COLUMBUS IS BUILDING NEW DISTRICTS, NEW DEVELOPMENTS, NEW STADIUM DEALS, AND NEW INVESTMENTS WHILE SOME COMMUNITIES ARE LITERALLY DYING YOUNGER.

According to CDC data highlighted by The Columbus Dispatch, South Franklinton’s Census Tract 51 has the lowest life expectancy in the entire state of Ohio, just 60 years old.

That number should shake this entire city.

Because life expectancy is not just about health. It is the final receipt of everything a community has been forced to live through. Poverty. Violence. Housing instability. Food deserts. Addiction. Economic neglect. Limited healthcare access. Constant stress. Broken systems.

The question is no longer whether Columbus is growing. The question is WHO IS THE GROWTH ACTUALLY FOR?

A city cannot celebrate billion dollar projects while residents in some neighborhoods are losing decades of life. That is not progress. That is a warning sign.

Now officials say they want to “listen” to residents and create a plan. But people should ask why conditions had to reach the lowest life expectancy in Ohio before serious attention was finally given.

Young people need to pay attention to this. Your ZIP code, school conditions, healthcare access, economic opportunities, food access, and neighborhood investment levels are directly connected to how long you are expected to live.

That means this is not just a South Franklinton problem. This is a Columbus accountability problem.

The Black Wall does not grade speeches, press conferences, ribbon cuttings, or slogans. It grades outcomes.

And when residents in parts of your city are expected to die nearly 20 years earlier than others, the outcome speaks for itself.