Baltimore’s school lunches reveal the city beneath the riots
Benjamin Orr is the executive director of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. A Baltimore resident, he said his drive to work reminds him of his time living in St. Louis, another city that experience an explosion of protest and unrest following the death of a black man from police action.
He noted that it’s not just in cities where these issues persist. Ferguson, he added, is a suburb of St. Louis, and suburbs tend to be underestimated when it comes to poverty.
“There are the same levels of vacant buildings. There are the same problems with access to fresh fruits and vegetables in many of our communities. There are the same problems with hunger,” Orr said.
Hunger isn’t just about poverty; it’s about the quality of the food available. About 20% of all Baltimore residents live in “food deserts,” in which the nearest grocery stores are often miles away and poor-quality or rotting fruits and vegetables are available at corner stores. These are most often found in low-income areas. On top of that, there’s also what Wilson termed “food swamps,” in which residents only have access to fast food and other unhealthy options.
These conditions occur in many other cities across the U.S., but Orr noted that poor people in Maryland face a particular challenge — employment. More than half of the people aged 16 to 64 in Sanford-Winchester are either unemployed or not in the labor force.
Here again, Maryland’s inequality is evident. The state is known for industries like health care that require advanced education, Orr said. Furthermore, finding jobs that don’t require a degree often require people to travel long distances when they’re able to find employment at all.
The city of Baltimore’s high school graduation rate has improved recently, but at 68.5% remains well below the state and national average.
“If you don’t have that education,” Orr said. “you can’t find work.”
