As steel booms in Mississippi County, Arkansas, locals still struggle to get by

Billions are flowing into the steel industry in Mississippi County, Arkansas, but many residents are still wrestling with poverty and housing woes.

OSCEOLA, Ark. — The church was initially told to prepare for 20 people. But in the end nearly 100 show up, mostly Black men, to hear about the Arkansas steel mill offering six-figure jobs. As newcomers trickle in, a deacon goes in search of more folding chairs.

“When you get paid this amount, we just can’t give it to anybody,” says Robert Potter, a supervisor at Hybar, the local steel company hosting the event. He warns that the jobs can be hot and dirty. “We’re looking for the best people for the best job.”

Hybar needs 154 employees for its new mill opening next month — engineers, security guards, cafeteria workers — but many of those jobs were already filled before the church event, which was billed as a career readiness workshop.

Sterling Winston, a man in his late 30s and wearing a baseball cap, speaks up during the Q&A. He has already interviewed twice at the plant without getting hired, he tells the room.

“But I’m still here,” he says. “I ain't giving up.