Charlotte, North Carolina is a beautiful city with many great opportunities for different people. Most people who are familiar with the city, or live there, already know this. But what they might not know is the huge barrier that exists between wealthy and poor communities in Charlotte. In reality, there aren't opportunities for everyone as it may appear at first.

From afar, Charlotte's economy is thriving and everyone who lives in the city or its outskirts is doing well. But that's just the problem: the majority of Charlotte consists of white, upperclass families that dominate the wealthier sides of town. Because this population makes up the majority, no one pays much attention to the serious poverty in the smaller, low-income neighborhoods. The barrier between wealth and poverty is such a thick line that hardly anyone bothers to look on the other side of the "wall."

When I say that there is a "wall" in Charlotte, I'm not talking about a literal wall. Basically, there is a massive divide based on who has access to what and most of it is because of income. Because of this, issues of food insecurity and racism arise. This economic barrier divides citizens of Charlotte and creates major disparities between socioeconomic classes. A barrier as large as this one is devastating for those in low income neighborhoods that have no chance of being recognized.

Impoverished people don't even stand a chance of competing with the wealthy in our city and it's been this way for a long time. As healthier grocery stores continue to be built in wealthier areas, more food deserts are created. It's important that we provide healthy, nutritious food to every part of the city for a decent price, and Charlotte has failed to do just that. Hence, the reason there are over 60 food deserts in Charlotte alone, where people don't have access to healthy food within 10 miles of their home.

According to an article in Charlotte Five:

"This school year, 76 of CMS’ 170 schools have poverty levels so high that every student gets free breakfast and lunch."

"In 2015, 87,354 Charlotte residents did not have access to fresh, healthy foods."

"According to research in 2015 from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Food Policy Council, nearly 35 percent of households with children in Mecklenburg County are food insecure and are uncertain if they’ll be having that next meal."

When you take a look at the numbers, you realize this is a serious problem. We can't ignore it anymore.

But hunger isn't the only result of divided socioeconomic classes in Charlotte; racism tends to evolve from this issue as well. Because low-income families are predominantly people of color due to systems of oppression already in place, this divide is often characterized by race. While this isn't the case for every family living in poverty, the numbers show huge disparities between whites and people of color. Don't believe me? Look at the facts:

"Black people make up about 35 percent of Mecklenburg county’s general population, but 78 percent of homeless people."

"African-Americans have an unemployment rate that’s double that for white people. Meanwhile, about a quarter of black households live in poverty, compared to less than 10 percent of white households."

If these numbers didn't surprise you, I don't know what will. They illustrate that there is still a major issue of inequality in Charlotte. It's 2018 and we're still enforcing and supporting racist systems in our local government and communities and it needs to come to an end.

Because wealth is so valued and encouraged in our society, those living in poverty are always treated as lesser. There is always a lack of care for those in low-income neighborhoods simply because the wealthy just don't care. People living in poverty are humans too and they NEED our help.

It's time to acknowledge the wealth divide in Charlotte that has created so many other issues and caused people to suffer. It's time to provide communities of poverty with healthy, nutritious food at an affordable price. It's time to end systems of institutional racism that prevent low-income families from being helped on a larger scale.

While all of this surely won't be easy and will take time, it is possible. It's time for a real change; one that creates equality for all citizens of Charlotte.

Do your part and research ways you can make a difference in your community to end these disparities today.