These thoughts were written by Ethan, one of our 2020 summer interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.
One of the longest-lasting impacts of the Jim Crow era was discrimination in housing. Where people live has a significant impact on what jobs and resources they have access to. By segregating people of color into specific areas, those in power were effectively able to keep them down, eliminating any chance of socioeconomic mobility. St. Louis City and County implemented numerous discriminatory policies, and as old ones were repealed, new ones were put in place. The impact of these policies can be seen to this day.
The first major legal step that the City of St. Louis took to discriminate against its residents was a racial zoning ordinance. Passed in 1916, the ordinance forbade anyone from moving onto a block where 75 percent or more of the residents were of a different race. This meant that if you were black, you could not move into a neighborhood that was predominantly white and vice versa. While the ordinance was devastating, and showed the true intentions of St. Louis voters, it was short lived. The Supreme Court case Buchanan v. Warley struck down a similar ordinance in Louisville, Kentucky in 1917, citing the 14th Amendment in their decision.
Where the city failed, the private sector stepped in. Landlords and real estate agencies began putting covenants into the deeds of properties that stated that the properties were only to be lived in by white people. In addition, the establishment of the Federal Housing Authority in 1934 led to the practice of redlining. The Federal Housing Authority, or FHA, was created during the Great Depression in order to back loans on houses. The FHA requested that cities survey neighborhoods and determine where the safest and riskiest investments were. The majority minority neighborhoods in St. Louis were often marked as the riskiest places to invest, meaning that it would be nearly impossible for anyone hoping to move to one of these neighborhoods to get financial assistance from a bank. Both of these practices meant that African-Americans in St. Louis were unable to move to neighborhoods with more opportunity for jobs and education. In fact, until schools were integrated in 1956, the only accredited high school for African-Americans in St. Louis County was Douglas High School in North Webster Groves. Eventually, these practices were outlawed. In 1945, the Shelley family purchased a house just north of Downtown St. Louis. The deed to their house stated “people of the negro or mongolian race” could not live there, and Louis Kraemer, who lived close by, sued, saying the Shelleys couldn’t live there. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed with Kraemer, but the Shelleys appealed up to the US Supreme Court, who stated that deed covenants were illegal under the 14th Amendment. Redlining wasn’t made illegal until the Fair Housing Act of 1968. However, the effects of both of these practices would continue for years to come. While redlining itself no longer exists, financial institutions still shy away from investing in majority minority neighborhoods, as they are still seen as risky investments.
There is a quote by the author James Baldwin that is often brought up along with the topic of urban renewal: “urban renewal… means negro removal.” However, urban renewal also applied to the suburbs. There were a number of African-American communities that were taken over and destroyed in the name of renewal. One such community was Elmwood Park. Elmwood Park was founded in 1892 as a place where African-Americans could live that provided the balance of being far enough from downtown to give the residents peace and quiet, while still being close to public transportation, so residents could get to jobs in the city. As the years went on, the nearby suburb of Olivette grew. In 1960, Olivette annexed Elmwood Park without consulting any Park residents. These new Olivette citizens paid Olivette taxes but did not receive any of the benefits their tax money paid for, other than a greater police presence (which wasn’t really a benefit). Eventually, the city began condemning houses in the neighborhood, forcing residents out and making way for larger, more expensive houses and industrial parks. By 1970, the population of elmwood park decreased 75%. A similar situation occurred more recently in Meacham Park. Meacham Park, also founded in 1892, was a majority black neighborhood in south St. Louis County. Almost 100 years later, in 1991, the City of Kirkwood destroyed ⅔ of the neighborhood to make way for a shopping center. The city told residents that it would lead to more jobs for the community, but in reality it led to more residents leaving.
Urban renewal brought about a new question: where would these displaced residents live? Those that had the means moved, either to other suburbs, especially those in north county, or out of the area altogether. However, for those that didn’t have the means, they were placed in subsidized housing. One of the largest of these subsidized housing projects was the Pruitt-Igoe Complex, located in north St. Louis City. It contained 2870 apartments, a school, a library, and other amenities. Pruitt-Igoe was originally planned to be a segregated community, with blacks and whites living in different buildings, but as the complex began to open, segregation was made illegal, and the project was opened to residents of all races. Pruitt igoe was initially hailed as a great success, but, as time passed, money to maintain the complex dried up, and violence in the community rose. Residents began to move out. Eventually, as the buildings fell into disrepair, the city ordered the destruction of Pruitt-Igoe. On March 16, 1972, the first building of the Pruitt-Igoe complex was imploded. The destruction was aired on live TV. By 1974, all of the buildings had been demolished. While there has been some construction on the land since, much of the property remains empty, with remnants of the complex scattered throughout the land.
While the issue of housing inequity is vast and complex, there are steps that can be taken to help solve this problem. One organization advocating for housing reform is Health Equity Works, an initiative started by Washington University in St. Louis that was originally known as For the Sake of All. Health Equity Works published a report in 2018 about housing inequity entitled Segregation in St. Louis: Dismantling the Divide. The report examines the disparities between majority African-American and majority white neighborhoods and communities, and provides recommendations on how to make housing in the St. Louis area more equitable. The report outlines 3 main areas where the city and county governments can make change: expanding affordable housing, increasing equitable development and allocation of resources, and supporting housing and neighborhood stability. While the proposals outlined in the report are expensive, they are all possible if the powers that be invest in them. There is a way to end housing discrimination in St. Louis, but it will take hard work and determination to create a region that seeks to include all of its citizens.
