Reading, Writing, ’Rithmetic, and Realtors: The Correlation Between Segregated Neighborhoods and Schools

By: Kyle Sondgeroth

Reflective Paper

AHTC Summer Institute 2010

Amid the myriad of unforgettable speakers, historians, and civil rights activists to speak at this week’s institute, one could not help asking: How did America end up in this sad state during the middle of the twentieth century? How could a country, baptized in liberty, deny some of its own citizens the right to vote? How could a justice system, built upon a protective Bill of Rights, sit idly by and allow some citizens to be robbed of equality? And how could one of the best educational systems in the world openly segregate and discriminate against the very students that it was supposed to be helping? These questions are certainly not easy ones to answer. In many ways, we are still struggling to answer them today. Perhaps, as a teacher, the education question resonates more closely to me. Upon hearing Urbana superintendent Dr. Preston Williams speak, it appears clear that the issue of segregated classrooms runs deeper than merely the walls of a school. When answering the question of how American schools were segregated until the late 1960’s, one needs only to look at American neighborhoods during this time period. School segregation was simply a byproduct of a much larger issue: neighborhood segregation and the practices of the real estate industry.

In his breakout session discussion, Dr. Williams spoke to the fact that schools in Champaign-Urbana were separated in the mid-twentieth century by de facto segregation. Unlike many Southern states, which had explicit Jim Crow laws on the books, many Northern states segregated in a much more discreet manner. Paraphrasing Dr. Williams, he stated that the white kids went to the school in their neighborhood (obviously with other white kids) and the African-American children went to school in their neighborhood (again with other African-American children). What this led to, of course is de facto segregation. Inevitably white children were kept separate from African-American children, white teachers were kept separate from their African-American colleagues, and white administrators were certainly separate from African-American administrators. As can be logically concluded, these schools were far from equal. Buildings, supplies, teacher materials, and even graduation rates were strikingly dissimilar. Dr. Williams stated that in Urbana, where all children “desegregated” once they went to high school (due to the fact that there was only one high school) African-American students had a 93% dropout rate in the middle of the twentieth century!

As Dr. Williams gave these staggering statistics, I began to ask myself how “Northern” cities such as Urbana or Champaign could allow their schools to be treated with such inequality. The first instinct is to point the finger of blame at the school boards. Upon further inspection, however, neither school board had any kind of segregated policy on their books. Both Unit 4 and District 116 were not overtly trying to keep the schools separate. So who was to blame for these unequal schools? The answer lies in taking a look at which neighborhoods these schools were located in and how the residents of these areas ended up there. In short, the answer to uncovering the root of segregated schools in Champaign-Urbana leads to the uncovering of segregated real estate practices at the time.

I chose to analyze two Urbana Daily Courier articles. Both articles center around the real estate practices occurring in the mid-twentieth century here in Champaign-Urbana. The first article, titled “House for Sale, But Not to Negro” explains the trials and tribulations one young, educated, African-American couple went through in trying to buy a house in a “white” neighborhood. Robert Lahey wrote it on September 23, 1963. The second article entitled “Rally Calls For Further Picketing” describes a demonstration at the Champaign County Board of Realtors by African-American Civil Rights protestors. James Pecora wrote it on May 21, 1964. Both articles are meant to be news broadcasts and appear to be written as informative and not persuasive pieces.

In the 1960s African-Americans in both Champaign and Urbana began pushing for an Open Housing Act in the twin cities. For years, realtors had practiced unfair selling tactics when it came to dealing with African-Americans. The price of a home in a “white” neighborhood would instantly double when an African-American was interested in buying it. The sale of a home would suddenly go “pending” if people of the wrong race were looking at it. Perhaps worse of all, many realtors would either ignore African-Americans interested in buying homes in the “white” parts of town or steer them to the “black” part of town. In the 1963 Urbana Daily Courier article entitled “House for Sale, But Not to Negro” one African-American man recounts looking at a home in a white neighborhood:

“ ‘When we entered the model home’ he related, ‘there was one other prospective customer and about four salesmen. They all left the room, without even saying hello...At another subdivision, they had model homes on both sides of the street. We couldn’t even get on the same side with the salesmen.” (Courier, September. 23, 1963)

This account was a common occurrence for African-Americans wanting to buy a home in white neighborhoods during the mid-twentieth century.

What is not stated here is the consequence that segregating neighborhoods had on segregating schools. The schools were ultimately segregated because African-Americans were given a cold shoulder when trying to move into “white” neighborhoods. The unseemly practices by real estate agents forced African-Americans to stay in one part of town and attend the segregated (and often times inferior) school in that part of town. The article goes on to state:

“Finally the man and his wife were told that if they were interested in a home, the salesman would meet with them and the subdivider to discuss the matter in the company’s private office. ‘Meanwhile, he suggested we look at some homes that are being built in a subdivision on the North End.” (Courier, September 23, 1963)

The North End of Champaign-Urbana was a primarily African-American part of town in the 1960s. The article suggests that the realtor will only meet in private with the couple, and is already trying to steer them out of the “white” part of town and ultimately keep their children out of the “white” schools in that part of town.

A second article from the Urbana Daily Courier supports the frustration at African-Americans not being able to find suitable housing in better parts of the twin cities. The article entitled “Rally Calls For Further Picketing” describes demonstrations held outside the Champaign County Board of Realtors in May, 1964. The Reverend Blaine Ramsey, vice president of the Illinois NAACP and head of the housing committee of the Champaign-Urbana Improvement Association asserted:

“‘We are tired-tired of academic answers to the problems of segregation.’ Some of the reasons Mr. Ramsey listed as causes of the demonstration were....‘All men should be able to live where they want, work where they want, and send their children to good schools.” (Courier, May 21, 1964)

Perhaps the most interesting part of this article is that the picketing was not occurring in front of school administrator offices or at a school board meeting. The picketing was taking place outside the Board of Realtors office! Reverend Ramsey understands that with increased opportunities to buy houses in better neighborhoods, African-Americans will also enjoy better schools as well.

The article later quotes:

“ Reverend J. E. Graves said ‘Champaign-Urbana is one of the most segregated cities he has ever seen. We have those railroad tracks here to clearly mark off for us the boundaries of our ghetto....That’s why we’re picketing-we have to let the rest of the people and God know that we’re here.” After describing Washington School as an institution which sets the pattern that leads to the Negro’s complacent attitude, the Rev. Mr. Ramsey said that it might be a good idea to go over to the west side and pitch a tent. ‘Maybe the air over there is better’ he said. (Courier, May 21, 1964)

Whether or not the air is better on the west side is obviously a joke. What is not a joke, however, is the fact that the schools likely were better in the “white” parts of Champaign-Urbana at the time. Reverend Graves is quoted as saying that the boundaries are clearly defined for the African-American population. If the boundaries were that clear, one can only imagine the difficulty in trying to buy a house outside of those boundaries. Reverend Ramsey goes on to further explain that the schools located within those boundaries (i.e. Washington School) were setting a pattern of inferiority and inadequacy by segregating African-American students. Schools such as Washington, in a traditionally African-American part of town, perpetuated an idea of separation for their students. Reverend Ramsey contends that these schools segregate African-Americans early in life, thus making it more difficult for them in their later years. The article concludes by saying:

“In referring to Washington School, the Rev. Mr. Ramsey said the habits of the children are established there and that later in the high schools the Negro youngsters continue to associate with their own groups.” (Courier, May 21, 1964)

This quote correlates with exactly what Dr. Williams was stating in his breakout session this week. 93% of African-American teenagers were dropping out of high school in Urbana in the 1960s! That is an unfortunate consequence of African-American students feeling separate and inferior to their white counterparts at an early age. The segregation in the elementary schools, however, is a direct result of African-Americans being confined real estate “ghettos” as Reverend Graves referred to them. Unable to move into “white” neighborhoods kept African-Americans out of “white” schools and led to a de facto segregated educational system in Champaign-Urbana.

I would use the articles from this paper in my classroom as links between the past and present. While the newspaper dates may be from the 1960s, the topics of segregated housing and de facto segregated schools are still very real today. The Champaign School District had to enter into a Federal Consent Decree 10 years ago, which created a school choice program, to shake off the segregation stigma. While realtors may not practice overt discrimination anymore, segregated neighborhoods and schools still do exist. One need only drive through the parts of town that Reverend Graves described 40 years ago to see existing evidence of these neighborhood boundaries. Asking students to read these articles from the 1960s and then make connections to the neighborhood that they live in today would be a remarkable bond. Delving further into that, it would be interesting to look at the demographics of both a neighborhood and a particular school (such as Washington) in the 1960s and today’s current demographics. Odds are that the neighborhood has changed in that time and, even more significant, the demographics of the school have changed with it. Which should leave students to uncover that if a city is segregated by neighborhoods, its schools in that city are going to reflect that segregation.