Young & Old Blacks Fleeing Inner Cities

During turn of 20th Century, millions of blacks migrated to northern & western cities to pursue the American Dream. But in 2023 many descendants are fleeing inner city crime & crappy schools to seek the dream in suburbs or the metro-SOUTH.

The WSJ based its assessment on the latest Census Bureau statistics which shows “departing residents heading for [nearby] suburbs or metro areas in the South.” The conclusion: “The waves of migration that brought Black Americans to many northern cities are reversing.” Metro Atlanta is one particularly hot destination for the descendants of earlier dreamers. Biggest losers include Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland & Oakland. “Much of the current shift is driven by younger, college-educated Black people, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. But, older folks want to retire in peace, too. “I [just] wanted some peace & quiet,” Mary Hall-Rayford told the WSJ. “The retired teacher moved from Detroit to a “nice little suburb” because “I was tired of the gunshots, the sirens.” Said Khary Minor who grew up in South Philly & now is scouting houses in suburban Darby where he is finding “Better school district, nicer neighborhoods …”

THE PROBLEM: “When people filter out from inner cities, the neighborhoods & businesses they leave can suffer.” If sprawling urban blight going on decades now in most of our major cities is any indication, THAT may be an understatement. And, it’s only getting worse. “The share of the Black population living in metropolitan-area suburbs reached 44% by 2020 from 33% two decades earlier. Over the same period, the percentage of the Black population living in central cities declined to 47% from 53%.” Exactly how is the “old neighborhood” supposed to “rebound” when its youngest & brightest youngsters (as well as its wisest elderly) leave it behind?

Davd Soul