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Poverty in Atlanta

Poverty is a serious social issue that leads to numerous other social evils and ruins the lives of many people. I would like to ask how can poverty affect a country where people throw a lot of food to garbage? Nobody in such countries should claim of sleeping hungry because so many food is being wasted and a lot of progress is being made in technology.

In the world’s most densely packed urban areas, it is very easy to pick up fresh food or produce from stalls while going home from work or from the corner shops in streets. However, Atlanta is also an urban area that has been made the third-worst urban food desert in the country as people have no option other than loading all family members in a car and driving almost five miles to reach a store.

Atlanta is the ninth biggest metropolis of world’s richest country; still, thousands of people are so poor that they are unable to get some fresh food or basic medical care if they get sick. Well, all credit goes to the government that is spending billion dollars for building highway systems or museums, but no work for eradication is being done. There is a high rate of unbalanced population and job growth in the Atlanta region. It has been predicted that the region would see almost two million more residents in the upcoming twenty-five years CITATION Bur14 \l 1033 (Burns, Atlanta's food deserts leave its poorest citizens stranded and struggling 2014).

The profile of Atlanta is changing, having a dramatic growth in poverty in the suburbs. The comparison of 2000 and present poverty rate shows that among the 95 large metro areas of the nation, 23 percent poor population has increased from 2000 to the present year. A Metropolitan Policy program fellow Elizabeth Kneebone said, “In Atlanta, the poor population in the city held steady between 2000 and 2010 while the poor population in the suburbs grew by 122 percent — more than doubling over the course of the decade.” She further added, “In 2000, the country had 81 million people living at or near the poverty line. In 2010, that number had grown to 104 million people.”

It is sad to see that a country considered as one of the most developed nations and superpowers in the world has much of its people living in a dreadful condition. It is known as a land of dreams but it is the same as all other countries of the world. People often relate poverty to the third world countries but it is very sad to see that America does not differ from the rest of the world, it also has a high rate of poverty due to several factors such as lack of education, unemployment, lack of willpower, and breakdown of families CITATION McG18 \l 1033 (McGurk 2018). Kneebone suggests, “If you have a lagging perception of where poverty is, a lagging perception of who the poor are, you will be less effective in coming up with services.”

Nelson Mandela once said, “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made, and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.” Atlanta is going through an increasing rate in poverty, and the main targets of this poverty are the native born people. I would like to conclude by saying that the government should do something for Atlanta so that the poverty eradicates and a better and bright future for children can be seen. CITATION Bur13 \l 1033 (Burns 2013)

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Burns, Rebecca. 2013. Atlanta No. 4 for suburban poverty growth. Accessed 2019. https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/atlanta-no-4-for-suburban-poverty-growth/.

Burns, Rebecca. 2014. "Atlanta's food deserts leave its poorest citizens stranded and struggling." The RockFeller Foundation. Accessed 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/mar/17/atlanta-food-deserts-stranded-struggling-survive.

McGurk, Stuart. 2018. Why you need to watch Atlanta right now. Accessed 2019. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/atlanta-season-2-donald-glover.