In the words of Pete Johnson, the federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, the nation's "most resilient people live in the Delta."
Delta residents have been forced to overcome one challenge after another throughout the course of this country's history. The DRA is working to finally allow them to achieve economic parity with the rest of the country.
In an article published May 11, 2006, The Economist described the Delta Regional Authority as an agency "mostly staffed by people who live in the region and are eager to see change. Its express purpose is to coordinate projects with the relevant states and to cut through red tape. It is creating, or helping to retain, 36,000 jobs, mostly in manufacturing, which will generate $1 billion in salaries; it has also helped 23,000 families to get running water and sewerage."
The economic achievements cited by The Economist are important to the future of the region the DRA serves. But everyone associated with the authority realizes there is much more to be done. The DRA continues to work to stem the economic decline in the region and better position Delta residents to compete in the economy of the 21st century.
The 252 counties and parishes covered by the DRA make up the most distressed area of the country. The disparities between the Delta region and the nation as a whole are stark. As defined by the Economic Development Administration, virtually all the counties and parishes in the region are distressed. U.S. Census figures indicate that population levels in many DRA counties and parishes peaked before 1980. Of the 252 counties and parishes served, 250 have per capita income levels at or below the national average. The poverty rate in the region is 55 percent higher than the national rate. Hurricane Katrina only made things worse.
Consider these other facts:
- The "single mother head of household" percentage of families in the region is 9.4 percent. That's 34 percent higher than the national level of 7 percent.
- The March of Dimes reported in 2002 that infant mortality rates in the region were almost 30 percent higher than the national average.
- The Southern Growth Policies Board has reported that the high school dropout rate for the Delta is almost 20 percent higher than the national average.
- Delta residents suffer disabilities almost 25 percent more often than people in the rest of the country.
- Compared with the national rates, deaths in the Delta from circulatory diseases are 21.2 percent higher, deaths from cancer are 12.7 percent higher and deaths from accidents are 42 percent higher.
Stark statistics such as these are what led Congress to create the authority in 2000 after years of commissions, task forces and study groups. The time for studies was over. The time for action had arrived.
The authority has worked since its creation to address the causes of poverty rather than merely treating the symptoms. The leadership of the DRA realizes that the creation of permanent, private-sector jobs is the most cost-effective method of eliminating poverty and that public investment is necessary to support the needs of private enterprise.
The Delta is a unique region that suffers common and chronic economic barriers. These barriers have been identified and are being removed in a comprehensive, systematic manner. Congress was seeking a sustainable institution to eliminate poverty in the Delta, and that institution is the Delta Regional Authority.
After being selected as the DRA's first state co-chairman, Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas said: "Many of the previous attempts at change in the Delta did not produce significant levels of economic development, job creation or infrastructure improvements. It is incumbent upon us to recognize that we are one of the last real opportunities for change. If we fail to do it, we may build yet another barrier to any other entity getting assistance from the nation to do something that desperately needs to be done."
Pete Johnson agrees that it is crucial not to waste this moment in time.
"If we do nothing or fail in our efforts, the people of the Delta may never find that salve of economic solace they deserve. Accordingly, we at the Delta Regional Authority will work faithfully on behalf of our people to help them enjoy the fullness of America for themselves, their families and their children."