By Alan Mallach, Shelterforce
“The old, oft-repeated story of the decline of America’s older cities from the 60s and 70s goes something like this: the whites left, and the cities and their neighborhoods fell apart. Like most conventional stories, it’s not entirely wrong, but it leaves out a big part. Yes, millions of white families left. And some neighborhoods fell apart. And many cities lost economic ground. But, at the same time, it opened up an opportunity for thousands of middle-class and working-class Black families, most of whom had been restricted to racially-segregated neighborhoods up to that point. Subsequently, large numbers moved into neighborhoods that white families were leaving and made them their own, buying homes and building strong communities…”
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