I was happy to read the article in this paper about the Strengthening Racial Justice and Health Equity in Franklin County Project but disappointed to hear that common refrain, that Franklin County is the poorest county in the state. On the contrary, as US Census Bureau data shows, Franklin County is not the poorest in the state, not by any measure; not by median household income, where it is No. 12 of 14; not by per capita income, where it is No. 12 of 14; and certainly not by poverty rate, where, because of a low cost of living, it is middle of the pack.
The fact is, the poorest counties in Massachusetts are the ones with the highest concentrations of minorities, because systemic racism is a force and a disease. Data alone doesn’t tell a story, but when we tell stories without the data to corroborate them, we obscure the truth, which in this case is that many people in Franklin County have it rough, but not as rough, on the whole, as our neighbors in Springfield, Brockton, or Lawrence have it.
May we take pride in where we live; and may we live in humility.
Otis Wheeler
Greenfield