Today, I Googled the word “Clairton” and was
instantly transported back to high school. Anyone who has heard of Clairton has
heard of Clairton’s dominant high school football team, the Clairton Bears.
News story after news story spoke about the WPIAL playoffs and the latest
defensive moves by the players. Then I ran into this.
It was a letter to the editor thanking the Pittsburgh
Courier for the coverage of the Community Economic Development Corporation of
Clairton’s activities in the neighborhood. The letter’s author briefly
mentioned how it is refreshing to hear Clairton spoken about in a positive
light. Unfortunately, having grown up in Pittsburgh, in the South Hills
specifically I can relate to her sentiments. I was only watching the news the
other night when this story broke.
One of the few remaining steel mills in the area, Clairton’s
US steel mill will be paying less tax revenue. This is an especially difficult
development in Clairton which is still rebounding from the closure of many of
Pittsburgh’s steel mills in the 1980s. This additional loss of revenue will
place significant stress on Clairton’s local economy which unlike other
surrounding neighborhoods is not able to benefit from the tax boost generated
by the presence of a shopping mall or large franchise stores.
I began to go further back in time, looking at older news
stories. I started with Pittsburgh’s historically black newspaper, the New
Pittsburgh Courier’s archives. One word occurred over and over again in
headlines where Clairton was mentioned—homicide. I compared this with the
results I found for the left leaning Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the right
leaning Tribune Review. The Post-Gazette and the Tribune Review mainly had
stories about football with one linked in about a Clairton woman who gave birth
on her way to the hospital. Then I kept reading and slowly I began to see
stories once again linked to violence in the community. When evaluating
neighborhoods one must not only look at the structures, people, strengths, and
needs of the community itself, but also its reputation. Clairton’s reputation has
the potential to be seen as a hindrance. Again, I mention the importance of
CEDCC’s efforts to make sure that Clairton does not become a gentrified
community.
As we know name changes can be a hallmark
of gentrification. Suddenly, East Liberty becomes the East End and the North
Side once renovated becomes the North Shore--the white areas of these
communities at least. Using our matrix of domination framework we cannot ignore
the racial overtones in the decision to rebrand newly gentrified communities
with new names. CEDCC is working against this element and by doing so they are
protecting their client base. By renaming a community one is implying that there
is stigma attached to the old name. Stigma leads to isolation and alienation
for people who are from the community. This can cause significant personal distress
and economic impairment.
In the social work profession we try to implement a strengths
based perspective. I have met many people from Clairton who are proud of their
neighborhood. They are proud of their high school and they are proud of the
name Clairton. This is a significant strength. It speaks to residents’
resiliency and commitment to their roots even as the media amplifies Clairton’s
negative reputation.
