Black people began to refer to their zoning and housing restrictions as the ghetto in the 1910s. Due to zoning and segregation laws, we were only able to live in specific areas and if they were predominantly white, then legally you were not able to stay there. But the word Ghetto and Black during the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements became synonymous. This switched the primary connotation of the word forever.
I began to think about how blatant racism still lives and breaths in things as simple as the words that people use. My mind went down a rabbit hole of things. It’s a term that is popularized by the media but truly sets us a part by the literal boundaries that are created to segregate us. One day my mom reminded me about the differences in the sections of town that We lived versus predominantly white neighborhoods. Many of our hoods are lined with unpleasantries such as railroads, cemeteries, liquor stores and Family Dollars which are actually owned by white companies. When I actually thought about it, I’ve never seen any of these things in white neighborhoods.
As support for my very own community, 25% of the proceeds from each “Ghetto Kids Make the World Go Round” graphic T will be donated to the 42nd Street Community Garden of Miracles. Pastor RJ Stevenson of New Saint Paul AME Church is providing resources of fresh produce right in the middle of a food desert.
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