Black Families Are Struggling to Keep the Lights on in Memphis
Many have been going through drastic measures to minimize their utility bills
When Sepia Coleman’s utilities were disconnected, she didn’t tell anyone. Coleman, a health care worker, had been out of work for six months after a hysterectomy, and she couldn’t afford to pay the utility bill. Even though it was winter, it wasn’t too cold in Memphis, where she lives. She thought she would be okay.
Now, Coleman, 48, is employed again, working as a home-care worker from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and overnight as a certified nursing assistant from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Coleman’s income from her day job pays for her car insurance, and she uses the $1,600 or so a month from her overnight job to pay for everything else, including rent, utilities, car payments, and helping her mother, who has health issues, with her own utility bills. For many in Memphis, including Coleman and her mother, keeping the lights on and homes heated is a burden.
The city was found to have the highest energy-bill-to-income ratio among large U.S. cities in a 2016 report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). In the surveyed cities, the median energy burden was 3.5% of household income. In Memphis, it was almost double, with median utilities costing…
