10 Things About How Poor Black Neighborhoods Were Created

Neighborhoods that are mainly Black and mainly low-income weren’t just born. Black communities across the North – like in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Harlem, and yes, parts of the Bronx – were intentionally created by governments, landowners, and policymakers who wanted to systemically keep People of Color out of white neighborhoods.

Like so much of anti-Black policies that exist in the United States today, the creation of Black neighborhoods began with slavery.