Projects

I grew up in central Illinois in the 40's and 50's and Chicago was always in the news. At that time many Blacks from the south were moving to Chicago to work. There were manufacturing plants like steel mills and jobs for public employees. They came with high hopes but were funneled into the south side because the city was segregated. In time these areas became slums and the high hopes faded. Along came urban renewal and high hopes. After building what became known as the projects consisting of affordable housing in newly enhanced neighborhoods things seem to be on the up swing. Hundreds of huge housing units some in small buildings and many in high rise were built where the slums used to be. By the turn of the century these projects had turned into drug invested slums and they were demolished. They were replaced with new mixed race housing but the cost was so high that most poor Blacks could not afford to live there. I always thought of the projects as the modern day equivalent of the reservation. This is only one of the ways that government has attempted to help Blacks but the root problem comes down to education and that is where the biggest failure lies.