Dear Editor:
A recent article, “Early Deaths Tied to Lack of Grocery Stores,” [July 18] left the impression that poor health in the black community was somehow a simple matter of “access” to grocery stores. But if we ask why we have few grocery stores in black neighborhoods we find the answer much more troubling.
The lack of entrepreneurial values in black communities has made locally owned grocers unheard of, and our very real crime problems scare off corporate chains. And when a big chain like Wal-Mart does want to come in (yes, Wal-Mart sells food too), various members of the City Council and the unions attempt to keep it from happening.
Unfortunately, our problems are a little larger than grocery stores–it’s poor community leadership. Need proof? Look at the mess that was made of the position of Cook County President.
Sincerely,
Lee Walker
President
The New Coalition for Economic and Social Change
Lee Walker ([email protected]) is president of The New Coalition for Economic and Social Change and a senior fellow of The Heartland Institute.
Lee H. Walker was president of The New Coalition for Economic and Social Change and a senior fellow of The Heartland Institute. He was chairman of the Illinois State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
