The Potential Impact of Trump's Air Strikes on Under-served Communities

As tension rises in the Middle East, spectators ponder if it’s biblical prophecy unfolding or merely the actions of simple, high-handed men. Roughly 24 hours ago, President Trump addressed the nation regarding U.S. air strikes that “obliterated” three Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Many Americans have condemned the strikes labeling the attack “unprovoked,” and grounds for war escalation; some, on the other hand, expressed grave concerns for the economic risks which could be potentially destabilizing. Others, in defense of the strikes, deemed it necessary to silence Iran’s talk of nuclear ambitions and to show support to America’s long-time allies, the Israelis.

Historically, war has had a complex effect on under-served communities, during its occurrence and aftermath. Tracing history, Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans who fought in American wars were promised freedom, wealth or material possessions, and given a false sense of hope for camaraderie and equality. At the end of every war, however, Black and Brown soldiers found it difficult to attain what was promised, thus, owed to them. Survivors were re-enslaved and abandoned after the Revolutionary War, subject to lynchings and disenfranchisement after the Civil War, denied rights to veteran benefits after Word War I & II, and received limited access to mental health care after exposure to the Vietnam War and War on Terror.

Reckoning with history, life amid and after war for Black and Brown communities could be especially grim. If a country must employ military defense, money must be spent. Trump’s air strikes on Iran has estimated the U.S. well over $150 million in costs, including the expenses for munitions, operations, and logistics. Funds for such tactics can divert spending from essential programs that aid low-income Black and Brown communities such as affordable housing, public health facilities, and public education. Its ability to systemically affect groups causes individuals to become stagnant. As a result of an inflated system, for instance, vulnerable individuals of under-resourced communities struggle exponentially with the rise in costs. Studies show that Black and Brown households spend a significant share of their limited income on essential necessities such as food, housing, utilities, and transportation, leaving less for savings, discretionary and emergency spending.

Militarized policing, a common practice in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, characterized by the use of military-grade weapons and aggressive tactics that often treats residents more like combatants than civilians, can be expected to triple in terms of activity. With the intensity of war, these neighborhoods are natural targets, reinforcing historical patterns of over-policing similar to the 17th century Slave Codes that primarily restricted the movement and assembly of free and enslaved Blacks and Native Americans.

With wage disparities, limited access to loans, gaps in policing and policy currently at hand, the rising conflict and indication of war with Iran is certain to increase difficulties for Black and Brown communities.