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Natalie Y. Moore,
The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation
, 2016.
South Side resident Natalie Y. Moore undertakes the effort of dispelling misconceptions about
Chicago’s South Side. Moore skillfully describes how despite policies of redlining and segregation,
Black Chicagoans have carved out a space for themselves in the city that is vibrant, magical, and
most importantly, home. Moore finds a way to both celebrate the unique ethnic enclaves of Chicago
while criticizing the problematic reality of segregation which leaves Blacks in poverty-stricken
neighborhoods. Moore’s background as a South Side-based journalist with a personal connection
to the neighborhood makes this a lively and interesting read.
Richard Rothstein,
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated
America
, 2017.
Richard Rothstein’s work shows how the United States government unconstitutionally denied the
rights and means of African Americans to integrate into middle-class neighborhoods over the
course of the mid-twentieth century. He determines the various factors that led to racial segregation
throughout the country, including discussion of public housing, zoning laws, white flight, and state-
sanctioned violence. Unlike most history-based books, his work concludes by laying out policy
proposals to end segregation which he considers a constitutional and moral obligation.
Recommended Reading
by
NATHAN ELLSTRAND
&
ANNA CLASPY
Images (left to right): Tonika Lewis Johnson,
Englewood Resident Nanette on Wade’s Edgewater porch
, 2017, digital photograph;
Tonika Lewis Johnson,
Edgewater resident Wade in front of Nanette’s Englewood home
, 2017, digital photograph