The large trees that
form a canopy along many of Oak Park's streets are an important
part of the village's public image. Oak Parkers love their tress.
Some fanatically so. Now that the Oak has disappeared from Oak
Park, it is the elm that has become the backbone of this image.
Sadly enough it is also the elm that is in danger of disappearing
because of Dutch Elm disease. George Schnieder, local landlord
and political activist, had what he claimed to be the "oldest"
Elm in the village. It towered over several three story houses
on East avenue. George tried for years to make every known cure
work to remove the beetles that infested his tree but failed.
The village forester gave George no option. After many newspaper
and television stories, the mighty Elm was felled. George had
a funeral for his "friend" beer and brats for
all who attended. Perhaps to outsiders this might seem a bit eccentric
but to anyone who has lived in this community, trees are serious
business and losing an Elm is like losing a close friend. Photographic
artist and former Oak Parker, Esther Parada is planning to mount
an exhibit about the symbolic importance of Elms in Oak Park.
I spent the months of
July and August editing the video portion of the Taylor Family
Portrait - one of three family portraits designed to explore this
community. I completed a two hour version that was sufficient
finished to show to the Taylors and then with Bob Trezevant's
assitance videotaped their reaction. This session will form the
basis for an epilogue. In September I was able to acquire the
services of an editorial assistant, Rebecca Carlson, an MFA candidate
in Temple's film school who had taken a film seminar with me.
She is fine turning the video - correcting color balance, sound
levels, brightness and contrast, etc. But more important she looking
at the tape with fresh eyes and making suggestions for changes.
My intention is to have this video portion ofthe portrait ready
to circulate for critical comments during the next quarter. The
nect task is to write all of the "modules" that I feel
need to be there to provide depth and anthropologcial insights
to what is portrayed. Ultimately the video and text will be combined.
I was able to complete a co-authored article entitled, RECONSIDERING THE OAK PARK STRATEGY: The Conundrums of Integration, with Evan McKenzie, a political scientist at the University of Illinois, Chicago and Oak Parker. We have submited it to a scholarly jounral for possible publication.
Here is the ABSTRACT:
The civil rights movement succeeded in making great strides in the workplace and opening up educational opportunities, but failed when it came to housing. A glance at the 2000 census reveals that while the United States is becoming increasingly diverse, it remains as segregated as ever. Most attempts to constructively and deliberately integrate resulted in resegregation. This article critically examines an exception the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. Thirty years ago the community made a conscious decision to welcome African Americans into a place that was virtually one hundred percent white. Thought time they developed policies, programs, and institutions designed to maintain integration so that blacks would feel welcome and white would not flee. Data generated by long term research by a political scientist and an ethnographer are employed to explore two questions: hoe does the "Oak Park strategy" work and could other communities use these tactics?
If you are interested
in reading the complete article simply double click on the title
which is in blue. As always your comments, critcisms, and suggestions
are welcome. Email them to me at
ruby@temple.3edu.
Footnote: I hade planned to finish this
report by the first week in October but I had surgery on a blociked
artery and was unable to do so. I am on the mend but am told that
recovery can taek 6 months. Which may mean the next quarterly
report will be very short.