How Much Has Changed?

Yesterday, our American Studies class took a trip to Chicago to see the Pulitzer Prize winning play, "Clybourne Park." The first act takes place in 1959 in a small house near downtown Chicago. The house is occupied by an older white couple, who have just sold the house and are in the process of packing their things. When news comes to the people of the town that a black family will be moving in,  many fear that other black families are sure to follow, and the value of the houses in the town will decrease as a result and make the town less desirable. Through a very heated argument containing various racial slurs, a neighbor tries to talk the couple out of selling their house to the black family.

Fast forward fifty years. The second act takes place in 2009 in the same house. This time, a black family is selling the house to a white family. And, since it is the present time, there is no racism present. Both sides are completely accepting and warm to the other. Right?

Wrong. The discussion between the black and white couple in the present scene was just as awkward, uncomfortable and definitely contained as many, if not more racial slurs than the 1959 scene. As an audience member, I sat stiffly in my chair, unsure as to when it was appropriate to laugh and when a joke had "crossed the line." In the first few minutes of the second act of the play, it almost felt as if race was the "elephant in the room," the one topic that everybody was thinking about, but nobody would dare bring up out loud. In other words, I believe if the playwright's intentions were to make the audience feel uncomfortable and nervous, then he for sure succeeded.

I think that we would like to think that over the last fifty years the way our society deals with race has dramatically changed for the better. And in many ways, this is true. We have successfully integrated our schools and the number of intermarriages have increased. But in some ways, not much has changed.

Take the layout of Chicago, for example. In 1959, as is evident in the play, the idea of interracial communities frightened most whites in the community. Nowadays, although Chicago is much more integrated, it still has the title of being America's most segregated city. The division between the different communities in Chicago is evident in this map but also just by simply driving down the streets. It's clear when one community ends and the next one starts because of the different infrastructure and of course, the different races of the people in each area.

Over the years, the level of acceptance of other races and cultures in Chicago has come a very long way. We as a society have made great strides in our ability to integrate and come together happily. However, segregation and racism are still present. While it may not be as severe as it existed historically, it does still exist. So I guess the question I am left with is, will we ever reach a time when the world is completely integrated? Is that possible? Is that desirable? When will race truly be an acceptable topic to speak about and no longer be the "elephant in the room?"