The narrative of civil rights issues in the 60s puts major blame on the South. Regarding things like Jim Crow laws, segregation laws and other legal practices at the time. The narrative that is usually misinterpreted was the Northern cities role in segregation and anti-segregation movements. In Theoharris’ article he points out the fact that it is the southern cities that market the civil rights movement today, and asks the question of why that isn’t the same in cities like New York, Boston and Detroit. Theoharris points out the fact that the racial injustices are heavily pointed regionally at the south rather than a nationwide problem. But what isn’t talked about enough was the Northern cities that created an economic and education gap between whites and persons of color at the time. This is known as de facto segregation, which is social and economic factors, such as residential patterns and discriminatory practices like redlining. These practices caused for less funding of areas that were occupied by persons of color at the time, ultimately creating ghettos (The term “ghetto” originally referred to a specific area where a minority group was forced to live, often due to social, economic, or legal pressures). The HOLC created ratings of neighborhoods to encourage bank loans and developmental areas for real estate, areas with 5 or more percent black citizens were rated a C or D on an A-D scale disencouraging funds and developments in those areas. Which forced people of color to attend less funded schools with poor resources for a good education. White liberals of the north used coded language as excuses for their actions to make them seem fair and justified. Examples of this are phrases such as Law and Order, quality education and Desegregation with Care. The phrase law and order came from white liberals expressing discomfort with civil rights activism, particularly during protests or demonstrations in urban areas. it was frequently used in ways that implied opposition to the tactics of racial justice movements. Quality education was an excuse used to keep segregation in schools. Concerned with maintaining high standards of education there was often an underlying fear that their own children’s educational experiences would be diluted or disrupted by the inclusion of Black students. Desegregation with care, suggested that racial equality should come slowly and cautiously. The reasoning for this was that a gradual approach was often a way of avoiding the difficult, immediate changes that would directly challenge their own positions.
I knew that there was segregation in the North during the civil rights movement, but I was never fully aware of the extent and the lasting impacts that it caused. I don’t think that this part of history is talked about enough in schools and I had little knowledge previous to reading this article. I was surprised by this, because of the way history is taught with the north being portrayed as innocent during the civil war with their efforts to end slavery, I was under the impression they wanted things to be more equal than they really were.