Wondering how racist Pittsburgh is (Washington: home, neighborhoods, school)

[awhite6]

I grew up in Washington county then joined the military and married a black/mexican man. We have been married for 3 years and have 2 kids. We are going back to PA in August and was wondering if the people there are as close minded as i remember or if things have changed some

[01Snake]

You'll be shot once you cross the PA border. Better pick another local.

[MN55]

They're "gun clinging, bible thumping, rednecks" according to the President and "racists unhappy with change" according to their Congressmen.

[groar]

why not post this in the pittsburgh forum instead of here? as you can see, people are already going on about obama instead of answering your question.

anyway, in my experience (having also lived in connecticut, ny state, and nyc) it's not any more racist than anywhere else. washington county is pretty different from pittsburgh proper.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by groar

washington county is pretty different from pittsburgh proper.

Agreed. If you move to the area, choose a home in Allegheny County, not Washington County.

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by awhite6

I grew up in Washington county then joined the military and married a black/mexican man. We have been married for 3 years and have 2 kids. We are going back to PA in August and was wondering if the people there are as close minded as i remember or if things have changed some

Troll alert! I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but such negative and vindictive first posts always make me a little skeptical. "the people there"
I am sorry, but that is as closed minded as the people whom you supposedly remember as being so. That sort of writing implies everybody in PA. That makes for poor writing and gives you zero credibility. I fully expect you to switch gears on your next post while still keeping the negative theme you intended to start.

[bradjl2009]

Well to put this forum which is prob a lie down, if your husband looks more black than Mexican, there should be less problems. Prehabs Eastern PA would be better for you. This is def a troll alert forum tho.

[tmorrisn]

I'm not sure why people are jumping down your throat - there have been a bunch of threads like this on this forum. Actually a ton - check them out.
Easy answer: the city of pittsburgh is like any other city so you won't have a problem here
Long answer: see one of the threads on race/interracial relationships

[trotter_rej]

I think it's the wording of the thread title that puts people on the defensive. If someone asks you "How stupid are you?" or "How ugly are your kids?", even if the answer is "not at all" you will bristle at the question.

[BrianTH]

To give you a straight answer about Pittsburgh itself:

Like any major city in the U.S., you can still find pockets of overtly racist people, particularly but not exclusively among older people (I could actually tell you a story about an unfortunate visit to an old school barbershop which eventually seemed to me like the local KKK hangout--suffice it to say I didn't go back). Then there are the areas in which people may not be overtly racist, but there just aren't many non-white people at all, let alone interracial couples. But finally, you can also easily find neighborhoods where interracial couples are not at all uncommon.

To sum up, racism and de facto segregation are still a lingering problem in Pittsburgh, just like they are in the United States in general. But also like the United States in general, I think the trend is positive (if slow), and there are certainly areas where a family like yours wouldn't stand out.