Actions Taken
Dealing with White Flight
Across the nation, racial integration caused strife, including the controversial integration of Central High School in Little Rock; however, Ludlow contradicted this standard and integrated based on the belief that it was the citizens' responsibility to peacefully and smoothly integrate the neighborhood. Beginning in the late 1950's, the LCA took a unique approach to thwarting white flight. They regulated the buying and selling of homes in the neighborhood based on race. When the neighborhood became majority black, the LCA only allowed whites to move in to maintain an even racial balance.
"Many whites searched their consciences and decided to stay [in Ludlow]. 'We felt we couldn't lead our children into the future if we ran away from what they should learn to live with, compatibly and comfortably,' one woman explains."
-Joseph P. Blank, "Ludlow- a Lesson in Integration"
"Emilie said that we would call a group of our neighbors over and have them meet the 'new neighbors' on the block. We believed that the white residents we knew would be just as impressed as we were with our 'new neighbors' and would thus take their homes off the market." Excerpt from
"Shaker Heights: The Struggle for Integration" |
Excerpt from
"Shaker Heights: The Struggle for Integration" "Together, black and white families agreed that if they could get white families to buy in Ludlow, they could combat the rumors that the community was turning into a ghetto. When real estate companies told them it was a lost cause, they sold bonds and raised money to help families with high down payments." The Ludlow Community Association is noteworthy because it was formed before the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Fair Housing Act (1968). The community members in Ludlow had no legislation to fall back on; they relied on the cooperation of black and white residents to successfully integrate the neighborhood.
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Fundraising
To fund the financial assistance that the LCA provided to home buyers as a way to catalyze integration, the association held highly successful fundraisers.
"Past president Ron Spetrino, another speaker at the September 8 anniversary event, was the mastermind behind LCA's biggest fundraising efforts. In the fall of 1964 the association bought out the entire Shaker Square theater for the opening night of 'My Fair Lady.' They sold out the theater, raised $5,000, and at least 25 percent of the entire community was involved in selling the tickets." -Marie Catanese, "Making a Neighborhood What You Dream it to Be" |
Excerpt from
"Shaker Heights: The Struggle for Integration" |