Job (Economic) Equity
“Generational wealth cannot be built when well-paying jobs are scarce, banks do not give mortgage loans, and available housing is low-quality and unsafe.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 227.
Examples of Barriers to Health
Major Industries: “…just 30 percent of workers in the state without four-year degrees have a ‘good job’… This figure parallels another striking trend that retail cashier is the single most common job in Mississippi. In fact, no state has a higher share of its workforce working as cashiers. Fewer than one-third of the state’s cashiers are teenagers, and 86 percent are women. Families are living off cashier incomes.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pgs. 100-101.
Payday lending and auditing: “One of the key takeaways of this chapter might sound obvious but is important to highlight: poverty is a risk factor for deeper poverty. Poverty makes it much harder to emerge from financial struggles. Many of the exacerbating effects are felt disproportionately by minority racial and ethnic groups, such as lack of access to banking services and vulnerability to payday lending. Humphreys County, on the southeastern edge of the Delta, is per capita the most audited county by the Internal Revenue Service in the United States, despite being the one of the poorest. The audit rate is estimated to be 51 percent higher than Loudon County Virginia, despite a difference in median income of more than $100,000.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 119.
What are examples of barriers to health in your community?
Job (Economic) Equity Policy Goals
#1
Create and retain good jobs that are accessible to all.
#2
Protect and support people so they can become financially secure.
Ripples of Hope
Keep Cleveland Boring
Through events like Anotherfest, a spring music festival showcasing local talent and businesses, and Otherfest, a fall festival featuring diverse genres and free camping, the organization fosters community engagement to create a vibrant cultural hub. (See pages 120–123.)
Meraki Roasting Company
Teaches “soft” employment skills while providing jobs and a nice place to gather and relax. (See pages 123–126.)
Delta Foundation
Provides “community, social, human, and economic development activities to underserved, mostly minority families, businesses and communities. The mission is undertaken to eliminate poverty within the Delta region.” (See pages 126–128.)