A City Within a City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan

by Todd E. Robinson

"A City within a City" examines the civil rights movement in the North by concentrating on the struggles for equality in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Historian Todd Robinson studies the issues surrounding school integration and bureaucratic reforms as well as the role of black youth activism to detail the diversity of black resistance. He focuses on respectability within the African American community as a way of understanding how the movement was formed and held together. And he elucidates the oppositional role of northern conservatives regarding racial progress.
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"A City within a City" cogently argues that the post-war political reform championed by local Republicans transformed the city's racial geography, creating a racialized city within a city, featuring a system of managerial racism designed to keep blacks in declining inner-city areas. As Robinson indicates, this bold, provocative framework for understanding race relations in Grand Rapids has broader implications for illuminating the twentieth-century African American urban experience in secondary cities.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Historical, Adult, African American

249 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

Todd E. Robinson is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Reviews

[Ashlee Eiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insight and well-researched. Incredibly academic, which made it a laborious read at times. Definitely helped give light and great context to the current racialized landscape in GR. I’ve lived here for 6 mos as a POC in a majority-white neighborhood, and Robinson’s work helped me think critically about our neighborhood dynamics. Wish I had read this months ago!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very academic read. Yet, the fascination was in discovering the inequalities that have plagued this city since the late 60s. It was a very thorough researched topic and it was amazing how the complaints lodged against the schools and city housing have not changed a bit.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be thinking about this book for a long timer. If you are an educator in the greater GR area, have been an educator GR, plan to be an educator in GR, or live in GR you need to read this book. Rating it feels wrong given the topic and subject matter, but it is a crucial read.

[Andrew Blok]

After reading this book, it's definitely going to be a priority to read a book of local history much sooner after moving somewhere new, especially if it's about how the city got the shape it has today.

This book is an academic work (which I wasn't always in the mood for) on the struggle for civil rights in Grand Rapids. Focusing on employment, housing and education, Robinson tracks how Black Grand Rapidians took the approach of "rowing not floating" to dismantle Grand Rapids' system of managerial racism. Racism in Grand Rapids, Robinson makes the case, was more about hidden structures behind a shield of progressive political talk. In this way, Grand Rapids (and most of its white residents) could imagine itself as progressive, all-American city, while segregating blacks into an overcrowded city center while whites fled to suburban areas and took resources with them.

The most eye-opening chapter, for me, was the one on school integration and busing. It's a perfect example of how policy creates second-class citizens and how ostensibly progressive policies can still place the burden on folks they claim to support.

I better understand Grand Rapids, both over the last century and today. I better understand American history, especially around housing, labor and education discrimination. I don't know that I recommend an academic text on Grand Rapids for everyone, but you should at least visit the local history section of your library.

[SaraJane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An challenging read after having recently moved to the city. However, the book offered insight into the continued segregation and challenges present in the community.

pg. 167 "De facto segregation served as the obvious and easy response for white residents seeking to explain the residential color lines that divide Grand Rapids. Used to denote a far more genteel form of racial separation that was void of legal or official standing within the city, de facto segregation, white residents maintained, just happened to create a city within a city. ... viewed through the lens of managerial racism, however, the municipal policies engineered by local politicians, city planners, and businessmen to develop and sustain a privileged racial geography in Grand Rapids become transparent."

pg. 179 "The racial crisis that beset Grand Rapids had less to do with the limits of the left-liberal alliance and more to do with the triumph of racial conservatism."

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was honestly not that impressed.

As much as I love a dry, academic read, the pacing and tone of this book often felt uninspired and hard to work with. While it was a fascinating look at the racist policies and politics in the Midwest outside of the major metropolitan areas, the actual point or aim of the book besides an account of racial oppression didn't seem evident.

It did make a good point, though not until the end, that Grand Rapids, Michigan because it was a predominantly conservative area, gave a glimpse of what would have happened had the Democratic party not made civil rights such a platform issue.

All in all, if you are reading this book for the specificity of the information, it's worth a look, but I feel the issue of racism and its history is better handled elsewhere.

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have probably been many books written about segregation, integration, and the impact that racial politics have played on the shaping of cities. Robinson brings this investigation into a mid-sized northern american city. The result is a startling view in which the layers are peeled back to reveal, not a burning racial divide, but a chilling layer of managerial and structural racism that has kept the forces of integration at bay. This is an important work for any mid-size city that must question why we still see segregated neighborhoods and schools.

[David Britten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer on the history of “managerial racism” in the Greater Grand Rapids area. Although I’ve lived here my whole life, I never quite understood the nuances of housing discrimination and neighborhood segregation. Of particular interest was the decision to close South High School and bus Black students to predominantly white schools, rather than balancing racial makeup, including staff, in all five high schools. It was a grave mistake.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part academic dissertation, and part engaging story of the black freedom struggle in Grand Rapids, City within a City carefully documents the racial tensions in the city through a broad ethnographic lens. Robinson highlights "managerial racism" as one of the key ways to understand racial tensions in Grand Rapids.

[Colleen Marquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dry and academic but an important history. It examines how politics played a huge role in the segregation and redlining of neighborhoods in Grand Rapids. This is an important, if not difficult, book for any Grand Rapidian.

[River · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good history of racism in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a particular look at how the city government structured city policies to encourage racial divisions.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I was reading this book, I wanted to learn more about the author, Todd Robinson. In researching those details, I discovered that this book was his dissertation. It reads like a piece of academic writing. Considering the subject matter, I think this is a positive. The topic of modern segregation might be easier to digest when discussed in an academic, unemotional, strictly factual way.

It's also hard to assign a star rating to this book--it was informative, thoroughly researched, and well-written. But I finished it and felt outrage, shame, and frustration. Outraged that city leadership intentionally created the segregation and disparity of opportunity we see today. Ashamed of the neighborhood I call home and the role its mostly white residents played in resisting efforts to reverse some of these effects. Frustrated at how long it takes, and how difficult and complex it is to undo generations of perceptions.

This is an important book--a must read for anyone committed to making Grand Rapids a more diverse place.

[Noah Filipiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a heads up, this book is written academically as a PhD thesis, so it's pretty dry / slow reading. That took me a while to get used to. But as far as the book itself, it's a must read for residents of Grand Rapids. I've read a lot of books about racial justice that talk about the macro issues across our country, but there's something unique about reading about the very neighborhoods we live in and hearing names of the politicians and leaders who built the city we live in. The people and laws who shaped our city. It makes the issues much more real, especially as I look at older residents of our city. A City Within A City gives a necessary foundation that points us toward what we need to do to be a part of bringing about change and equity.

[Daniel Uecker-Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who did not grow up in Grand Rapids, I wanted to learn more about the history of the city. I heard snippets of the past as it concerned blacks in Grand Rapids, but not much. Mostly about the 'uprisings' in 1967. This book opened my eyes to a not so positive side of my adopted hometown. As explained in the book, the 'managerial racism' exhibited in the past may still be part of the present. I would like to think that much of the racism of the past is in the past. But to some it is not forgotten. The white suburbs of GR's history largely seemingly remain all white enclaves. Anyway, I am no expert on such matters, but I do encourage everyone to read this book.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read half of this work last year, but read and led a book discussion on it. This is a solid work by Robinson. His argument is clear, and he used a wide-range of primary source material to support it including interviews and newspaper accounts. It makes a good contribution to the historiography on urban history as he focused on the Black civil rights struggle in what he labels a "secondary city."

[Daniel Langenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this book high because it covered, in detail, the racial divide of my smaller community. Not racism in the mid-west. Not racism in Detroit or Flint. Racism in Grand Rapids. Facing the historical reality of own city, in a way, is more impactful than any other wide-reaching book on race in America could be. Even if it's not this book or about the Grand Rapids community, I would recommend everyone read a book on their local race relations.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A City Within A City is an essential read for those seeking to understand how local government policies have affected people of color. This book is especially enlightening to those who have familial roots in the GR area. Though the tone of the book is very academic which can make it dry at times, the actual content of the book is extremely worthwhile and based on historical fact rather than opinion.

[Capalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers racial history of Grand Rapids from roughly 1900-1970. Extensive discussion of attempts and aftermath of desegregation in Grand Rapids Public Schools.

A bit "dry historian" at times, but critically important understanding for those involved in policy and community organizing in this city. We still have a long way to go.

[Steven May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides insights on the racial discord between those of color and the those individuals who controlled Grand Rapids Mi. It gives credit to many black groups that were able to bring about change in the community to improve the racial climate for colored people. The book is academic and was slow reading for me.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Writing could have been edited for improvement, but the content is important, and the underlying thesis that we're missing a great deal about the northern black freedom struggle by exclusively focusing on a few big cities is well demonstrated.

[Hannah Notess · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important piece of the story of Grand Rapids that is missing from the main narratives I tend to hear from other white people about the city. Very useful for understanding my new home city on a deeper level and for undoing my own naïveté.

[Carol Glanville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! A little dry on the front end with lots of data and historical underpinnings. But the second half is striking. Fantastic read as a municipal leader in atheism suburbs if Grand Rapids. Imagine any secondary city would have a similar pattern to uncover.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading for understanding the context and political systems behind systemic racism in Grand Rapids.

[Eula C · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is amazing that the city where I grew up, has not changed. The story-line is still the same.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a relationship with West Michigan in any way, this is a worthwhile read.

[Amy Cutlip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be required reading for anyone who lives in west Michigan! A little dry for my taste, but I don’t typically enjoy nonfiction

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of Grand Rapids, Mi. And the racism that made this city. Knowing the history of my city is important, but also a dense history book!

[Dave Potts]

to-read

[Marc-Antoine Serou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It made for a pretty dry read. Very instructive nonetheless, even when the timeline is a little muddy and hard to follow at times.

[LMG · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much in this book that I just didn't know. Not raised in Grand Rapids, it was a helpful introduction to the Black experience in Grand Rapids.