RunningHead:ChicagoisNotEqual

WhyRacialEqualityinChicagoisNotEqual
EmilyE.Pearson
HonorsEnglish11.Mrs.Kwiatkowski.2nd

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Abstract
InthisessaythereasonsbehindwhyracialequalityisChicagohasneverexisted
inthepastorpresent.RaceandmurdercorrelationsareanalyzedtorevealinChicago
murdersaremorelikelytobeblack.TheChicagoPoliceDepartmentnowisaccidentally
racistnowthatbeingracistisfrowneduponbysociety,orsocietypretendstofrownupon
it.Eitherway,sincethe1950sracismhasbeenanevidentprobleminChicago,it
showsintheirhousingsituationstoo.Intheplay
ARaisinintheSun
thefamilywanting
tomoveintoawhiteneighborhoodbringsobstaclesandintodayssocietyisstillnot
toleratedwith100%acceptance.Racialequalityhasnotimproveddrasticallyin
Chicago.

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Intheplay
ARaisinintheSun,
theYoungersanAfricanAmericanfamilywho
livedontheSouthsideofChicagointhe1950s,aredifferentfromotherfamilies.They
haveseveralpeoplelivingtogetherinonesmallapartment,andafterthedeathofa
husbandandgrandfather,a$10,000checkarrivesinthemail.Thefamilyplanson
usingthismoneytoputadownpaymentonanactualhouseinawhiteneighborhood,
butthewhitefamilieswishtobuythemoutkeepingtheirneighborhooduntainted.This
typeofbluntracismwouldgetyousuedintodaysworld.Inthistimeframe,the
Youngersdontevenconsidersuing.Althoughtheirprideishurt,theyproudlydeclare
theydonotwantthatmoney.RacismhasimprovedinChicago,andovertheentire
nation,butitstillisnotperfect.Raceandmurderstatisticsgiveblacksabadreputation
inChicagoandthelawenforcementisracistinmanywaysalso.Eventhoughgreat
strideshavebeenmadetoimproveracisminChicago,wehaventmadeleapsand
boundsintherightdirection.
MURDERSINCHICAGO
RacismisstillextremelyevidentinChicagoandotherplaces.Oneexampleof
thistheChicagoMurderrate,accordingtorace.Thispiechartshowshowthecrimerate
forblacksmadeup75%ofallmurdersinChicagoin2009.WhileHispanicscamein
secondat21.8%andwhites
lastlymakesup2.8%.Thiswas
adirectexampleofracism.Itis
adirectcorrelationofblacks
beingthebiggestmurderersin
Chicago.Thatstatement
soundsveryracist,butthe

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numbersdonotlie.Thisshowshowblacksandwhitescontinuetodistinguish
themselvesindifferentways.Thecolorofyourskinshouldntmakeyoumorelikelyto
beakiller,butunfortunatelyincitieslikeChicagothisisafactor.
LAWENFORCEMENT
WhenaChicagopersonwasaskedhowracismisstillevidenttheysaid
Iwas
bornandraisedhereinChicagoandIstillliveheretoday.Ihavedevelopedalove/hate
relationshipwithmycity.Letmesaythis...BeingblackinChicagoisacrimeinitself!
CPDiscompletelyunfair,hostile,andracist!Thisshowsthatracismisclearlystill
evident,atleasttosomeblacksbecausehesaystheChicagoPolicethemselvesare
racist.Anotherblackpersonboldlystates,Drivingwhileblackisahugeproblemin
ChicagoandSuburbs.Ihavepersonallyhadpoliceofficersfromtheneighboringsuburb
followmyfamilyhomeorfollowmebecauseofthecarIwasdriving.Theseinstancesof
racismaredisplayedthroughtheChicagoPoliceDepartment,maybetheyrejustextra
cautiousbecauseblacksdocauseamajorityofcrimesandmurdersinthecity,butdoes
thisgivethemtherighttoquestioneveryblackpersontheysee?Insocietyweoften
mentallylinkblackpeopletosaggypantsandcrime.Itisthesethoughtsthatpreventnot
onlyChicago,butthewholenationfromgettingoverracismbetweenwhitesandblacks.
Inthemoviebasedofftheplay
ARaisinintheSun,
thereisascenewhereMr.
Younger,awhiteman'schauffeur,isparkednexttohisblackfriendonthestreet.His
friendgetsaticket,butMr.Youngerwhoisalsoparkedwhereheshouldntbeisjust
sentaway.ThisisanotherexampleofracismwiththeChicagolawenforcement,even
inthe1950s.ThissceneinthemovieandthefeelingsoftwoblackChicagocitizens

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showsthatracismhasnotimproved.Peoplewhetherunintentionallyorpurposefully
racistitshowsinthestreetsofChicago.

BLACKVSWHITERESIDENTIALAREAS

Intheplay
ARaisinintheSun
,aMr.LindercomestotheYoungerfamilytodiscussthe
paymentforthemnottomoveintothewhiteneighborhood.Asmentionedearlier,this
wouldcreatelawsuitsintodaysworld,butforthe1950s,itwasahittotheirpride.InAct
2Scene3,Mr.LindermakesthecommentWellIdontknowwhyyoupeopleare
reactingthisway.Whatdoyouthinkyouaregoingtogainbymovingintoa
neighborhoodwhereyoujustarentwantedandwheresomeelementswellpeoplecan
getawfulworkedupwhentheyfeelthattheirwholewayoflifeandeverythingtheyve
everworkedforisthreatened.Beingawhitepersonhecantunderstandwhytheyare
workedupaboutbeingunwantedinthisneighborhood,heisassumingthatbecausethe
whitesdontwantthemthattheydontwanttolivebythemeither.Thisisextremelyone
sidedofMr.Linderandtheotherwhitefamiliesheisrepresentinginthisplay,tothink
that.TheendofMr.Lindersstatementthatpeoplecangetworkedupwhentheyfeel
theirwholewayoflifeisthreatened,isironyinitspurestform.Itisironicbecausethatis
exactlyhowtheYoungers,especiallyMr.Younger,feelsintheirpovertyandrace.They
feelthreatenedbecausetheyfinallyfindahousetheycanafford,butbecauseitisina
whiteneighborhoodtheyareunwanted.
InChicagosNorthLawndaleneighborhood9outofevery10residentsisblack.
IsthisconsideredoneofChicagosblackneighborhoods.In2016racistslanglikethe
phraseblackneighborhoodshouldbeunheardofandshouldbenonoccurringin
todaysmulticulturalworld,butunfortunatelyinChicago,thenation,andthewholeworld

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areracist.Eventhoughmanypeoplewouldliketosaytheyarentracist,humansare
imperfectandracismisevidentinsomanyways.InChicagosNorthLawndale
neighborhood43%ofcitizensliveinpovertyandconsequentlythehomiciderateisup3
timeshigherthaninotherareasinthecity.Thisblackneighborhoodhasareputation
forbeinginhabitedbymainlyblacksandthenthesefrighteningstatisticsmakeblack
peopleseempoor,desperate,andscary.Itsracisttothinkthat,butthestatisticsare
shoutingtakecautionwithblackpeopleoratleasttheonesfromthisarea.Thisisan
exampleofhowwhiteneighborhoodsandblackneighborhoodsarestillthrivingin
todaysworldjustliketheywereinthe1950s.

DISCUSSION
Overall,racialequalityinChicagohasnotchangedsincethe1950s.Small
detailshavechanged,butingeneralallthefeelingsofblackandwhitesbeingdifferent
arestilllivingintodayssociety.Asawhole,thecityprobablydoesnotconsider
themselvestoberacist,butthestatisticswildlysupportracism.Consequently,whena
murderiscommittedinChicagoitismostlikelytobeablackperson,evenafterthat
anotherminorityheavilyoutweighsitbeingawhiteperson.WhenitcomestoChicagos
lawenforcement,itshouldberacismfreeandexamplesofequalityshouldbeshown
throughthesemenandwomeninuniform,butitisnt.InARaisinintheSun,itwasthe
parkingticketgiventoablackman'scarv.awhiteman's.Intodaysworld,black
citizensinChicagohavefelttargetedbytheChicagoPoliceDepartmentfortheirrace.
RacismalsoshinesonChicagosstreetswiththepresenceofblackandwhite
neighborhoods,in2016justasitdidinthe1950s.RacisminChicagoisnotimproving

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likeitneedsto,thefactthat1950scitizensarebattlingthesameproblempeopleface
nowisasadreality.Historyistaughtinschoolssoitisntrepeated,butracismisa
repeatedactionineverytimeera.Therefore,racismwillcontinuetofesterinChicago
untilthecityisgone.

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References

Hansberry,L.(1959).Araisininthesun:Adramainthreeacts.NewYork:Random
House.

Illinois.(n.d.).RetrievedFebruary03,2016,from
http://www.thetoptens.com/mostracistsstatesus/illinois634712.asp

Petrie,D.(Director).(1961).ARaisininthesun[MotionpictureonDVD].NewYork,NY:
TimeLifeVideo.

Swerdlow,S.(2014,May27).HowsegregatedisChicago,anddoesitmatter?
Chicago.RetrievedFebruary03,2016,from
http://chicago.suntimes.com/chicagopolitics/7/71/165325/howsegregatedischicagoan
ddoesitmatter

Wallace,H.(2011).TheColorofCrime:Chicago(2009).Retrieved
February03,2016,from
http://www.occidentaldissent.com/2011/06/15/thecolorofcrimechicago/

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