Acceptance of interracial couple moving to Johnstown, PA (Pittsburgh, Erie: middle-class, crime)

[viochem]

I was in Johnstown last week visiting the town and the campus of UPJ. I noticed that not many African Americans have moved out the suburbs of Johnstown, but stay in the city limits. The city itself has a population of 10% black, but the surrounding areas such as Richland have less than 1% according to the latest census. Why is this? I am a white with a black spouse and am a little unsure how we would be accepted by the community if we chose to move to UPJ.

[pcc09]

Wow, this is an interesting question. I am originally from Johnstown, although I no longer live there. I think if you moved to a Johnstown suburb such as Richland, Westmont, or Southmont, you would be generally accepted. I know for a fact that there are a large number of people there, especially older people, who still harbor racist sentiments, but would tend to not act on them. What I mean is, I don't think you'd have to worry about violence or being intentionally ostrisized. It's the kind of place where white people don't necessarily act on their racism, but people still tell black jokes or mutter about the "ni__ers" under their breath. And I've seen inter racial couples around town too, so it's not like you'd be the first. One of my best friends growing up (in the suburb Westmont) was a mixed race kid with mostly black features, and he never had any issues that I know of. His mother was white, but his father was not involved with the family.
As far as why so few black people have moved out to the 'burbs...it's probably got a lot to do with the fact that it is not a particularly progressive place. I think the black community in Johnstown could do a better job at attempting to grow their middle-class and become more visible within the city and the suburbs. But that seems to be true of all of America. The suburbs everywhere have been predominatly white. Maybe to a greater degree in Johnstown though.

[viochem]

Thank you for that information. I appreciate your reply.

[mams1559]

I tend to agree with pcc09's post in most respects. If you as an interracial couple moved to Richland, the people will be friendly and helpful. I'm not sure I agree wth the statement of underlying, but not acted upon, racial prejudice. It could be I'm too close to the situation. My sister (white) has a black husband from the Bronx and they live in Johnstown, within the city limits and both have good jobs.

I just think anywhere you go you will have a very small percentage of people who are going to have some issue with someone of another color. That, unfortunatley is America. I don't believe you'll have any problems though if you move to a suburb of Johnstown. That's my personal opinion.

As for why blacks live mainly in the city and not in the burbs... I have a few opinions on that as well. Those who have or can find descent jobs usually do move to the burbs, just like whites. In fact, a new neighbor of mine, who is black, just built his house on the property behind mine. We're outside the city limits. He was a white hat with Bethlehem. I think mainly they don't because they have poor economic opportunities. The black community in Johnstown has to focus on education, building family and community support for one another and creating economic opportunities for African-Americans.

[slh1179]

hanks for this info. My grown children and I are considering a move to Johnstown. I spent alot of years living there and after 25 years in florida I just want to go back. Its a place that never leaves you. My son and his wife are an interracial co a child I know that that was a big problem there.uple expecting a child and I was a little worried whether they would be accepted and be able to make new friends based on who they are. As a child I know that that would not have been ok there. Can anyone tell me what the crime situation is there. Someone here who claims to know says that its really bad.Somehow Im having a hard time believing that. Anyone have an opinion on the moxham area? I always loved that part of town. One more important ? Are there still corner grocery stores and pizza shops? That was the best!! Thanks Susan

[mams1559]

Just a quick follow up...

The new president of UPJ is a black man. I presume he lives in Richland, though I don't know for certain. Just tossed that out there for what it's worth....

[Internet Superman]

I think that if people thinks that it will be a problem - then why do they do it?

Why does a black man have to have a white trophy wife? Probably because they saw the movie Roots and they want to muddy up the waters of the gene pool.

We have a mulatto boy in our community. The mother attended IUP and came from poor white trash parents and grandparents. The boys mother and father was a very well respected doctor in Pittsburgh PA.

They gave the girl a large sum of money. Enough to take care of the mother and the child until he turns 18 and they told her to get lost - because they did not want to be associated with the mothers family.

You cannot take anything out on the kid, he is the nicest kid you ever met and because there are no other colored children around in the community - he does not act like a gang banger.

No matter how good you were brought up - if it be poor white trash parents - like my dad or high society like my dad's mother. People are going to be people.

My family was so racist that when my parents took my family shopping in the Mill Creek Mall in Erie when my brother Tom was 5, we were walking through the store and my brother Tom yelled to my dad - hey dad look negros!

Here was a little boy that was brought up in the early 70's in a coal patch community of Pollock s and Tight old Hunkies and Italian's and he didn't know that it was wrong to call colored people names. He never saw a live negro person before. It didn't look good for us. But it looked even worse for my parents - because the Negro's knew that it was how that little boy was brought up.

My other brother is one year older then the other one and he lives outside of Greensburg and is a project manager for Siemens and he probably makes $100,000 a year and his next door neighbors are a mixed marriage and they are his wife's only friends. She is asocial.

You cannot say anything bad about these people because they are nice and they are outgoing and my brother said that the colored guy works for a pharmaceutical company and makes more money then my brother does.

They hang out all the time.

So here is two brothers brought up in the same house and only one year apart and in 30 years of growing up in a more tolerant society learned that people are just people. It doesn't matter what color you are, as long as you are good people - so what.

As in the case of my neighbors - the sad part is that these people cannot offer the boy his heritage. All my people came from Czechoslovakia and I know what they are like. My mom cooks slavonic dishes and I know where all my ancestors are buried and what they did for a living - mine coal.