# Why are there no public pools in Columbus County, NC? ‘White Care' and infrastructure disinvestment in the South.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/due-south-6665725/why-are-there-no-public-pools-in-columbus-county-nc-white-care-and-infrastructure-disinvestment-in-the-south
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/due-south-6665725/why-are-there-no-public-pools-in-columbus-county-nc-white-care-and-infrastructure-disinvestment-in-the-south.md
Podcast: [Due South](https://stenobird.com/podcast/due-south-6665725)
Published: 2026-05-11T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_6066_ac69abd3-95d5-4cde-993a-a2364014cf1c&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wunc.org%2Fpodcast%2Fdue-south%2Frss.xml
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/dovetail.prxu.org/6066/ac69abd3-95d5-4cde-993a-a2364014cf1c/260511_D_BB.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/due-south-6665725/episodes/why-are-there-no-public-pools-in-columbus-county-nc-white-care-and-infrastructure-disinvestment-in-the-south
Duration seconds: 3026

## Resource

0:01:00 A conversation about new book ‘White Care: The Impact of Race on American Infrastructure’ “Infrastructure” is one of those public policy words that gets thrown around a lot — and for many of us, it doesn’t mean much beyond “roads and bridges.” But, as Cotten Seiler explains, infrastructure is about much more than concrete. It’s about the goods and services that support our communities. Seiler’s new book “White Care: The Impact of Race on American Infrastructure” explores how infrastructure was deliberately diminished over decades in the 20th century to keep certain groups from accessing it. Cotten Seiler , Professor of American Studies at Dickinson College and Resident Associate at the National Humanities Center in Durham 0:33:00 Public swimming pool access dried up in Columbus County, NC: a legacy of 'racism, rural decay, and lost opportunity.' Border Belt Independent reporter Ben Rappaport talks with Due South co-host Leoneda Inge about a story he reported in partnership with The Assembly called “The Abandoned Pools of Columbus County.” It’s a story of economics, rural decay and racism. ( This encore interview originally aired September 3, 2024.) Ben Rappaport, reporter, Border Belt Independent

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