Unveiling Black Springfield
Exploring Historic Roots and Present Realities
(Explore USA Cities 2024)
About Us
This ethnographic research project is intended to examine the current racialized effects of historical redlining and residential segregation in Springfield, Illinois. The ethnography includes community action research, which entails actively participating with and listening to members of marginalized communities to understand and advocate for equitable access to resources through events, activism, and educational programming. The ethnography also includes formal and informal interviews, surveys, and focus groups. The purpose of the project is to build a comprehensive examination of social support available to Springfield residents according to race, residence, and social class, and to understand whether these social supports or lack thereof, are associated with historic redlining and residential segregation.
Historic Roots
South Grand Avenue, a major east-west route through Springfield, offers a clear view of the city's racial and economic divide. The railroad tracks mark the boundary, with the east side consisting of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods, primarily home to Black residents.
Racism in the United States, particularly through practices like redlining, has profoundly impacted economic mobility across generations. Redlining was conducted by the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC) and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s New Deal Legislation in the 1930’s. Redlining systematically denied communities of color access to mortgages and investment, and refused to provide funding to developers unless they committed to exclude African Americans from specific communities. These racist acts led to long-term economic disadvantages, and continue to contribute to disenfranchisement in Black and low-income communities today.
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This lack of financial support hindered homeownership, a key avenue for wealth building, thereby perpetuating poverty. Consequently, lower property values in these areas resulted in reduced tax revenue, leading to diminished investment from local governments, schools, and infrastructure. This cycle of disinvestment further entrenched economic disparities and health, limiting opportunities for future generations and maintaining systemic inequities.
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To learn more about this systemic practice and its role in history, click below.
Present Realities
Economic data indicates that Springfield, Illinois exhibits one of the most significant disparities in median income between Black and white residents across the United States. In 2023, the City of Springfield applied for a Recompete Strategy Development Grant to hire a Recompete Plan Coordinator and Economic Development Officer and support strategic implementation planning. In the application the City revealed that the 2022 median income of Black households was only 42 percent of white households - the most significant discrepancy nationally. Additionally, Springfield's 23.8% concentrated poverty rate is the highest of any of the 10 metropolitan areas in the state of Illinois. A Sangamon County, IL 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment by Springfield Memorial Hospital revealed that 59% of Springfield’s African American/Black community lives below the national poverty line. These components of economic inequality are sustained by extreme levels of residential segregation, among the most pronounced nationwide. In such segregated neighborhoods, underfunded schools and limited economic opportunities exacerbate poverty and hinder social mobility for community residents. The lack of investment in residentially segregated communities translates into fewer job opportunities, lower educational outcomes, and insufficient infrastructure, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and segregation. Despite attempts to address these issues, the systemic inequities persist, obstructing equitable growth and prosperity within these communities.
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To explore how these historical truths continue to shape present-day realities, click below.