PR O G R A.M OF THECHI CAG0F REE D 0M OVEMEN T - July, 1966 - Introduction - The Problems of Racism, Ghettoes, and Slums

Oct 16, 2026

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July, 1966 introduces the Chicago Freedom Movement program by detailing how racism, segregation, and entrenched poverty shape everyday life for Black residents. It describes Chicago as a divided, segregated city across employment, education, housing, and community organization, confining many people to overcrowded ghettoes and crime-infested slums. The text links second-class status to inferior jobs, substandard housing, inadequate schools, and frequent police brutality, noting that even without explicit laws, institutional practices reproduce inequality across generations and limit change.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Problems of Racism, Ghettoes, and Slums

Program of the Chicago Freedom Movement

PR O G R A.M OF THECHI CAG0F REE D 0M OVEMEN T July,1966 Introduction;The Problems of Racism,Ghettoes,and Slumg Racism,slums and ghettoes have been the essentials of Negro existence inChicago。While the city permitted its earlier ethnic groups to enter themainstream of American 1ife,It has locked the Negro into the lower rungsof the social and economic ladder.The Negro in Chicago has been system-atically excluded from the major rewards of American 11fe;he is restrictedin the jobs he may hold,the schools he may attend,and the places wherehe may live。In the year 1966 the Negro is as far behind the white as hewas in the year 1940。 Chicago today is a divtded city~-segregated in all areas of social and eco-nomic activity,in employment,in education,in housing and in commtnityorganization。The Negro community is sectioned off from the larger metro-polis into areas of the city that have been set aside for black ghettoes。Within these confines the Negro community is regulated from the outsidelike a colony--its potential economic resources underdeveloped,its morethan one million inhabitants,the daily victims of personal rebuffs,insultsand acts of prejudice,and its poorer citizens at the mercy of police,wel-fare workers,and minor government officials. Racism in the large Northern cities has not featured 1ynchings,denial ofthe vote,or other clear injustices that could easily be removed as is thecase in the South。Yet,racism in Chicago has been a stark reality,visiblein many dimensions。It is reflected in the existence of the massive over-crowded ghetto that grows each year。It is reflected in the crime-infestedslums where the 1iving standards of the Negro poor often do not cover thebare necessities of urban living。It is reflected in the exploitation ofNegroes by the dominant white society in higher rents and prices,lowezwages and poorer schools. Under the system of northern racism the Negro receives inferior and second-class status in every area of urban 1iving.The Negro is concentrated inthe low-paying and second-rate jobs。In housing,proportionately more Negroeslive in substandard or deteriorating dwe1lings。In education,Negro schoolshave more inexperienced teachers,fewer classrooms,and less expendituresper pupil。In the maintenance of law and order Negroes are frequently thevictims of police brutality and of stop and search methods of crime detection. July,1966 A11 Negroes in Chicago are confined to the ghetto and suffer second classtreatment regardless of their social or economic status。But the worst offare the Negro poor,locked into the slm which is the most deprived part ofthe ghetto。The forty(40)per cent of the Negro population who make up ablack urban peasantry in the slms are the hardest hit victims of discrimi-nation and segregation。Their incomes often have to be supplemented by we1-fare payments dispensed under procedures that are ugly and paternalistic.They are frequentiy unemployed.They are forced to 11ve in rat infestedbuildings or in the Chicago Housing Authority's cement reservations。Theirchildren are all but ignored by the school system。 In short they have beenfrozen out of American society by both race and poverty. The subjugation of Negroes in Chicago has not been the result of long-es-tablished legal codes or customs,like those that existed in the South.Although Chicago has not for a century had any segregation laws or discri-mination ordinances,the subordination of Negroes in the North has beenalmost as effective as if there had been such laws.Northern segregationresulting from policles,in particular the decision-making procedures,ofthe major economic and socia1 institutions。The employment policies ofbusiness firms and government,and practices of realtors,and the operationof the Chicago School System have al1 reinforced one another to keep theNegroes separate and umequal.The system of racial separation resultingfrom their interaction have become so strongly imbedded in the city¹s lifethat present racial pa

FAQs

How does the document describe racism in Chicago in 1966?

Racism is described as a stark reality expressed through segregated city structures, overcrowded ghettos, and exploitative economic conditions.

Which areas of life does the text say segregation affects?

It states that segregation shapes employment, education, housing, and community organization, keeping Black residents in lower-rung conditions.

What does the document say about the causes of racial separation if there are no segregation laws?

It argues that institutional decisions—policies of economic and social organizations, employment practices, realtors, and school operations—function similarly to formal laws and remain effective over decades.

Oct 16, 2026

Uploaded by Kurz