Community Amidst Adversity: The Navigation of Shared Struggle Among Chicago Public Housing Residents
Document Type
Honors Project (Campus Only)
Abstract
Chicago public housing is widely associated with violent crime and neglect. While it is true that developments such as Cabrini-Green and the Robert Taylor Homes suffered from severe deterioration, the structural failures of public housing have overshadowed the experiences of residents in popular discourse. This essay places residents at the center of the public housing narrative, analyzing the ways in which they joined together to collectively combat marginalization by forging a sense of community identity. I argue that, from the inception of public housing in the late 1930s to the present day, residents waged struggles that remain relevant to contemporary disadvantaged communities. Through measures such as group parenting and grassroots political protest, they brought stability, autonomy, and dignity to public housing.
Recommended Citation
Jefferson, Ernest, "Community Amidst Adversity: The Navigation of Shared Struggle Among Chicago Public Housing Residents" (2018). History Honors Projects. 31.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/history_honors/31
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