The prevalent image of Pittsburgh has for a very long time been that of the nation’s center of steel production. References to this outdated, but durable mental image pop up across pop culture with the movie. Yes, in the past Pittsburgh was a smoggy and sooty city[SJP1] . The buildings were covered in dirt and grime as a result of the pollution from our steel mills and the rivers were unnaturally colored, but, [SJP2] then we were changed. Influenced by outside economic markets our steel mills left, taking with them thousands of jobs and a significant part of our population. Some of the communities hardest hit by this mass exodus were those of the Monongahela Valley. These cities including Braddock, Glassport, McKeesport, Wall, and Dravosburg, just to name a few, were important national manufacturing hubs. When J& L and U.S. Steel, Westinghouse Electric, Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Union Switch and Signal and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel closed the Mon Valley lost significant financial revenue.[1]
Yet, the crisis of the collapse of the steel mills did not occur in a vacuum separated from the larger social ills shaping American society. Coupled with the evisceration of the city’s livelihood was the familiar social phenomena of white flight. As the largely immigrant, and southern residents of Clairton emigrated from the city, property abandonments increased, property taxes fell due to the smaller tax base now that the large steel companies and manufacturing sites had closed, and the rates of home ownership decreased[2]. This made properties more available to those with lower incomes who are disproportionately minorities, whether they be women or racial minorities. This was not inherently a bad thing although it is often characterized as such. The influx of black residents in this community, like in other communities, perpetuated white racial anxieties leading to white flight. This served as a further economic stressor to an already financially distressed city. Yes, Clairton still has a majority white population at 58.5% white residents, 37.6% black residents, 0.3% Asian, and 1.6% Hispanic or Latino .[3] Yet, with the majority white population 71% of the students enrolled in the Clairton school district are African American.[4] [SJP3] Additionally, notice the racial polarity, the virtual lack of members of other racial minority groups. Notice the demographic data for the cities and boroughs surrounding Clairton. They are overwhelmingly white. What are the forces that are pushing black residents into Clairton, but are stopping them from penetrating the surrounding area?
The answer to the aforementioned question is undoubtedly complicated, but within the confines of this blog it will be explored with a critical eye informed by both Critical Race Theory and the paradigm of the matrix of domination[5]. Critical race theory defined by Richard Delgado emphasizes the influence of social power on relations between races. At its foundation it questions the process of racial formation and holds that race is a social construct, something not biologically predetermined. Although its original foundations are in the legal field critical race theory has influenced the works of authors and activists from many backgrounds emphasizing the importance of history, sociology, and economics. Under the critical race theories heading multiple academic disciplines work together to both enlighten and enhance social interventions, providing perspectives that question the majority culture.
Keeping in mind the history of the rapid shift in racial demographics and the history of infrastructure in Clairton this perspective can be used not to divide along racial lines, but to promote economic justice and harmony in this community that is distressed, but not forgotten.
[1] Fight Blight Strategy. Retrieved September 10, 2013 from http://www.svcog.org/fightblighthomepage_files/StrategyProgram.pdf
[2] Fight Blight Strategy. Retrieved September 10, 2013, fromhttp://www.svcog.org/fightblighthomepage_files/StrategyProgram.pdf
[3] U. S. Census data. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
[4] Collins, K., Kulick, E., Dalton, E. (2013, June 3). General format. Retrieved from http://www.alleghenycounty.us/search.aspx
[5] For further reading see Collins, P. H., & Andersen, M. L. (2010). Race, Class, & Gender: An Anthology (7th Ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
