Of Race And Place: Rememberances Of Hyde Park

In this new personal essay, I describe my memories of race and place in the neighborhood of Hyde Park in Chicago. You will find that Of Race and Place: Remembrances of Hyde Park gives the reader an evocative account of my personal experiences as a child and adult. What I have called the "racial war zone" that I believe existed in Hyde Park during the 1950's and 60's is dealt with powerfully and emotionally. My essay attempts to put in perspective the joy, pain and sorrow I felt while growing up in Hyde Park and while living here as an adult. It is at once historical and intensely personal in that I actually underwent racism's evil impact. I pull no punches when it comes to describing the crime and institutional racism and crime that I survived. In what I hope is a thoughtful and thought-provoking memoir, this essay vividly recounts my personal experience with the racism that cuts both ways among whites and blacks. I write about my personal experience with urban crime and urban renewal, with institutional racism, with house hunting, and with living in Chicago in the 21st century. The reader may find my style at once lyrical and contemporary. However, I pull no punches about what I witnessed. Instead, I write simply yet boldly of the events I experienced. For good or ill, they have shaped me as a child and as an adult. People have referred to Hyde Park as Chicago's next Lincoln Park-a place for rich hipsters and the mid- to upper-middle class. This is a designation of pride for many Hyde Parker's. Others declaim that current development is ruining Hyde Park and that the past was good enough for them. Many agree that the University of Chicago is largely responsible for Hyde Park's renaissance. But there remains no doubt that the demographics of the community are changing in terms of race, cultural diversity, gentrification, commercialization, and rising housing costs as more affluent whites-and blacks-move into the neighborhood. I take no position here on these issues. Instead, I focus on my feelings and thoughts, my reactions and reflections, regarding my own personal experience. As a native Chicagoan, I am obliged to say that I loved living in Hyde Park as a child and still love living in in this remarkable neighborhood as an adult. As this is a remembrance, please overlook the use of language that some may find offensive to today's readers. I believe that one must not revise history or language to give way to what is now deemed politically correct conventional thinking. Please forgive me if I cause offense. My intent is only to write meaningfully about my memories and thoughts about racism, "ism's" in general, and Hyde Park a special place.

• | Author: Frank Storey
• | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Jan 11, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 56 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1523209461
• | ISBN-13: 9781523209460