An article I saw recently from the New York Times, "Michigan Town Makes Amends for Discrimination", reminded me of many things that we have been recently discussing in class. In Hamtramck, Michigan in the 1950s and 60s, "black areas" in the town were obliterated through urban renewal projects and hundreds of African American families were displaced from their homes - just for being on the wrong side of the color line. While a federal judge found the town guilty of this racial discrimination in 1971 and ordered Hamtramck to build new houses for the families, the town did not follow through. Many of the families had to live with relatives and friends, and the effects on some children such as now 60 year old Sallie Sanders were so devastating that Sallie "has trouble recounting the ordeal without breaking into tears". Imagine having to leave your house or the place you've grown up in as a young child without knowing why, or knowing that because of the color of you and your family, you can't live in a certain area.
However, brought on by the recent economic down turn, reparations are now being made to the people discriminated against, in the form of providing new, affordable housing (paid for by local and state money) to families previously displaced, or their remaining living family. Ms. Sanders was able to move into a new home, and not only that, the town of Hamtramck has been experiencing many positive changes. The once segregated town is now home to many immigrants from countries such as Bangladesh, Yemen, Albania, and Lebanon.
This article brings to light some of the discussions we had in class regarding when reparations are necessary and also about the "invisible" aspects of how certain towns are constructed. Mr. Bolos's example in class was of the man whose occupation was sometime of repair work and who couldn't live in his neighborhood because laws prevented him from having his large "repairman" truck sit outside without getting fined everyday. In reality, these laws allowed for people with only certain jobs or possibly of a certain social class to live in the neighborhood. In the case mentioned above, the town went about constructing a white, homogenous neighborhood by heading it under the category of urban renewal projects, or land redevelopment programs. Their actions were clearly racist and clearly wrong, and while they are redeeming themselves now, is the town's actions enough? What other ways do you see towns and villages constructing certain types of societies by enforcing laws and both directly and indirectly discriminating against certain groups of people?
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