Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Remembering Chicago’s racial tensions from the late 1960s Looking back at Chicago in the 1960s and the racial tensions that divided Blacks and Whites, I decided to write a book about that experience. White Flight, which I titled “Midnight Flight: One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online…
Read More “Remembering Chicago’s racial tensions from the late 1960s” »
Cicero Commemorates Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday Unlike other communities that mark the birthday of civil rights leaders the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., only with a day off from work, The Town of Cicero also hosts a community-wide celebration at its Community Center. This year marked the 10th Anniversary of Cicero’s King Commemoration…
Read More “Cicero Commemorates Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday” »
Midnight Flight, the online book on race in Chicago An online book that explores the memories of a challenging time in Chicago when race was the dominating factor driving and influencing people’s lives. 1968 and 1969 were difficult times in Chicago and my book “Midnight Flight” offers one perspective on what that experience was like,…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Online book on Race in Chicago” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 13 — Notes from Readers One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania (C) 1990-2022 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved Send us your comments, letters and memories and I will post them here. Email me by clicking here. You must let…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 13 — Notes from Readers” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 12 — Looking Back One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2020 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved The families that moved out of South Shore Valley were the real losers. We were the victims, too, the people…
Midnight Flight: Chapter 11 — Friends Left Behind One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved Rely on memory for inspiration, but always check it for perfection and accuracy. Memory is human. So, it is…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 11 — Friends Left Behind” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 10 — The Sub-Urban Life One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “Wash your whiskey in your water, sugar in your tea …” “Wuz all this crazy questions you askin’ me …”…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 10 — The Sub-Urban Life” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 9 — Midnight Flight One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “I’m gonna leave the city, got to get away. “I’m gonna leave the city, got to get away. “All this fussing…
Midnight Flight: Chapter 8 — In the Eye of the Storm One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “I can fly like a bird in the sky. “I can buy anything that money can buy….
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 8 — In the Eye of the Storm” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 7 — Bowen High School One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “Give me a head with Hair, long beautiful Hair, “Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen, “Give me down to there, Hair!…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 7 — Bowen High School” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 6 — Alone in the Playground One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “There she was just a walking down the street, “singing do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do “Snapping her…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 6 — Alone in the Playground” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 5 — Black is Bad One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2018 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “I’m from Milwaukee, and I ought to know. “It’s Blatz, Blatz, Blatz, Blatz, wherever you go. “Blatz is the…
Midnight Flight: Chapter 4 — Written Long Before One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2019 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved Chicago’s borders, literally, marked the end of civilization as we knew it. Beyond the city’s borders was a vast wasteland…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 4 — Written Long Before” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 3 — A Beautiful, Idyllic Community One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2020 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “You don’t know, what we can find. “Why don’t you come home with me little girl, “on…
Read More “Midnight Flight: Chapter 3 — A Beautiful, Idyllic Community” »
Midnight Flight: Chapter 2, Dividing Lines One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2020 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “You never really knew a man until you stood in his shoes and walked around in them.” — To Kill…
Midnight Flight: Chapter 1, Introduction By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2020 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved This book is about one family’s experience of White Flight from a changing and great Chicago community, South Shore Valley (also called South Shore Gardens, Calumet Heights). It is also one person’s memory of living in a wonderful…