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The ongoing segregation of our communities
Anika Imajo’s Excluded Communities: An Exhibit by Housing Opportunities Made Equal in Richmond Grid is a look at an analysis and exhibit (PDF) by Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) that illustrates the ongoing segregation of our communities:
As HOME’s director of research, Brian Koziol is intimately familiar with the forces behind these divisions and their cyclical impact on the area’s entire population. “Two-thirds of everybody in our region live in a segregated community, either white or minority. And that’s problematic for all of us,” he notes.
HOME’s maps show us how generations have been impacted – and continue to be impacted – by inequitable policies and unjust institutional practices. Building upon the history HOME explored in a 2012 exhibit, called Mapping RVA, which detailed the role that financial and government agencies have played in molding the residential landscape we know today, this latest mapping project further investigates the variables that continue to shape our neighborhoods. In the process, Excluded Communities reminds us that it’s no accident that residential areas of Greater Richmond remain largely homogenous.
I’ve marked a few landmark streets on the first map below for reference.
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ABOVE/BELOW: Census blocks that are either 75% white or minority. Dark gray is 75% or more white, green is 75% or more minority.
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SEE ALSO:
- Mapping race and density (2010)
- Richmond population distribution 1923
“A detail from a 1923 City of Richmond Public Works map that upon which the darker areas ‘indicates location of colored population’.” - Richmond population distribution 1930
“Issued 1931, produced by the Department of Public Works Bureau of Survey and Design. Each dot represents 25 people.”
Thanks for this. Important to look at and digest.
And for those who want to congratulate themselves for living in a “diverse” area, I only ask:
“so, where do you send your kids to school?”
Aren’t elementary/middle schools in the area fairly decent?
But unless you want your highschooler to be exposed to excess of drugs and violence, the answer would be “elsewhere”.
@WarGibFA
I’m not trying to be rude, but is your question serious?
In case you aren’t-. Chimborazo elementary has come a long way, and some would say it’s pretty good. I had many neighbors who’s kids went there and spoke pretty good about it.
Locally, central montissori school is pretty great, But it is 1300-1250 a month, they want you to be pretty involved in the school doing extra volunteer hours/laundry/etc, doesn’t include lunch,and winter break costs extra.
Franklin military academy is pretty great from what I heard. You have to apply to get in though
MLK… could be argued to be the worst schools in the state. While the new building looks great. Terrible sol scores, and pretty terrible experiences across the board from what I have heard from lots of people from the community.
If I recall correctly, a couple bullets hit the school a couple years back shortly after it was first opened.
Also look up the anonymous letter from some of the MLK teachers… that letter was loaded with experiences that I would call pretty shitty…
Daniel- thank you for the full and informative post…. looked up the letter on here, and it’s some scary stuff. Consider the ignorance fought on this end.
We cannot improve the school system by just fixing leaking ceilings and building new schools – MLK proves that. To really fix the schools, we need to invest in recruiting good teachers and administrators.
Replacing the building is highly visible political “win”, but doesn’t get to the root of the problem. I truly hope out new administration will tackle the issues of RPS in a more productive manner.
We’re in the 26th and M area and have been there for 15+ years. Yes, Chimborazo Elementary has done some great things. It’s a shame to say that one of the better schools in the area was still denied accreditation back in October. I don’t have the answers (I’m one of those month-behind-on-my-mortgage-because-of-private-school moms), but we can’t just rave about our neighborhood restaurant scene (which judging from the info above, aren’t being patronized by our neighbors that often) and pat ourselves on the back for our progressive attitudes because we live in a diverse area.
If I have my geography correct on that last map Hollywood Cemetery and the airport are showing up in blue as poor white districts. That’s not very…useful.
Looking back at my comment I realized it probably came off sharper/crappier than I intended. I didn’t mean it to.
Most (many?) of you are probably familiar with this two-part episode of This American Life. I really recommend a listen, especially for those of us (white & black) who graduated from public school in the 80s to early 90s–we experienced a level of integration that has disappeared. It’s gone. The show explains why, and explains what affect it’s had on our entire country. Richmond is not alone in the intense resegregation of its schools.
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/562/the-problem-we-all-live-with
The movement of people and income shifts has always interested me. Black people with higher incomes have moved to Henrico and Chesterfield. White people with high incomes have moved back into Richmond into “historical districts” that retain a higher property value.
The school system in Richmond is a complete mess, except for a few shining magnate schools like Maggie Walker, Richmond Community and Open High that require a special admission process for higher aptitude children. There are a few elementary schools that have a good reputation (I.E. Fox Elementary). Overall, Dr. Bedden has been met with constant resistance and backlash by staff at any sign of changing the system. We have a few new members on the School Board that may make some changes. The 3 worst school board members got knocked out during the election process this year. I’m sure they will be up to no good in stirring up nonsense any chance they get to keep their noses in the middle of things.
My neighborhood (Highland Park) is colorfully diverse…on these maps : )