Historical February 1999 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
I frequently try to explain to people why Skinker DeBaliviere is such an unique neighborhood. Perhaps because we live here, we take it for granted. Massey and Denton wrote a book entitled American Apartheid several years ago.
There is much of value in the book but I was a trifle offput to read their assertion that if a neighborhood becomes 30% black-the tipping point-it will become 100% black shortly. Needless to say, our neighborhood certainly disproves the universality of that assertion.
We have been a majority (around 60%) black neighborhood for about 3 decades. Yet, white families have remained as residents and continue to move here.
The degree of economic diversity is also fairly remarkable.
I have tried to figure out the reasons for this. Obviously the nurturing of the institutional members of the Council is very important.
The loyalty of some residents to their parish helped a great deal. And, the neighborhood had leaders-black and white-who fought to improve housing and increase services to the neighborhood. And, I wouldn’t be much of a political scientist to add that having a number of prominent elected officials as residents didn’t hurt either.
There are other neighborhoods in the city that now are as diverse as Skinker DeBaliviere.
I hope that they also enjoy the will and the leadership to become stable integrated areas where property values rise and crime falls.
It is not always easy.
It takes a great deal of learning and some fortitude. And the need to defy skeptics who say, “Why do you live there?” In Skinker DeBaliviere, people have many different philosophies, many different interests. What I hope we share is that something good has happened here, something that defies pundits and is worth emulating.
On Wed., Jan. 27, I got an e-mail at work about the closing of the Forest Park Parkway that evening.
It was obvious that the papal motorcade would cross the borders of Skinker DeBaliviere.
In that gorgeous weather, I decided to go to the corner of the Parkway and DesPeres and see the motorcade pass by the neighborhood.
A colleague joined me.
As we stood waiting, a number of people gathered.
It wasn’t a huge crowd but it was a Skinker DeBaliviere crowd-black and white, young and old-talking, laughing, enjoying.
It certainly confirms my decision to move here almost 10 years ago and my personal pledge to fight to ensure that this neighborhood prevails.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1999.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1999_02.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
