GREEN STREET IN BLACK AND WHITE: A Chicago Story. By Dave Larsen. Canton, MI: Reformed Journal Books (Front Edge Publishing), 179 pages.
Sometimes, when we want to tell our own story, especially when it involves difficult moments in life, we might want to turn it into fiction. That way, you can include figures and dialogue that expand the story without revealing personal details. When discussing the impact of a community’s changing demographics, this can prove valuable. Such is the case with Dave Larsen’s book Green Street in Black and White: A Chicago Story.
Robert D. Cornwall
In Green Street in Black and White, Dave Larsen, who served as executive director of the Bright Promise Fund for Urban Christian Education in Chicago, and has been a frequent contributor to the Reformed Journal, The Banner, and Christian Scholars Review, tells the story of the changing dynamics of the Chicago neighborhood in the early 1960s, which led to White Flight. Larsen tells the story of the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, as he experienced it in 1962 as a twelve-year-old. At the time, Englewood was a segregated community, but change was on the horizon. Much of the story involves a group of boys, who called themselves the Green Street Boys, who lived in the neighborhood. Much of the “action” takes place on the porches, which is where people tended to spend time during warm summer days and evenings. Other locations included the Christian school connected to the Christian Reformed Church in the neighborhood, for the family was part of that community. However, not all the boys were CRC, for among their number was Frank Bertolli, a “Papist.”
Life was good for the boys as they entered the year 1962, but as Larsen writes in the final paragraph of chapter 1, “the summer of 1962, was different. This was the summer of the n-word. It was spoken often, not only on Green Street, but throughout Englewood, and not just by Frank Bertoli” (p. 6). What we discover here is that children are observant and impacted by the behavior and attitudes of the adults in their lives. Through this story, Larsen reveals the depth of racism that can exist in a Christian community. While this racism was more overt in the 1960s than today, as we’re seeing, it is still very much present in our churches.
In the course of the story, we watch as the neighborhood changes, especially as one of the men in the neighborhood is murdered by a group of African American teen boys who had come in from a nearby predominantly black neighborhood. That led members of the community to contemplate moving. Then, an African American couple bought one of the newly vacated homes. The husband was a minister and the wife a teacher, both educated at the nearby University of Chicago. As you might expect, they were not welcomed by most of the community. The one exception was the author’s family. As for the school and the church, they followed their members further out into the white suburbs. It is a scene that has played out in cities across the country, especially after red-lining was outlawed. I don’t want to reveal much more, since this is a novel, but I think you can get a sense of what you will find in the book with this brief exposition.
What I would like to share is that Larsen can communicate how the changes that took place in that community affected families, both Black and White. He offers this picture through the lens of a twelve-year-old boy. What we see here is the way racism is often rooted in fear. There are attempts to bridge gaps, but they are few and far between. Fear and racism are the dominant responses. As one reads the story, there are signs of hope, but also reminders as to how far we still have to go before we can say that the bridge is complete. As for what happens to Larsen’s protagonist and his family, you will have to read the book to discover that part of the story.
In his “Author’s Note,” Larsen points out that this is a fictionalized account of events that took place during his childhood while living on Green Street in Englewood. He mixes in fictional events with real events, such as riding in his Irish uncle’s police car and the fact that his church hired an intern who was assigned the job of tracking where Black families were moving into the neighborhood around the church. It wasn’t because the church wanted to reach out to them and invite them into the church. He points out as well that today, the most polarized neighborhood in Chicago is Englewood. In 1962, it was predominantly white (German, Swedish, and Irish). Today, it is 98.5% Black. He writes that “Not even ethnic cleansing in the Balkans achieved the levels of turnover that white flight in Chicago did” (p. 175). The story of White Flight in Englewood was replicated from city to city, including in Detroit.
My review is brief because I want readers to experience the story for themselves. However, as someone who doesn’t read a lot of fiction, I found Larsen’s book to be compelling, insightful, and engaging. As such, I highly recommend it, especially now, as white nationalism is creeping into our churches, creating more polarization. After all, the current administration has made it clear that they want to undo every advance in diversity, equity, and inclusion that has taken place over the years. Reading a book such as Green Street in Black and White: A Chicago Story can help uncover the seeds of racism present in our society. So, take and read, as Larsen’s story will speak to hearts that are open to a different path for our nation and world.
This review originally appeared on BobCornwall.com.
Robert D. Cornwall is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Now retired from his ministry at Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Troy, Michigan, he serves as Minister-at-Large in Troy. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the author of numerous books, including his latest “Second Thoughts about the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope” coauthored with Ronald J. Allen. His blog Ponderings on a Faith Journey can be found here.
