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Entire Town to Lose Power
Systemic racism strikes again
All 1,800 residents in Itta Bena, Mississippi, a small impoverished city in the Mississippi Delta, may soon lose their electricity. Leah Willingham writes for the Associated Press: “Because of long-standing debt with its wholesale electrical provider, the city faces complete disconnection Dec. 1.” Itta Bena’s electric system is city-run and owned and unregulated by the state.
In Itta Bena, 40% of people live below the poverty line, and 90% of the residents are Black. The town has for some time struggled with White flight, a dwindling population, and store closures. But the electricity issue isn’t simply a result of the town’s decline; it may have in fact contributed to it: “Area residents believe the high price of electricity provided by the city as one of the reasons for store closures,” the AP says. Bills are notoriously high for the town’s residents.
It’s not a new story or unique to Itta Bena either: Studies have found that more than other racial group in the U.S., Black Americans are likely to experience energy insecurity or spend a larger percentage of income on energy costs.
“It just feels like we keep losing and losing. There’s no growth,” business owner Patricia Young told the AP. “You start to wonder, ‘Do they really want us to survive?’”
