Black Metropolis Sociology

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INTRODUCTION In addressing the question of whether the dream of the Black Metropolis extended to South Side communities in contemporary Chicago, we theorize that these neighborhoods within the metropolis remain on the decline due to the shift towards neoliberal policies. We compare two separate time periods to establish the trajectory of the dream. First, we examine the 1960s, which represented a social shift towards equality and integration that further divided the Metropolis. Second, we use data from the 2010 census to provide an understanding of the resources available to blacks on the South Side today, which confirm that the divide within the Black Metropolis still exists. …show more content…
Consequently, when ethnic whites left the area, they took majority of their neighborhood resources and political and economic influence with them. And many middle class blacks in Englewood also moved further south specifically to Chatham and Morgan Park: areas that would eventually become strong black middle class communities. As a result, the shopping district completely deteriorated, Chicago State University moved to Roseland and the closing of the Union Stockyards and other local factories shifted the spatial dynamics of Englewood leaving an emerging neighborhood in crisis. Additionally, the construction of the Dan Ryan expressway encouraged suburbanization while real estate values plummeted prompting stagnation of property taxes into the neighborhood making Englewood the archetype of urban …show more content…
More specifically, battling a hardship index of 94 is understandably difficult given the lack of employment opportunities, low performing schools and social resources available to community residents. The loss of the shopping district and blue collar work [stockyards] coupled with plummeting home values and depletion of stable property taxes places residents like Cornelius Brown in a precarious circumstance. There is little opportunity for him to find stable employment within his neighborhood due to the exit of the local industries that employed many Englewood residents. Also, if he is a part of the 29.4% of residents who lack even a high school diploma, his chances decrease even more. Cornelius would also live in an area that is inhospitable with little to no green space and limited grocery stores while competing for much needed resources amongst other residents who share his same socioeconomic position as an urban untouchable. Therefore, the dream for black Chicagoans like him exists as nightmares in an endless quest for the most basic necessities of life. Cornelius is now included as one of the many economically disadvantaged and socially out casted black Chicagoans who are accused of having social and cultural deficiencies instead of examining the neoliberal policies and governmental failures that
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