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Old 06-28-2014, 10:06 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,640 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi All,

I live in Bethesda, MD working at NIH and my job has asked me to transfer to North Chicago to run one of their offices. I've been reading forums for a couple of months now trying to decipher what Chicago is really about (I have only visited once, for a few days), and I am worried that the racism factor may be more than I can tolerate. I know Chicago is a very large and diverse city, and every city has racism, but is it really that bad? I'm an African American male, and I live in a nice tree lawned area of Bethesda, where people are very respectful of each other, white or black. If someone could shed some light for me about this? Should I be concerned? I know North Chicago is mostly white, I have never been called the N-word, and I am definitely not interested in being called it anytime soon. If I move there, should I be concerned about my safety? I am hoping the articles I've read about the city are completely over exaggerated. I have many friends here, most of them white, and they are very friendly. I am hoping that Chicago is the same way? Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 
Old 06-28-2014, 10:18 PM
 
24 posts, read 31,809 times
Reputation: 29
Chicago is a very liberal city, and you won't have a hard time here assuming you're dressed professionally a.k.a. "White". However, there is still a lot of racial discrimination in the workplace here if you give off more of the "urban/inner city" appearance. This is a very uppity yet competitive city where you'll get the good jobs based much less off your credentials, but rather who you know. I'm a young guy that's never been to college, but I do have enough experience in professional settings and around Chicago professionals to tell you the unfiltered truth. All in all, great city, great people, great nightlife, ****ty winters. I would get to meetups and whatnot so you expand your base and have more people you "know" coming in. Connections will get you far here, sadly but true.

Welcome to Chicago!

EDIT: As far as North Chicago is concerned, while not the City, I have heard of racism out there to be quite prevalent but haven't been there myself.

Last edited by ash093; 06-28-2014 at 10:29 PM.. Reason: North Chicago is separate from Chicago btw
 
Old 06-28-2014, 10:23 PM
 
17,183 posts, read 22,921,959 times
Reputation: 17478
North Chicago is not Chicago first of all. It is a separate city, small and actually only 50% or so white and 30% or so black with Hispanic making up most of the rest of the minority population. There are only a few Asians.

The North Chicago Police Department *has* been accused of racism. I don't know how true it is because I haven't been to North Chicago.

North Chicago Police Brochure Racism? Black Stereotypes Stir Controversy

Note that the north side of Chicago is also diverse depending on which neighborhood you are talking about.
 
Old 06-29-2014, 06:34 AM
 
Location: WMHT
4,569 posts, read 5,674,058 times
Reputation: 6761
Thumbs up I wouldn't be concerned about any danger to your safety posed specifically by white folk.

In my multi-decade experience in Chicago, most people judge strangers by overall appearance, not simply skin color; not because Chicagoans are any more enlightened than others, but rather because thugs come in all shades.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lmcrun19 View Post
If someone could shed some light for me about this? Should I be concerned? I know North Chicago is mostly white, I have never been called the N-word, and I am definitely not interested in being called it anytime soon. If I move there, should I be concerned about my safety? I am hoping the articles I've read about the city are completely over exaggerated. I have many friends here, most of them white, and they are very friendly. I am hoping that Chicago is the same way? Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Other than the previously mentioned concerns about the police, I wouldn't be concerned about any danger to your safety posed specifically by white folk.

Quote:
I would get to meetups and whatnot so you expand your base and have more people you "know" coming in. Connections will get you far here, sadly but true.
Meetups and professional events are definitely a good way to get linked up with the local professional community.

In my limited experience with MD (working in NoVa), I believe people in the greater Chicago metro area are friendlier than people in Maryland.
 
Old 06-29-2014, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
255 posts, read 583,907 times
Reputation: 244
Socioeconomically, North Chicago is a very depressed area. No downtown to speak of. No shopping. Very few restaurants. Very few grocery stores. You're not going to find a lot of people of any race walking the streets. If you're living in a really nice neighborhood now, you're going to be very disappointed with North Chicago.
 
Old 06-29-2014, 01:06 PM
 
Location: Quincy, Mass. (near Boston)
2,947 posts, read 5,193,788 times
Reputation: 2450
I live in Boston, not Chicago. I do appreciate a well-dressed black professional or Hispanic, who uses proper grammar. I don't care for the opposite. I am white, and don't care for lower-class whites who swear, spit, smoke, sport ugly tattoos, in addition to their bad grammar.

It seems, from these boards, that educated Chicagoans will probably accept you since you're assimilated and sans thug mentality.

Just my feedback...

Now I haven't totally offended too many readers here, I hope...?
 
Old 06-29-2014, 01:45 PM
 
2,115 posts, read 5,420,366 times
Reputation: 1138
From the sounds of it, I don't think the OP is planning to work in the Lake County suburb known as "North Chicago" which is just north of wealthy Lake Bluff. I believe the OP is planning to live in the North Side of Chicago (aka Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Uptown, Edgewater, Ravenswood, Rogers Park, etc.) where many of Chicago's yuppies happen to live. I could be wrong, however.
 
Old 06-29-2014, 01:55 PM
 
17,183 posts, read 22,921,959 times
Reputation: 17478
Quote:
Originally Posted by reppin_the_847 View Post
From the sounds of it, I don't think the OP is planning to work in the Lake County suburb known as "North Chicago" which is just north of wealthy Lake Bluff. I believe the OP is planning to live in the North Side of Chicago (aka Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Uptown, Edgewater, Ravenswood, Rogers Park, etc.) where many of Chicago's yuppies happen to live. I could be wrong, however.
He didn't say where he was going to live. He certainly might find a neighborhood that fits him, but the commute will not be fun. There is a metra stop in North Chicago, but he would need to see how close it is to his work.
 
Old 06-29-2014, 02:12 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,323 posts, read 23,933,292 times
Reputation: 7420
Quote:
Originally Posted by nana053 View Post
He didn't say where he was going to live. He certainly might find a neighborhood that fits him, but the commute will not be fun. There is a metra stop in North Chicago, but he would need to see how close it is to his work.
It's hard to tell - the OP said something about working at NIH and transferring to Chicago. There is an NIH lab at UIC but the NIH is a big organization with many different subdivisions/offices so who knows.

In any case, as long as you aren't doing anything stupid, the average person in Chicago isn't going to really care what race you are. Of course you'll find some that might, which you'll find in most cities, but I wouldn't really worry about it. This isn't the south in the 1950s.
 
Old 06-29-2014, 02:32 PM
 
271 posts, read 369,638 times
Reputation: 322
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmcrun19 View Post
Hi All,

I live in Bethesda, MD working at NIH and my job has asked me to transfer to North Chicago to run one of their offices. I've been reading forums for a couple of months now trying to decipher what Chicago is really about (I have only visited once, for a few days), and I am worried that the racism factor may be more than I can tolerate. I know Chicago is a very large and diverse city, and every city has racism, but is it really that bad? I'm an African American male, and I live in a nice tree lawned area of Bethesda, where people are very respectful of each other, white or black. If someone could shed some light for me about this? Should I be concerned? I know North Chicago is mostly white, I have never been called the N-word, and I am definitely not interested in being called it anytime soon. If I move there, should I be concerned about my safety? I am hoping the articles I've read about the city are completely over exaggerated. I have many friends here, most of them white, and they are very friendly. I am hoping that Chicago is the same way? Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Racism is not a problem in Western countries and racism in Chicago would likely be close to zero. Yes, people think that United States has too many immigrants, whites and blacks fight over trivial things sometimes and so on. The fact is that the existent of racism is just in the minds of liberals – who use it as a tool to discuss other issues than the real issues that is pressuring the American public – regardless of race. You want to meet real racists? Then you should move to New York instead and settle in wealthy Brooklyn or the Financial District. You are afraid of racist blacks or whites? That they will steal from you? People talk about Southern Chicago as some kind of dangerous haven because of the high crime. If someone take your wallet in on the South Side and that person will serve time. On Wall Street they steal from you legally and if you complain you will be arrested and that is just small money comparing from what is going on in Washington DC.
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