REHOBOTH BEACH — Don Peterson, chair of outreach for the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice, first learned about the underserved communities of Sussex County while living near the coast and discovering the historically Black community of West Rehoboth.

And, while helping Ellendale residents seek a central water system and clean water for more than 30 years, he saw firsthand how certain communities were suffering without the same necessities others have.

These experiences led Mr. Peterson to realize the need for greater awareness of underserved areas.

“What always struck me was how hard these people worked to bring in the kind of things that the rest of us take for granted,” he said.

To bring these issues to the forefront, SDARJ is hosting a virtual town hall meeting, titled “Underserved Communities,” on July 13 from 7-8:30 p.m.

The gathering will provide a way for the general public to learn about these neighborhoods, their history and some of the challenges that they face.

SDARJ has regular monthly meetings like this one, which aim to highlight the various ways systemic racism impacts society.

According to Jane Lord, a member of SDARJ, challenges to these communities include a lack of access to health care and attention to infrastructure, as well as fewer educational and job opportunities.

Many of these issues stem from racism and minimal Black voices in the county, Ms. Lord said. For example, gentrification — when poor areas are bought by wealthier people, leading to displacement of the original residents — has been a main factor in the disappearance of Black communities for decades.

“I believe that, for too long in this county, too many Black voices have not mattered, and there’s been kind of an ignoring of the needs of these communities,” Mr. Peterson said. “These are people who don’t have a lot of resources and yet have been able to keep communities alive and keep them growing.”

At the town hall meeting, Bruce Wright from First State Community Action Agency will introduce the Strong Communities Initiative to aid these underserved areas. Mr. Wright will be giving an overview of the more than 18 underserved communities in Sussex County.

Then, he will introduce three community leaders who will be speaking — Brenda Milbourne, Evelyn Wilson and Loretta Benson, who represent West Rehoboth, Coverdale and the New Hope/Old State Road area of Ellendale, respectively. These panelists will give the history of their neighborhoods and talk about the challenges they face and some of the accomplishments they have achieved.

The goal of the July 13 meeting is to educate the audience and let them hear the voices of these underserved residents but also to help remove some of the issues they face, Ms. Lord said.

“If there are problems that can or should be addressed by local or state government, I expect that the alliance will follow up to advocate for attention to these issues,” she said.

To register for the program, go here.

This article was produced with support of a grant from the Delaware Community Foundation. For more information, visit delcf.org/journalism.