Racial Equality on the North Shore

Today is my mother's birthday, which means that I will  frantically attempt to balance my educational obligations, while trying to leave just enough time to celebrate with her. The past hour I have been attempting to start my homework, but find myself constantly spacing out, perhaps I'm feeling anxious because I have no idea what to say in her birthday letter.

 Putting my daily complications aside;  a few minutes ago, I watched a mini documentary recommended to me by my social studies teacher: Todd Maxman. The documentary speaks about the 'North Shore Summer Project', a program held in 1965. The NSSP sparked plenty of controversy within a time period, when white property buyers were still considered 'elite' when compared to black buyers.

You can check out the video here before I go into depth about it: http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2015/07/23/50-years-later-fair-housing-movement-north-shore-marches

During the documentary I was surprised that housing equality in the North Shore was still a problem in the 1960's. While the time period makes sense, as the hippies didn't take over till the late 60's, I was still confused when I heard this was an issue on the shore. You see, I've always imagined the North Shore being ahead of its time, perhaps in the past the North Shore did not have this infamy. Today, when an outsider travels into our community ( I live in the North shore) they quickly take notice of how modern we live. In the past our buildings were generally on par with the rest of middle class america. Decently sized mid century ranches dotted the landscape (except for Sheridan Road, a street reserved for only the most elite). Within the past forty years, Glencoe, Winnetka Kenilworth, Wilmette, and Northfield have evolved into modern, picturesque utopias. Though the size of our houses has significantly increased, our housing diversity has yet to follow. Generally, today we still live the same we have the same diversity makeup. in the 1960's Glencoe was home to the most Jews in the New Trier township, and remains as such to this day. However what really is surprising, is the fact that the population of blacks in the community has in fact decreased 50% since 1960.

Glencoe, IL (inc. 1869)
Year	Total (and by category)		Foreign Born	Native with foreign parentage	Males per 100 females
1900	1,020		—	—	—
1930	6,295		16.9%	27.0%	82
	5,975	White (94.9%)
	313	Negro (5.0%)
	7	Other (0.1%)
1960	10,472		6.8%	28.2%	88
	9,794	White (93.5%)
	655	Negro (6.3%)
	23	Other races (0.2%)
1990	8,499		7.1%	—	92
	8,000	White (94.1%)
	279	Black (3.3%)
	202	Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%)
	18	Other race (0.2%)
	77	Hispanic Origin* (0.9%)
2000	8,762		6.5%	—	95
	8,330	White alone (95.1%)
	176	Black or African American alone (2.0%)
	4	American Indian and Alaska Native alone (0.0%)
	147	Asian alone (1.7%)
	23	Some other race alone (0.3%)
	82	Two or more races (0.9%)
	108	Hispanic or Latino* (1.2%)

Chart stolen from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/518.html

There are many factors which can attribute towards such a significant drop in population of black americans in Glencoe,  however the big idea here is the growing wealth-income gap. Within the past few decades the poor have become less wealthy, while the wealthy have become ultra-wealthy. Now I'm not going to go on a rant about how the 1% are bad, or how the poor need to become wealthier, rather I am making a larger point that diversity is effected by income. In the 1960's people fought for a more diverse North Shore, and yet ironically,  in the case of Glenoce, they received a less diverse community. This brings up a bunch of questions: How did Glencoe, a diversified Jewish and Christian community become generically white? One would expect that after the North Shore Summer Project, the community would comply and gentrify. But it didn't. The most logical reason would have to be that the growing income-gap in America has effected diversity. As an adverse and unexpected effect of Glencoians become 'wealthier' they have in return started rejected improvised citizens, many of whom are black. The truth is blacks can no longer afford to live in Glencoe as they once did. They have pushed out as an indirect consequence of a society separated by income. 

Black Americans are not alone, others too feel their hardship. My own mother and father are Russian jews. Though they are not 'black', they still can relate to the harsh feelings others have given them, simply for being Russian jews. After facing discrimination allover the world, I still ponder how my parents survived in America, and made it to the prosperous northern suburbs of Chicago.  Their journey has been awesome and awe-inspiring to listen too. Now I know exactly what to write on my mom's letter, I will thank her for making it so far in life, even with the challenges she faced.