"End of the Segregated Century?" Maybe Not

A civic think tank's new report heralds the end of the segregated city, its authors claiming American cities are more integrated than ever, ghettos are in the decline and all-white neighborhoods are virtually extinct.

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But a Chicago-based policy group led by Oak Parkers is refuting the findings of the Manhattan Institute's "End of the Segregated Century" report. The Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance issued a scathing response to the study and its methods, claiming study authors used an "unusual" sorting of black and non-black groups to manipulate the conclusions. They write:

"First, housing segregation is not only an issue for African Americans. Other minorities experience segregation and combining all non-black populations together glosses over the existence of segregation and discrimination faced by Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans. Secondly, grouping all non-black races inflates the progress of integration. The progress reported can be partially attributed to the integration of two or more minority groups."

Worse, the authors of the CAHFA response say, is that the study — and reactionary media coverage of it — paves the way for Americans to simply declare the country "post-racial," to move on and sweep the issue away.

"Many would welcome the silencing of opposing views that have long emphasized the perpetual racial undertones influencing housing, education, and employment," they say. Read the full response here.

The Chicago Tribune's Dawn Turner Rice interviewed the authors of the CAHFA response, Patricia Fron and Oak Park native Morgan Davis for a story on Monday. "The moment we stop being aggressive with policies and holding local governments and communities accountable, resegregation can happen and has happened," Davis said.

Rob Breymaier, director of the , also serves as CAHFA president.