Urban Renewal is Negro Removal
When Cliff calls urban renewal “negro removal,” he is recalling the writer James Baldwin. Baldwin coined this phrase on national television in 1963, speaking of the ways in which Black Americans were being displaced at higher levels by urban renewal projects than white Americans. The phrase rang true for people across the country, including those here in Rhode Island.
Massive urban renewal started in 1949 with the passing of the Housing Act. With this Act, any lands deemed “blighted,” “ghettos,” or “slums” could be purchased with federal funds by cities. Sites would be bought from families, the neighborhood would be bulldozed, and the land would be given to private developers.
In 1956, the federal government took urban development a step further. The Federal-Aid Highway Act routed highways directly through cities. It aimed to create quick routes in and out of city centers, but also served as justification to break up urban neighborhoods—most of them Black or Latino. Providence’s own I-95 is a good example.
Cliff’s neighborhood was a casualty to such urban renewal. In the early 1960s, the Providence Redevelopment Authority deemed Cliff’s West Elmwood neighborhood “blighted.”
Ultimately, 567 homes were demolished to construct an industrial park.
“I think the Industrial Park is a nice idea,” Cliff says. “But I think that the city and the state should have had more responsibility to the people…because they really destroyed a community.”
Do you think the city and state have a responsibility to the people?
Massive urban renewal started in 1949 with the passing of the Housing Act. With this Act, any lands deemed “blighted,” “ghettos,” or “slums” could be purchased with federal funds by cities. Sites would be bought from families, the neighborhood would be bulldozed, and the land would be given to private developers.
In 1956, the federal government took urban development a step further. The Federal-Aid Highway Act routed highways directly through cities. It aimed to create quick routes in and out of city centers, but also served as justification to break up urban neighborhoods—most of them Black or Latino. Providence’s own I-95 is a good example.
Cliff’s neighborhood was a casualty to such urban renewal. In the early 1960s, the Providence Redevelopment Authority deemed Cliff’s West Elmwood neighborhood “blighted.”
Why West Elmwood? According to the Providence Redevelopment Agency’s own study, West Elmwood had high rates of welfare usage, tuberculosis, venereal disease, and juvenile delinquency. The catch? A close look at the study’s findings reveals that these rates did not differ substantially from citywide rates.
Ultimately, 567 homes were demolished to construct an industrial park.
“I think the Industrial Park is a nice idea,” Cliff says. “But I think that the city and the state should have had more responsibility to the people…because they really destroyed a community.”
Do you think the city and state have a responsibility to the people?
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