0 What do we want? Integration? Are we sure?

Living in chicago, its not hard to see racial differences. I go home, I see african americans. On the way to school I pass by differebt types of people living in differebt types of places. Going to sigh a diverse school as we do, it is easy for us to believe that the entire city is as integreated and mixed as we are.

However, that is bot the case. yes, the city is varied as one might say a candy shop is. But it is not integrated fully. Just as with the candy shop, we are separated in where we live. Sour candy is by its own while the rock candy lives in aisle seven and so on. The candy in the shop may be varied but they are not mixed together like a bag of mnns or skittles. The people are the same way. Yes this city has tons of people from different backgrounds, but they are not mixed together in the peanut mnms bag of life. This is not the question, but the set up.

The question is if we actually want it that way. I don't know how many are concious of the fact that they have segregated themselves in blocks and neighborhoods and, consequently, schools.l of a single background. I don't know how much of this was a choice or just not complaining with where we are. Whatever it is, I don't think we have something against integreating our homes as much as us merely not questioning what is already the case.

Once upon a time, we were segregated. Black people weren't allowed to live in certain areas. When they were allowed to live wherever, they moved into neighborhoods which promptly drew white people out those aforementioned areas in the white flight. And then some things happened in the middle and I am writing an opinion piece, not a report. The point is, we had been separated at an early point in history and at this point,I don't think people tralize that they are continuing that separation.

We accept certain things without question. Where you live is one of them. I live in a primarily black neighborhood and I've never really questioned why it is so. My parents moved there because it was nice and affordable and they thought they could raise a daughter there, which they did. I think these are the factors that influence where we move, not who is there, although that is important. Maybe its because I'm black but I don't see people as black people and white people. There's ghetto people and bougee people and there's people who are quiet and obnoxious and fight with their spouses. These are the peoplle that influence where you move and all races have them.

So I don't think we don't want integration. I think we just don't think of what were doing as segregation. If that makes sense.