Dream town : Shaker Heights and the quest for racial equity / Laura Meckler.
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2023Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First editionDescription: x, 389 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cmContent type:- text
- still image
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781250834416
- 1250834414
Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book | Dr. James Carlson Library | NonFiction | 305.8009 M487 | Available | 33111011079619 | ||||
Adult Book | Main Library | NonFiction | 305.8009 M487 | Available | 33111011318686 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Ohioana Book Award Finalist
Can a group of well-intentioned people fulfill the promise of racial integration in America?
In this searing and intimate examination of the ideals and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler tells the story of a decades-long pursuit in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and uncovers the roadblocks that have threatened progress time and again--in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.
In the late 1950s, Shaker Heights began groundbreaking work that would make it a national model for housing integration. And beginning in the seventies, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to racially integrate schools. The school district built a reputation for academic excellence and diversity, serving as a model for how white and Black Americans can thrive together. Meckler--herself a product of Shaker Heights--takes a deeper look into the place that shaped her, investigating its complicated history and its ongoing challenges in order to untangle myth from truth. She confronts an enduring, and troubling, question--if Shaker Heights has worked so hard at racial equity, why does a racial academic achievement gap persist?
In telling the stories of the Shakerites who have built and lived in this community, Meckler asks: What will it take to fulfill the promise of racial integration in America? What compromises are people of all races willing to make? What does success look like, and has Shaker achieved it? The result is a complex and masterfully reported portrait of a place that, while never perfect, has achieved more than most and a road map for communities that seek to do the same.
Includes black-and-white images.
"In this searing and deeply researched examination of the promises and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler aims to uncover where the problem lies and to shed light on what's being done to move forward-in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community. In the late 1950s, Shaker Heights became a national model for housing integration. And beginning in the seventies, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to racially integrate schools. The school district built a national reputation for academic excellence and diversity, serving as a model for how white and Black Americans can not just coexist but thrive together. Meckler-herself a product of Shaker Heights-takes a deeper look into the place that shaped her, investigating its complicated history and its ongoing challenges in order to untangle the myth from the truth. She confronts an enduring, and troubling, question-if Shaker Heights has worked so hard at racial equity, why does a racial academic achievement gap persist? In telling the stories of the Shakerites who built and live in this community, Meckler's Dream Town asks: Can a group of well-intentioned people fulfill the promise of racial integration in America? What does success look like and has Shaker achieved it? What are Black Americans asked to sacrifice and what will white people have to give up? The result is a complex portrait of a place that, while never perfect, has achieved more than most, and a road map for communities that seek to do the same"-- Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 369-370) and index.
Dream town -- The Van Sweringen Brothers -- Ted and Beverly Mason -- Irv and Emilie Barnett -- The Reverend Albert M. Pennybacker Jr. -- Jack Lawson -- Herlinda Bradley -- Winston Richie -- Emily Hooper -- Carolyn Milter -- Reuben Harris Jr. -- Gregory Hutchings Jr. -- Olivia McDowell and Jody Podl -- David Glasner -- Eric Juli -- Kathleen FitzSimons -- Kim Harris -- Dream town revisited.