This week on residential segregation was still surprising to me.
There is a song by Eminem that talks about being born on the wrong side
of 8 Mile in Detroit. I always loved that song, but didn't really
believe it too be that extreme. Watching the videos, especially the one
about "Crossing a St. Louis street divides communities, separated by
one street (just like 8 Mile in Detroit), was an eye opener. To look
from one side of the street over to the next and see the huge
difference. The types of housing from absolutely beautiful to
devastation is just tragic. To know how little chance you have to get
out of the lower side must be scary, lonesome, and hopeless. As a
mother I kept thinking, if I had to raise a child in the "bad, poor"
side, how I would feel.
I saw a pattern from the "good" towns to the "bad" ones. It seems
to be where their is more white, the neighborhoods were better,
prettier, and more relaxing. On the other side I looked up Yuma,
Arizona and saw a huge flip from good town to bad. Yuma has as many
Hispanics as almost all my "good" towns. The opposite was true of
African Americans. Funny thing is I still would want to live in a more
50/50 town. I was fortunate where i grew up. I didn't even know
anything different between blacks and whites. I loved that and still
do.
Although I am not a parent, I think your idea of how hopeless people can feel when raising a family in a lower SES community is spot on. I personally have seen people feel the impact of residential segregation. I have known people that used the section 8 housing program. I have seen this program start the cycle of the ongoing consequences of residential segregation. The majority of these families only have the option to live in lower economic communities, which can affect the children’s education, the family’s safety, and the continuance of segregation. I grew up in a very diverse community but it was a community of struggle and hardship. The safety, education, and opportunities available were not even comparable to a community of a higher SES. This issue starts with the gatekeepers who hold either position based power or status based power. Discrimination from landlords, the government, banks, and communities all contribute to residential segregation which in turn the dominant group maintains its power.
ReplyDeleteI believe the research results from our Top Places and Worse Places to Live to be indicative of how racial residential segregation is still active in America. First off, the majority of the "best" places on our Top Places to Live list are predominately white. In fact the cities on top 100 list appear to be cities that have a dominant white demographic, often well over 50%. The opposite, appears to be the same with the cities listed on the worst cities. One exception to this is Pasadena, CA, where whites make up 38% of the population, Hispanic/Latino's make up 32% and Asians This may be an example of the "Latinization" of America. What stood out the most for me in this project, is that the cities on our "best" list either have, or are in close distance to universities. It appears that there is more opportunity, and access to an education in these cities. This puts non-whites at a disadvantage. The practice of redlining and the use of restrictive convents may no longer be considered legal, but I have never even considered the concept of racial steering and how it shapes the demographic landscape and perpetuates racial residential segregation. I feel embarrassed to say, but I also have never even considered that landowners, landlords, and lenders to be the "gatekeepers" of obtaining housing equality.
ReplyDeleteA week or so ago I was in downtown Cincinnati to attend a conference for work. Arriving in the evening I was struck my the contrast of high end real estate development, mostly high end stores, nice hotels, and restaurants. All of these establishments now being run by individuals (most of which are non-white). This working class can no longer afford in these class. early morning, there is a stark contrast between the polished white males in business suits heading to work, and non-whites, taking public transportation to service them; racial segregation masked behind the veil of the "progress" of gentrification.
ReplyDeleteHere are two links to recent articles about the the gentrification "progress" in downtown Cincinnati:
http://www.urbancincy.com/2013/12/gentrification-occurring-in-more-cincinnati-neighborhoods-than-just-those-in-center-city/
http://citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-29516-redeveloping_issues.html
I always remembered how, in my hometown, the areas that had the most rundown and cheapest housing usually had the most minorities living there. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a family and children and, because of the way society has been built to work against you from day one, to be forced into such unequal living conditions. The fact that neighborhoods are considered “better” or “worse” depending on how many white people live there is just proof of how discrimination snowballs in every part of life; from schooling, job opportunities, and wages, to wealth, inheritance, and residential segregation. Everything just adds up together to make life so much harder for non-whites and any other people that don’t conform to the non-dominant group in society.
ReplyDelete