Race relations (Milwaukee, West Allis, Wauwatosa: middle-class, home, neighborhoods)

[juststudying]

so we are considering a move to milwaukee and have a 5 yo caucasian bio son and an 18 mo old adopted son who is african american . . . i read some unflattering but very generalized characterizations on a blog of milwaukee -- and I quote so please do not take offense because we know nothing of milwaukee -- as being 'racist and segregated' . . . i would really welcome any perspectives. Not trying to light a fire. Just in search of other perspectives since this is such a personal issue for my family now . .. thank you.

[radraja]

Milwaukee is hands-down one of the most segregated cities in America. It's pretty bad.

Race relations aren't the city's strong point.

The article you read was probably true.

[lllisa]

I concur!~

[juststudying]

Does 'segregrated' in your experience also imply racist? Or is there simply a separation of races that is especially evident . . . and is this in terms of races living in separate areas of the city? Thanks again. Any additional insight is welcome.

[quijote]

Originally Posted by juststudying

so we are considering a move to milwaukee and have a 5 yo caucasian bio son and an 18 mo old adopted son who is african american . . . i read some unflattering but very generalized characterizations on a blog of milwaukee -- and I quote so please do not take offense because we know nothing of milwaukee -- as being 'racist and segregated' . . . i would really welcome any perspectives. Not trying to light a fire. Just in search of other perspectives since this is such a personal issue for my family now . .. thank you.

There have been a couple of high-profile incidents in MKE underscoring the divide between races, but quite honestly, in most parts of the city and metro you should be fine. If you read other posts on the subject, you'll find that some sections of Milwaukee are especially hospitable to multiracial families.

Milwaukee has ranked high in studies on racial segregation, and is often put next to other Great Lakes cities (Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland) in this regard. A lot of this segregation has to do with the typical "white flight" that many cities have seen, but also it has to do with the ethnic self-segregation (German, Polish, Italian, Irish, etc. heritage) that many northern cities are famous for. When many African-Americans came to northern cities during the Great Migration, these ethnicities were very clannish, and really wanted to remain intact communities. Though the core ethnic aspects of these people have been watered down over the past couple of generations, there is still a lot of clannishness--people want to be in familiar surroundings, and many of the suburbs and city neighborhoods retain a sort of ethnic identity. This ethnic patchwork has helped contribute to negative things like segregation, but it has also helped contribute to some of the positive elements in the city's culture (various festivals, ethnic restaurants, different languages spoken, etc.) More recently, with the arrival of Mexicans, Central Americans, Hmong, Thais, Russians, and Pakistanis to the city, we see the same thing: they congregate together in neighborhoods and clusters, not because they're forced to, but because that's what they generally want in order to call the place home.

But you don't need to move to a predominantly homogeneous or non-ethnic place, or a predominantly mixed-race city, in order to feel comfortable here. Just research the neighborhoods, make a visit or two, and you should find something you like. There's more to the reality than statistics.

Typically, the areas with the most transient populations will best suit you: the east side, Riverwest, parts of Bay View, Sherman Park, Shorewood, etc. If you move to Menomenee Falls or New Berlin or Cudahy, people will most likely either leave you alone or make occasional friendly chit-chat. The problem for you here may be that you don't have a Polish grandma who makes her own pierogies and went to church with your neighbor across the street, or a German-American father who attended the same grade school as the guy next door.

Another problem connected with the segregation is, of course, money. If you move to Mequon or Brookfield or some other such place, your problem may not have to do with being a multiracial family, but may have something to do with the cars you drive and the size of your house.

[Angorlee]

lets face the facts---america is segregating racially and has been for a long time. what has kept things looking like we are happily integrating is the forced integration by the government. left to themselves all races will congregate in their own neighborhoods with their own like kind and that is just a natural phenomenum. good luck.

[quijote]

Originally Posted by juststudying

Does 'segregrated' in your experience also imply racist? Or is there simply a separation of races that is especially evident . . . and is this in terms of races living in separate areas of the city? Thanks again. Any additional insight is welcome.

There's likely some correlation between "segregated" and "racist," but I don't think it's always such a strong correlation.

On the high-profile rankings I've seen, cities such as Salt Lake City rank among the least segregated. However, keep in mind that SLC and its metro, for example, have very little racial diversity to begin with. Around 2% of SLC itself is black, so sure, the segregation index will be low. There's not enough of a black/white balance to segregate! In SLC there is much segregation between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, but this doesn't enter into studies that look at race (Hispanics can be of any race, and are usually classed as white). In spite of SLC's favorable ranking with regard to segregation, I would bet that the people are no less or no more racist than people in Milwaukee.

Another factor to consider is the second-tier segregation experienced by cities that have favorable segregation indices. The SF Bay Area, for example, is often hailed as a very integrated place. And in many respects, it is. But there is significant racial segregation nonetheless. In SFBA, it isn't the traditional white/black segregation, but rather one mixed-race population segregated from another mixed-race population. A case in point is San Francisco. Some neighborhoods have mixed-race profiles of non-Hispanic whites and certain kinds of Asian-Americans (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Indian descent); other neighborhoods have mixed-race profiles of Hispanic whites, African-Americans, Vietnamese, and Filipinos. One heterogeneous cluster is often segregated from another heterogeneous cluster. So, technically, SF is less segregated than many cities, but nonetheless, one group of races tend to cluster together, and another group tends to cluster elsewhere. The fact that each segregated cluster is itself multiracial gives SF a more favorable segregation index. Similar demographics and segregation structures exist in Oakland, San Jose, Palo Alto/East Palo Alto, and other cities. In the long run, that kind of segregation may be better than more traditional homogeneous black/white divides, but it's still segregation. European-heritage whites still live apart from blacks.

Milwaukee's style of segregation follows the more traditional black/white divide. The north-central, north, and parts of the northwest sides of the city have almost all of the metro's black population. The few Asians in town tend to be found in the near South Side and in parts of the west side. The more propserous Asians cluster in western burbs such as Brookfield, Wauwatosa, and Oconomowoc. The Hispanics, most considered "white," cluster in the near South Side (though there is a Puerto Rican community in the Riverwest area). The suburbs have significant Hispanic populations--West Milwaukee, West Allis, Cudahy, etc. The suburbs are predominantly non-Hispanic white, though Glendale and Brown Deer have significant middle-class black communities.

But as I mentioned earlier, there are many integrated and multirace-friendly places, as well.

[katie_b]

My kids are biracial (African American/Caucasian) and while I don't hear anything blatant, subtle racism certainly exists and the degree of suspicion and fear increases once you leave the city. One of the concerns that my husband and I have is the lack of middle class blacks. We have changed schools to try to achieve some balance so that our kids don't grow up thinking black people are mostly working class or poor. Our desire is for our kids to experience that many people, across all races have more and less than they do.

[ckhthankgod]

I would think that Milwaukee has a decent amount of Black middle-class people. I believe some of the Northern suburbs have such people. What about Oak Creek, Wauwatosa, West Milwaukee, West Allis, Franklin and River Hills? How about the old Bronzeville section of the city? Are there any middle-class Black sections of Milwaukee?

[quijote]

Sadly, there really isn't a very strong black middle class in the area. Some neighborhoods, such as Sherman Park, Washington Heights, Grantosa, and sections of Granville, have strong black middle-class communities, but that's the exception. The only suburbs with any kind of substantial black middle class are Brown Deer and Glendale. And a black upper class? Hardly on the radar, though there are some wealthy developments in places like Mequon with a few well-heeled black families.

True, the suburbs you mention--Oak Creek, Wauwatosa, etc.--are home to some middle-class blacks, but that's a very small percentage (less than 5%, sometimes closer to 1%, and sometimes even less) of some very modest-sized cities. It's not really enough to command much of a civic presence.