Chicago Tribune series on racial segregation

In Chicago, America’s most segregated big city, published December 26, 2008, Tribune reporters Azam Ahmed and Darnell Little explore the long-standing segregation between African-Americans and whites in President Elect Obama’s hometown. The article takes a historical look at housing patterns dating back to the late 19th century when blacks were confined to certain geographic areas by law. The article explains that these patterns became institutionalized and persist despite the enactment of civil rights laws not only because of ongoing albeit less overt racism, but because both African-Americans and whites tend to move to neighborhoods where they have connections and for which they feel an affinity. In terms of access to good schools and other resources and property values, these patterns put African-Americans at a distinct economic and social disadvantage. Based on the Tribune’s analysis, 84 percent of the blacks or whites would have to change neighborhoods to true achieve integration. The article is the first in a three-part series.