha did not know the reality of the city that they lived in. I found out that I was right. Many people had no idea Omaha was so divided. Seeing the reality of what is going on around you is there first step in making a difference.

I found two common things that create barriers in Omaha, poverty and race. Taking a look at a map of the city shows that Omaha is racially divided. The majority of people living in the northern part of town are black and the majority of Hispanics live in South Omaha. I feel that the main reason these people are still living in poor areas is because when children grow up around poverty, all they see is poverty and violence. They don’t see the positive things that can happen to them. It is our duty as well educated and privileged people to show the people who live in poverty and violence that they can do something positive with their life.

Since Omaha is racially and economically divided I feel that this affects the relationships between the people in my city. One of my favorite quotes is from a book called “Savage Inequalities” by Jonathan Kozol. This book highlights the inequalities in our public school systems in the United States. In this book he recalls a conversation he had with a man. The man asked Kozol, Is it safe for you to go into these neighborhoods to visit these people? Kozol’s reply was something to the effect that if it isn’t safe for me to visit here it isn’t safe for parents to raise their children or for the children to play in the streets.

I feel that it will take decades maybe even a few more generations to reverse problems such as a racially divided city. I am optimistic to think that the young people of my generation will see this as a wake up call to reality. This is a problem that can’t be fixed over night, but eventually it will destroy our society if nothing is done about it today. Simple things like getting involved with younger kids or volunteering at the Boy and Girls Club are simple things that we can do to start making a change.