What is the significance of modern day segregation and what does all of this data mean?
Perception of A-Rated Areas as White Neighborhoods, and D-rated Areas as Black Neighborhoods
When regarding the timeline on the "History" tab, it is apparent that even though several acts and laws were put into place to halt discrimination, people of color were still openly denied services and housing options. Several decades of redlining and racially-fueled housing choice refusals resulted in neighborhoods that would either be majority white or majority black, as white citizens were attempting to "preserve the “health, safety, morals, and general welfare” of the people" by segregating neighborhoods [10]. Black citizens were then forced to live in the areas in which the whites did not want to live, which were regions that were less developed industrially and did not have access to as many resources such as parks and green spaces [10]. Over the generations, these people have remained within the designated areas due to families remaining in the same space, lack of ability to move up the socioeconomic ladder in order to move to another area, and many other reasons including the idea that these neighborhoods have been segregated for so long and there is not much push to integrate them.
To review statistical data that shows the divides between segregated black and white neighborhoods and the correlation between black communities, lower income rates, and higher usages of Food Stamps versus white communities with higher income rates and lower Food Stamps usages, please visit the interactive website , Statistical Atlas [8] through the buttons located on the right. Select "Race and Ethnicity," "Income," "Food Stamps," and "Occupation" to review the data and visual maps to see the racial dividing lines and results of decades of financial oppression on non-white people. The data trends mostly display the segregation and financial oppression that many black communities still face today throughout the U.S. |
Reflections in Society
These segregated neighborhoods can also directly affect the opportunities and resources available to the residents. Because school districts are determined by neighborhoods, the segregation of these areas attributes to the segregation of schools [10]. If people living within these areas have also been oppressed and have lower incomes, schools and other government resources will not benefit from taxes as much as the dominantly white, more wealthy neighborhoods in the city will [10]. People who are impoverished also typically do not have enough money for personal transportation and must rely on public transportation or be forced to work in the nearby area. Because Indianapolis does not have a great reputation for their public transportation, people within these communities are mostly restricted to working near their home in areas of low economic opportunity. It is apparent that the centuries of oppression that have followed the black community throughout time have persisted to the present day, limiting their freedom and right to move to and live in whatever neighborhood or area that they wish.
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Image:
“Protest at Riverside Amusement Park.” Historic Indianapolis, Indiana Historical Society , historicindianapolis.com/in-the-park-riverside-amusement-park/.
“Protest at Riverside Amusement Park.” Historic Indianapolis, Indiana Historical Society , historicindianapolis.com/in-the-park-riverside-amusement-park/.