A ghetto takes shape

"In 1865, the Cleveland Leader boasted that Black citizens enjoyed a freedom of education and movement unparalleled in other cities. Fifty years later, a majority of the Black population lived in the run-down Central Avenue district of town. Kenneth Kusmer analyzes the emergence of a ghetto in Cleveland by delving into economic, political, social, and cultural realities of Black life. Drawing on local archives, Kusmer compares the position of Blacks in the social order with that of immigrants and native whites. Drawing on local archives and a wealth of data on jobs, he also contrasts Cleveland with cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston in order to reveal the complex causes and effects behind the emergence of Black ghettos. As Kusmer concludes, it was the isolation of the ghetto and the sense of unique goals and needs it fostered that helped unify the Black citizens and provided the practical basis for the future struggles against racism."--Publisher's description.