On the Banks of a River

The author looks at the challenges the city of Grand Rapids faces in terms of achieving racial equality. He also looks at prospects for achieving the goal, complemented by studies conducted by different groups, agencies and individuals including city officials and academics. Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in the state Michigan after Detroit.The challenges black people face in terms of employment, housing, business opportunities, access to resources, education and race relations in general are some of the subjects addressed by the author. A report in Forbes magazine in January 2015 stated that Grand Rapids was one of the worst cities for blacks in terms of economic opportunities. It was ranked second from last among the nation's 52 largest metropolitan areas in terms of opportunities for black people, surpassed only by Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The author also looks at how far the city has progressed, or regressed, in more than 50 years since the 1967 riot and why the poverty rate among blacks is higher than it was more than 50 years ago. He also looks at where the city is headed in terms of demographics and political orientation. Grand Rapids is in a congressional district that has always been a Republican stronghold.Subjects covered include the city's demographic composition and transformation through the years; establishment of the first black settlement in the city's history, Auburn Hills, by blacks in response to segregation; the 1967 riot; race relations including racial integration and its challenges; gentrification and its impact on inner-city residents, mostly black; the city's gradual transformation from being a conservative stronghold to being somewhat liberal and still having conservative enclaves especially on the periphery but even within the city itself; the city's social and political climate; and what lies ahead and other subjects.