Abandoned in the Heartland. Work, Family, and Living in East St. Louis

203 Pages·2011·2.75 MB·English

by  Jennifer Hamer

Abandoned in the Heartland
THE GEORGE GUND FOUNDATION
IMPRINT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
The George Gund Foundation has endowed
this imprint to advance understanding of
the history, culture, and current issues
of African Americans.
Abandoned
in the Heartland
Work, Family, and Living
in East St. Louis
Jennifer F. Hamer
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United
States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social
sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by
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University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2011 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data Hamer, Jennifer.
Abandoned in the heartland : work, family, and living in East St. Louis / Jennifer F. Hamer.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-26931-6 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-520-26932-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1.
East Saint Louis (Ill.)—Social conditions—21st century.
2. East Saint Louis (Ill.)—Economic conditions— 21st century. 3. Working class—Illinois—
East Saint Louis. 4. African Americans—Illinois—East Saint Louis. I. Title.
HN80.E27H37 2011
305.5’620977389—dc22 2010052399
Manufactured in the United States of America 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible and sustainable printing
practices, UC Press has printed this book on Rolland Enviro100, a 100% post-consumer fiber
paper that is FSC certified, deinked, processed chlorine-free, and manufactured with renewable
biogas energy. It is acid-free and EcoLogo certified.
For my family: Especially to my son, Nile;
daughter, Zoe; and spouse, Clarence E. Lang;
grandmother Frieda Lewis; mom and dad, Elsie
and Johnnie Hamer; mother-in-law, Delores
Lang-Patton; sisters, Frieda, Stephanie, Sonnie,
Khadija, and Sheri; brothers, Lawrence, Mark,
and Tom; nieces and nephews, Rabha, Regge,
Mark, Lily, Olivia, Sam, Ben, Johnnie Dennison
(J.D.), and Macy; and the many families and
children in East St. Louis, Illinois
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. In America’s Heartland
2. East St. Louisans and Their Cars
3. Work and Meaning in a Jobless Suburb
4. Hustling, Clean and Dirty
5. “Around here, women never get done workin’”
6. “Gotta protect my own”
7. The Cost of Abandonment
Epilogue:
Obama and East St. Louis
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
ILLUSTRATIONS
Following page 57.
1. Collinsville Avenue, East St. Louis, circa 1890
2. Many African Americans, among others, found employment in East St.
Louis in the early twentieth century, circa 1940
3. East St. Louis families wait in line for government surplus food, 1958
4. Public housing was a move “up” for many African American families, 1962
5. The first tenants in a newly completed East St. Louis housing project are
welcomed by Mayor Alvin Fields and Goldie F. Orr, East St. Louis housing
commissioner, 1961
6. Mayor Carl E. Officer meets with Senator Adlai E. Stevenson III, of Illinois,
to discuss redevelopment plans for East St. Louis riverfront, 1980
7. City workers waiting to be told details about city budget cuts, 1980
8. In the 1980s, trains continue to move through the switching yard
9. Goldie Dorsey stands in front of her home in East St. Louis, 1986
10. Hazardous housing characteristic of many East St. Louis neighborhoods
11. Virginia Place, a street with many stately homes now in decline
12. Family dwelling in need of extensive repair
13. Collinsville Avenue, the city’s downtown
14. A view of downtown imprinted with blight and despair
15. Inside one of many abandoned businesses
16. The deserted Spivey Building and the closed offices of the East St. Louis
Journal
17. Abandoned Hunter Packing Company plant
18. East St. Louis riverfront today
19. A tattered shopping center off State Street
20. The Metrolink, with East St. Louis in the background